Generation Z or more commonly Gen Z for short, also known as zoomers are the offspring succeeding millennials and preceding the Generation Alpha. As the first social generation to have grown up with access to the internet and portable digital technology from a young age, Generation Z have achieved a lot in the 21st century while also making quite a number of misconceptions about them.
With technology making things a lot easier in recent years and Gen Z getting to grow up and evolve just as technology is developing everyday, Gen Z’s has been able to utilize technology to make life even better for themselves which a few millennials feel indifferent about,
In this feature story, we aim to clear up a few misconceptions about Gen Z’s.
Misconception 1:
Age Range: This misconception takes the first place because it is generally believed that for a person to be a part of the Generation Z clique, their birth year has to be from the early 2000s which is is very incorrect. A true born Gen Z birth year starts from the year 1997 and ends in the year 2012.
Misconception 2:
Idleness: The Millennial and Boomer generations are of the belief that Generation Z are lazy when it comes to work. This is a very big misconception about them. Gen Z’s were born with the invention and also evolved with technology. With technological knowledge, life has been made way easier for them so that they don’t even have to physically be present at work (domestic and foreign), pursue a career with the use of social media and its influencing tools which was not available back in the day. It is safe to say that Gen Z’s are smart workers.
Misconception 3:
Bluntness: This misconception obviously stemmed from different beliefs and views of the three generations. Generation Z are known to be a vocal generation which is a good thing but Millennials and Boomers find this to be disrespectful. Gen Z’s will not tolerate any form of disrespect regardless of age as they are very expressive about their feelings and themselves. They strongly believe that they shouldn’t be forced into social construct as every person is unique and a individualistic culture should be adopted. Unfortunately, this doesn’t sit well with the older generations who believes otherwise. It is safe to say dem get coconut head when it comes to standing up for themselves and what they believe in.
Misconception 4:
Mental Health: Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. One thing Gen Z’s prioritizes is their mental health. When it comes to their mental health, it is not a topic for debate. Irrespective of who you are, once a Gen Z sees you as a threat to their mental health, you get cut off immediately. A Gen Z would rather remain jobless than to work in a toxic environment or with a toxic boss because they know that they are loved at home. The older generation sees this as laziness, being stubborn and proud which is obviously a misconception because they are used to these abuse and not standing up for themselves. Gen Z’s believe that anything causing you your peace is not worth it and should be cut-off.
Misconception 5:
Enjoyment: Generation Z are of the belief “you only have one life to live so you have to live it to the fullest” (YOLO). The older generations sees this as Gen Z’s wasting away their money, youthful exuberance and living without consequences. This misconception stemmed from Gen Z’s indirectly passing the idea of “let me waste my money and do whatever i like” instead of “no one knows tomorrow let me enjoy the time i have here” but irrespective of what anyone thinks, Gen Z’s will still enjoy this life on their own terms. Just as they like to say ” No be you go tell me wetin i go do”.
