Earth to millennial, the centennial is here to take over your crown. Known as Generation Z—born between 1995 and 2012—they are redefining political movements, religion, popular culture, social distancing and more.
Alexander Balakrishnan has a new-found anxiety, he wakes up in the middle of the night to check the coronavirus news ticker online. Devanshu Pandey finds solace in the company of his dogs amid the lockdown. Simeen Anjum coordinates with her friends to provide meals to the needy as shops in the neighbourhood are shut.
Balakrishnan, Pandey and Anjum are 20-something youngsters who would have otherwise spent the week meeting their friends. Instead they have been united in another way—under lockdown in a pandemic. They are the first truly connected generation. And yet they will also be the first generation for whom social distancing has become the new normal. Born into technology, raised with information on their fingertips, Generation Z is now living to tell the tale of COVID-19, one of the greatest pandemic to have hit the globalised world in the last few decades.
And if there’s one song that could sum up Gen Z’s state of mind currently, it would be Gen Z singer Dua Lipa’s words, ‘Don’t show up, Don’t come out’. Gen Z (mostly described as those born between 1995 and 2012) is India’s first generation of digital natives and the oldest of its members would be 25. They filter information as easily as applying filters on Instagram feeds with the attention span of a fruit fly. Change is the only constant in their lives.
But currently, staying constant is the only change. According to a 2019 Bloomberg report, Gen Z made up for 32 percent of the global population, with India’s Gen Z population at 472 million. This self-reliant generation raised by Gen X is vastly different from the meandering millennials. They would choose skills over paycheque, experiences over career and have little patience for societal norms or parental approvals. While the cohort’s demographics in India is still to be categorised, they are growing up at the time of a global pandemic and great economic distress.
For many in the generation, Lipa’s single has become the coronavirus anthem for social distancing. And it’s her lyrics that is providing comfort to 22-year-old Balakrishnan from Delhi. “We are a responsible generation. Even before the lockdown started, my friends and I were on a self-imposed quarantine.
We aren’t worried about contracting the disease ourselves but passing it on to our more vulnerable family members,” says the third year English (Hons) student of Ambedkar University, Delhi. “It’s a terrifying situation. I started worrying about COVID-19 even before India had its first case because my main fear was that we as a country cannot deal with it. I have been living in severe anxiety.” Pandey, a student of Manipal University in Jaipur, has never spent a single day at home without venturing out. “It’s tough for me to stay at home but we have no choice. Having my dogs around me helps me in not getting depressed,” says the 22-year-old.
United in Isolation
So how has COVID-19, a first-of-its-kind pandemic to be seen by this generation, impacted them? Will isolation come easily to those who always stay connected? Balakrishnan, also a part-time model, has found a silver lining in the coronavirus cloud. “I am catching up with my old friends over phone with whom I haven’t spoken for a long time,” he says. The pandemic has only increased their digital mileage from planning happy posts to self-care regimes online. “We are doing group chats and are even planning to host video parties,” he adds. For Leander Dias, a 24-year-old Mumbai resident, the lockdown period isn’t easy. “I am not used to be caged and it feels like apocalypse. However, I am trying to connect with my inner self and rediscover my artistic skills,” he says.
But not everyone is spending anxious moments. For Trishita Bhattacharya, 23-year-old from Mumbai, the lockdown has come as a breather. “I’m trying my hands at cooking, catching up on my favourite shows and love how one can hear the chirping of birds,” she says.Achal Sharma, social scientist and secretary of Corepeeler Foundation, explains how GenZers are taking this confinement. “COVID-19 on one side makes them hyper aware of the sensitivities of the virus and its prevention, but on the other side they are positive on how to cope with it,” he says.
The Generation Decoded
While the pandemic unites the generation in their anxieties and learnings, there’s more to Gen Z that makes them different from their predecessors. If you were to ask Amal Jos, a 23-year-old from Kochi, what sets them apart from millennials, he describes it in one word—stubbornness. “The primary difference between millennials and Gen Z is that the generation before us is sort of willing to compromise on their aspirations to match the reality but that is not the case with us. Millennials have the whole ‘meet you halfway’ attitude. But we're more stubborn,” he says. It’s a generation for whom mobile phones are nothing short of umbilical cords. While the millennials had to adapt to technology, for GenZers Facebook is “cringe” (read passe), Snapchat is “chill” (read cool). They have moved through apps like moral science lessons of Gen X.
The wired generation does social media profiling before making friends in the real world. “For them the online world of people is far more important than the offline world. They consume social media with little scepticism,” points out Dr Sanjay Chugh, a Delhi-based senior consultant psychiatrist.
