A new way of changing the world

Gen Zers are disruptors, but they're also kind. They speak their values and act on their mistrust of the status quo. They've shown themselves to be extraordinarily resilient in the face of seismic geo-political upheavals, social unrest and economic uncertainty. Born somewhere between 1997 and 2012, Zoomers are value-driven, globally-minded, eco-conscious, inclusive, hyper-connected and, most notable of all, purposeful and proactive.

Far from being selfish or entitled, of which they are often accused, they are “we-centric”, says Corey Seemiller, co-author of Generation Z: A Century in the Making. “They are caring about the impact that laws, policies, and even societal interactions have on others, even if they aren't directly affected.”

Stanford anthropologist Dr Roberta R Katz, co-author of Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age, dismisses the tag of ‘snowflakes', saying “they are actually quite hardworking and pragmatic. This is a remarkable generation”.

As we will see below, the fresh approach of Gen Z to work, activism, technology, mental wellbeing, rights and love is ringing the changes – hopefully paving the way for a more equitable, brighter future for all of us.

For a swathe of compassionate, socially responsible Zoomers, work is rarely only about the pay. It's about work-life balance, mental-health benefits, career support in an inclusive, diverse environment and doing meaningful work. UK secondary-school teacher Rebecca Morse, 24, speaks for her generation when she says her sense of fulfilment at work rests on the fact that “the school I work in aligns with my values (kind and nurturing) and I don't think I could work at a school that didn't”.

Zoomers are also highly entrepreneurial and innovative: 65 per cent want personally to create something world-changing, according to a report from US non-profit Girls With Impact. Dasia Taylor, from Iowa, USA, has done just that. At high school, aged 17, she came across research showing that Black people are disproportionately affected by post-surgical complications and duly invented fast-reaction, colour-changing sutures to identify infected surgical wounds. Today, she is CEO of VariegateHealth, an inclusion-focused medical device company that is seeking to make her own invention medically viable. Taylor describes herself, with typical Gen Z selflessness, as “a vessel for change”.

Gen Zers are doers. Think of the ‘Greta Effect,' so-called because this generation doesn't just talk about climate change, they take action to arrest it.

Unafraid to speak up, 67 per cent of Zers find it important to voice their beliefs, according to brand agency Ogilvy. Remember Greta Thunberg challenging world leaders with her ‘How dare you!' speech in 2019? Enough said. Following the murder of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA, in 2020, protestors as young as 15 brought about police reform. This is walking the talk and making change happen, writ large.

Zoomers know their power and they challenge consumerism by boycotting fast fashion, for example, or becoming vegan. For them, changing the way they live is a positive lifestyle choice, one embodied by 25-year-old climate-justice activist and author Mikaela Roach. Hailed as a “joyful game changer” by Cosmopolitan magazine, Roach captures her generation's make-it-happen ethos when she says, “The role of the climate movement is to provide an attractive viable alternative to the world, an alternative that is so exciting, people can't help themselves but move towards it.”

Zoomers grew up with digital technology, the internet and social media. It is an extension of their reality, part of their lived experience, and a means of empowerment – although they are also aware of its downsides. They have harnessed the technology and made it their own.

They use it for creative expression – and success. American Gen Z poster girl Emma Chamberlain was just 16 when she revolutionised YouTube with her unedited, keep-it-real vlogs. Now 23, she's a podcast sensation, lifestyle influencer and entrepreneur – and she's very, very rich.

They are also using it to make inventions that help others. SoundMind, a music therapy platform, was founded in 2021 by Brian Femminella, 23, and Travis Chen, 24, to address the youth mental-health crisis and is tailored to their own generation.

Gen Z are also at the forefront of living and working with AI – in particular generative AI. Some are getting on board with the changes using it to help with editing essays and reviewing code, as cited by a recent Washington Post article. Others are fearful about the impact it will have on their careers with 44 per cent of Gen Zers telling the 2023 KPMG US Talent Survey that they are “extremely or very concerned”.

Gen Zers certainly have a lot to deal with when it comes to mental health, with the cost of living, unemployment and climate change topping their list of societal concerns, according to the 2023 Deloitte Gen Z and Millennial survey. Nearly half of those surveyed, from 44 countries, feel stressed or anxious all or most of the time.

Many Zoomers came of age in the pandemic, which saw them working remotely; now, the majority work in the office only some of the time. Hyperconnected as they are, loneliness is a unifying factor, with 73 per cent of workers aged 18-22 “sometimes or always feeling alone”, according to the 2020 Cigna US Loneliness Report. This will be no surprise to NYU Stern professor, social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, who points out: “The more digitally connected a generation is, the more lonely it is.”

On the plus side, Gen Zers are more aware of their mental health than previous generations and more vocal about needing support for it, according to Medical News Today.

No wonder Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish has emerged as the quintessential Gen Z popstar. When she sings about depression, identity authenticity or climate change she is singing for a generation.

It's typical Gen Z that 23-year-old Yara Shahidi, one of the leading actors in Grown-ish, the Gen Z Black-ish teen drama spin-off, is not only a Hollywood force but an activist. The unofficial spokesperson of her generation, she uses her platform to speak out on feminism, STEM awareness, mobilising the youth vote and equality.

Welfare – or caring about health, wellbeing and human rights – “is at the heart of who Gen Z are, for others and for the planet,” says Corey Seemiller. “Many are upset to see progress for certain groups of people being restricted or scaled back… the sentiment is ‘why are we moving backwards in terms of social justice?'”

It's in the workplace that so many young people's concerns and priorities intersect. According to a 2021 report from networking platform Tallo, 99 per cent of Gen Zers said that workplace diversity, which includes supporting disabilities, equity and inclusion, was important to them, with 80 per cent saying they would be more likely to apply to a company that was inclusive and diverse. That is not activism with placards on the street, but it is, in effect, voting with your feet. Zoomers, it seems, just won't swallow workplace injustice and that includes bullying. Which is why the now infamous clip of MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen went viral, after she told her staff to leave “pity city” when they asked whether they would lose their bonuses.

Ever the trailblazers, Zers bring an open mind to modern dating, love and sex, just as they do to sexual identity and gender politics. Authenticity is the top priority when it comes to making a significant connection, according to Tinder's Future of Dating Report 2023, with 80 per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds agreeing that self-care (taking care of physical and mental health, wealth and relationships) is their top priority and 79 per cent wanting that in any future partner.

Whatever that connection might be, whether a hook-up or a long-term relationship, “it's the zeitgeist to use a dating app,” says Karl (not his real name), a 24-year-old creative consultant from the UK. “Online is where you meet people romantically rather than striking up a conversation in a coffee shop. It would be weird to meet a stranger,” he says, attributing this partly to today's post-MeToo culture, “except, perhaps, at a party – if there is implicit consent.”

Whatever the nature of the connection, compassion and inclusivity continue to go hand-in-hand, so who can love whom is not an issue. This freedom is accompanied by new rules of engagement and an emergent dating terminology. It allows this eminently practical generation to get what they want, in the shortest space of time. They have found ways to signal what they are looking for, what they're offering and all kinds of crucial signifiers in between.