Gen Z Diary: Defining the Concept of Gen Z

UMN Consulting, Jakarta – Answering the question “who are Gen Z?” is not an easy matter. Because the concept of generation itself is tied to age range, most people or companies can only identify Generation Z (Gen Z) based on their birth period. Meanwhile, in reality, various aspects define the generation based on our latest research regarding The Gen Z Lifestyle and Consumption Habit. Some of them are their tendency to be pragmatic, their pursuit for an authentic experience, their altruism, and their frugality caused by the pandemic and recession.

Many companies and government agencies are now starting to approach Gen Z, who are considered the most pivotal generation to date. They are trying to understand more about the generation, hoping they are not making any mistake when creating policies, products, or campaigns. To help the process, we asked six Gen Z to explain the concept of their generation in their own words, from the defining traits to what makes them different from the previous generation, Millennials.

What Are Gen Z According To You?

Anthonios Andreas Tanada, 21 Years Old, Management Student 

“In my opinion, they are a money-oriented generation. We want to get money instantly. However, we are also innovative and creative. Even though we are young, we are excited and enthusiastic to gain money. You can say we are young and ambitious, and that mindset is shaped by the fact that there are so many young people who already have lots of money or established a startup before they even reach 30 years old.”

Olivia Sabat, 22 Years Old, Journalism Student 

“Based on what I’ve read, the main difference is the birth period. If I am not wrong, they were born after 1997. However, if we hear the term Gen Z, I am sure that the first thing that appears in our minds is digital technology or the internet. We are true digital natives as we were born during the internet and digital technologies advancement. We are also more open to talking about lots of things.” 

What is The Difference Between Gen Z and Millennials?

Dea Novita Aryawinata, 21 Years Old, Management Student 

“We have a different mindset and worldview compared to the previous generation. The previous generation is one dimensional while we are multidimensional. We think about lots of things. For example, when Millennials buy a house, they will think about its accessibility, is it close to the city center or freeway. Meanwhile, Gen Z will think about safety, neighbors, and facilities.”

Cecilia, 21 Years Old, Management Student 

“How we use technology is the main difference between us and the previous generations, such as Millennials. For example, as digital natives, we can access our smartphones’ features fully. We know lots of things about the latest digital media and technologies. Actually, we can also see the difference between them from the social media we use. Most of the previous generations use Facebook, while we use Instagram and TikTok.”

What is The Most Important Things for Gen Z?

Dicky Frannsseda, 22 Years Old, Journalism Student 

“During this hard time (because of the pandemic), I think the most important thing for us, for the sake of our sanity, is calmness. For us, mental wellness is essential… Previous generations such as Millennials probably will say that money is the most important thing, but in reality, mental wellness is important too. We cannot take that issue lightly.”

Juan Robin, 21 Years Old, Journalism Student 

“The most important things for my generation right now are the freedom of expression and support. They need that because there are so many issues in corporations right now where the Gen Z movement and creativity are restricted by the company’s plan… So, even though we are known to be creative and progressive, lots of them don’t get the support they need”.

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From their answers, we can see that each of them has their own knowledge and perspective regarding the concept of Gen Z. If we dig deeper, we can also see that some frequent words or phrases appear in all of their essays. 

However, if you really want to know more about Gen Z, from their self-values, hobbies, to their preference, UMN Consulting’s upcoming whitepaper, The Gen Z Lifestyle and Consumption Habit, can give you all the necessary data needed to tailor your approach toward them.

You can also check our collaboration article with Kompas.com.