Decoding GenZ: Highly individualistic and low on regrets - this generation has what it takes

• The biggest myth surrounding selfie-clicking, filter-using GenZs is that they’re self-absorbed, but experts say that they’re more family-oriented than others.
  
• Raised through a more friendly parenting style, parents are their 4 am friends and Gen Zs are also ‘reverse-influencing’ them to chase their dreams.
  
• Gen Zs like to keep things open and fluid – from education and personal relationships to consumption and personal identity.
  

GenZs or zoomers are the most mysterious of all generations — especially when compared to GenXers, baby boomers, and even their immediate predecessors – the millennials.

They also appear to be full of paradoxes and, hence, are also heavily misunderstood. A lot of research is going into getting a deeper understanding of these digital natives – who were born right at the turn of the 21st century.

Selfies, filters & a sense of ‘self’

The biggest myth that surrounds them is that they’re self-absorbed. Most youngsters are either clicking selfies or filtering to put them up on social media, and constantly worrying about themselves.

This may be true, but not entirely, according to Aditya Kaul, group account director at Kantar. “They are high on individualism, low on regrets and more self-appreciating. Like other generations, they prefer to live by their own values but prefer to live in a joint family,” he added, speaking at a webinar organised by Market Research Society of India (MRSI).

“They come with an easy sense of entitlement that causes discomfort to the older generations,” said Anjana Pillai, partner, Quantum Consumer Solutions.

Love thy parents

But that doesn’t mean they do not get along with their parents. On the contrary, they have been raised through a more friendly parenting style, and are able to close the generation gap with their parents – becoming one of the first generations to do so.

GenZs have been able to have a ‘reverse influence’ on their parents. “We hear of cases where many people in their 50s say that they chase their dreams because their children encouraged them to,” said Ashwini Sirsikar, group service line leader, Ipsos UU and SIA.

This was clearly evident in the many parent-child duos that appeared on the business reality show Shark Tank India including Patil Kaki, GetAWhey, House of Chikankari —indicating that the way ahead is a combination of old and new.

“Parents are an important means for them to negotiate with society, and parents are their 4 am friends,” adds Pillai.

East not West

Westernisation had made its way to India before the country attained freedom, but GenZs might be the first to resist that. They’re not blindly aping the West, say experts.

“Being Indian and Indianness is a big deal for them – it’s stylish and sexy. But they do not have blind love or hate for their country,” said Mukul Gautam, vice president and chief of capacity building at Purple Audacity.

This change could have happened on the back of many success stories of Indians – such as startup founders, athletes, global politicians and not to forget the many Indian-origin chief executive officers leading global tech majors.

Open to… everything

Zoomers also have something in common with the older generations – they’re just as religious as the older generations, and are also open to the idea of arranged marriages.

Their acceptance of arranged marriages, however, is more a swing towards openness than towards traditionalism. GenZs are open to everything. They’re morally fluid and a lot more experimental, and open to trying new things.

The constant change around them has made them open to change — from education and personal relationships to consumption and personal identity, there is a desire to keep things open.

“GenZ has lived through the narratives of climate change, socio-cultural-political instability, many movements, polarisation etc., which has tempered their optimism and made them very pragmatic and opportunistic,” says Gautam.

However, this doesn’t have a bad connotation since they’re constantly evolving, questioning and pursuing multiple identities. “It’s not a passive quest either. As if on dopamine, they constantly look and learn,” says Pillai.

Yet, there are pitfalls to being young in times like these, as they’re experiencing youth in a way no other generation ever did. Too many choices available too early, exacting demands from self and a perpetual quest for validation, especially on social media, are some of the reasons for the growing mental health problems.

The GenZ, who was born right when the internet took off, however, is better equipped to deal with social media and pitfalls. “It’s not mindless browsing. Social media is used judiciously to create a carefully curated identity and for furthering their personal career aspirations,” says Sirsikar.

While millennials are toggling between online and offline identities, GenZs are doing a better job of closing the gap — better prepared for the future that is turning virtual in a much bigger way.