[The World on the Page] We Are Misunderstanding Generation Z

Independently Establishing Online and Offline Norms
Without Relying on Adult Guidance

During the holidays, my entire in-law family traveled together to Seoraksan. It was to celebrate my sister-in-law, who had immigrated to Australia, returning home with her children. Thanks to this, I had the chance to watch cousins who had lived separately on opposite sides of the globe interact. The kids, each holding a smartphone, communicated simultaneously online and offline. After installing a group messenger application and creating a group chat, they frequently exchanged information even during conversations. It was typical of Generation Z, who reportedly held digital devices even before baby bottles.

Recently, as Generation Z has begun entering society, conflicts have erupted in various places with stubborn older generations who don’t understand their language, often labeled as “OK Boomer.” The consciousness and society structured for the industrial era clash with those adept in digital environments. However, as revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, society as a whole is ultimately becoming ‘Z-ified.’ Observing their daily lives, understanding their language, and grasping their beliefs and behavioral patterns is also a way to foresee how we will live in the future.

According to “Gen Z: The Rise of Digital Natives” (published by Munhakdongne), co-authored by Roberta Katz, a researcher at Stanford University, and Sarah Ogilvy from Oxford University, Generation Z, born after 1995, is the first generation that does not know a world without the internet. Using methods from linguistics, anthropology, and history, the authors explore the first generation born into digital networks, accessing infinite information, enjoying cultural products, communicating without spatial constraints, and working collaboratively.

Contrary to common misconceptions, Generation Z is remarkably autonomous. Digital Adam, Generation Z, invented ways and norms to live across online and offline spaces without much adult assistance. Since there were no adults to teach them how to navigate the infinite possibilities of the digital world, they repeatedly experienced trial and error, establishing social behavioral rules and alternative cultures that work online on their own.

Having lived immersed in messenger culture from an early age?through phone texts and social networking service (SNS) messages?their texting etiquette and rules are very delicate. Placing a period after a sentence or abbreviation implies anger toward the recipient, and not replying promptly to a message is a sign of resentment. Generation Z has perfectly mastered how to express feelings and convey tone through text and practices this consistently. Learning this is essential to fully entering the world of digital text communication.

Generation Z is skilled at collaboration. Working together, solving problems collectively, and acting jointly are deeply rooted in their lives. This is because they have grown up using digital tools to create shared documents, participate in group chats, and share schedules. They are familiar with crowdfunding methods, pooling money to purchase products or support people they want to help, and prefer modular organizations and conversational work styles where each person brings expertise and works flexibly on project units. It is natural that hierarchical organizational cultures accustomed to top-down orders often clash with them.

Generation Z enjoys constructing their own identities rather than living by identities inherited from family or society. They explore “who they are” and openly show what is happening in their lives, such as anxiety, depression, and helplessness. Exploring intersecting identity elements like gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity, they create their selves freely and precisely, like designing a game avatar, and finely adjust their belonging communities by finding friends who are true to their real selves, called “fam.” For example, “a computer science major queer anarchist who practices vegetarianism and loves reading.” This granular identity is triggered by the desire to form a digital self as perfectly and accurately as possible.

Generation Z is very obsessed with managing their online identities authentically. While they may cultivate various “sub-characters” depending on the communities they belong to, they are sincere within each community and strive not to lose authenticity overall. This stems from disillusionment with hypocritical behaviors of authorities and influencers they have experienced countless times since childhood. They devote great care to maintaining their public identity?the image others see on social media and elsewhere?perfectly.

Because they must live their entire lives under constant surveillance and exhibition, Generation Z strives to avoid leaving “dark histories” in posts that could be used as unfavorable evidence in employment or social attacks. “Mom, don’t post my photos on Instagram without my consent.” In 2019, Apple, daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow, protested this way. For Generation Z, posting photos without consent is an invasion and insult to their identity.

Fairness, inclusion, and diversity are core values for Generation Z. They believe everyone should be able to define their own identity and have the right to be treated fairly in society. Generation Z questions privileges and discrimination taken for granted by older generations, does not forgive copying or stealing by the powerful, and is open to protecting minorities from hate speech and violence.

If promised inclusion and equality are not upheld or strict ethical standards are not met, Generation Z quickly targets these issues by organizing anger through boycotts, text protests, online public discussions, and unfollowing. In fact, Generation Z is not particularly individualistic. They simply distrust established political parties and social movement organizations because these are too hierarchical, excessively unequal, incapable of addressing serious climate crises, and unable to fix the world they inherited.

Generation Z is not a weak, spoiled group that procrastinates on what must be done. They understand that they must take responsibility for the broken world inherited from previous generations and fix it to create a better one. However, instead of joining old political parties and becoming disillusioned, they organize opinions through shared documents, set codes of conduct and implementation rules, plan protests using social media, and engage in resistance and struggle, exploring more equal, ethical, autonomous, and democratic forms of community through collaborative methods.

Generation Z will be guides showing new attitudes and norms in a society transformed by digital technology. In a fluid, flexible, and much more participatory society, they tell us how to work, what constitutes family, and what friendship means. Peeking into their lives is, in essence, looking into the future.

Jang Eun-su, Publishing Culture Critic