Ambition Quotient
On an average they are more financially stable than their parents and can opt for various career options instead of sticking to conventional engineering or law, according to Navya Iyer Kannan, 20, a BA student at Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. “Internships are also becoming increasingly available while other interests such as sports, theatre, music and art can be pursued as a career,” she adds.
Do they have a Mother Teresa or a Nelson Mandela in their lives? While a Jeff Bezos or a Bill Gates may inspire them, they won’t call them role models.
“We are not influenced by media darlings. If media creates a certain celebrity, Gen Z will rebel and prove their own individualism,” Balakrishnan says. A point concurred by Sharon Benjamin from Chennai. “I’ve always grasped the element of fun from each person I’ve known so far because it makes communicating more interesting,” says the centennial.
If Gen Z were a brand, it still has to acquire quality. Sociologists are still figuring out this generation. According to Shiv Visvanathan, eminent social scientist and Director, Centre for the Study of Knowledge Systems, OP Jindal Global University, Gen Z is “part hypothesis, part fiction, part reality”. He argues how the generation “has been launched but not quite arrived”. “The core character of this generation is that it was launched like a piece of technology, a part of the innovation chain rather than of a generational cycle. Its appeal is newness, a lack of memory, where there is little or nothing of the burden of history,” he adds.
Baltej Miglani, a 17-year-old from UWC Mahindra College in Pune, may fit the bill. “We want to change the world, one day at a time. We know we are a privileged lot who can openly take part in Pride Parades without worrying about what our parents may say,” says the young writer who will soon release his first sci-fi novel Survivor this year.
This is a breed which is well-informed. “They do not accept anything on its face value whether it is religion, culture or education. A generation, which is focused more on better services than products,” says Sharma of Corepeeler Foundation. They are also greatly aware of their environment. “We are open-minded and are willing to correct the mistakes of our previous generations. For example, the climate emergency movement mostly consists of the younger generation—20-year-olds that are willing to make changes in their lifestyles and also rectify the mistakes of our ancestors,” says Anshula Jayaswal, 20, BA student at Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru.Visvanathan maintains it’s a generation created from consumer heuristic, a political reality, one which already makes millennials feel dated. “Millennials now remind you of the Beatles song ‘Who wants yesterday's newspaper’,” he says.
Workplace Dynamics
According to the latest UN figures, India is home to the world’s largest youth population. Almost 600 million are below the age of 25, which is half of the country’s population. Of India’s 1.3 billion population, 27 percent is between the age of 10-24 years and roughly translates to the country’s Gen Z population.
One of the driving forces for the young guns of this period is the participative economy in which they are growing up. “This in turn defines their mindsets, their beliefs and behaviour. The conversation has moved from being born with a silver spoon to tech spoon now. Technology is the enabler that democratises their existence,” says Rajesh Sikoria, advertising professional and founder of Pontem Integrated, a Gurugram-based communications marketing startup.
Recruiters maintain that GenZers take a much more solo approach to completing tasks than their millennial counterparts. “They appreciate the opportunity to sit in their own workspace, achieve a flow state and knock out a project,” says Tanvi Choksi, head, Human Resources, JLL India.
So what makes them special for the employers?
“Gen Z is entrepreneurial, multitasking and digitally native task force in the organisation. They are more pragmatic than the millennials who was the idealistic lot,” says Aarti Kohli, Director–Human Resources at Bausch and Lomb India.
GenZers prefer to choose employers with care. “They are looking for flexibility, openness and meaningfulness in the kind of work they’ve been assigned. They crave more responsibility and need to be equally compensated for the work. For Gen Z, it’s not about survival or work-life balance; it is more about making meaningful contributions in their roles,” explains Sudhir Dhar, Executive Director & Head–HR, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.
Defining Character
When musicians Elton John and Tim Rice penned ‘I just can’t wait to be king’ in 1994, little would they have thought that it could define a generation to be born the next year. The song later adapted into the 2019 movie Lion King is “an ode to youthful arrogance and impatience”, something that sums up this generation beyond any doubts.
“Of course, we want to rule the world on our own terms,” says Zeena Khitta, a 19-year-old studying in DAV College, Chandigarh. A national rifle shooting champion Khitta, originally a native of Himachal Pradesh, epitomises much of what this generation stands for. “We are rational, not religious. We get out of relationships just as easily as we get in. Self is important but not without a sense of purpose,” she adds.
They believe in dialogue and individual expression, says Dr Chugh.
As several interviews with the post-millennials suggest (read boxes) they are a generation devoid of patience, has short attention span and yet are great multitaskers. They don’t believe in societal sanctions or parental approvals, are rebels with a sense of purpose and sexuality or religion is a matter of personal choice. Peer pressure is a thing of past, prefer responsibility over paycheque at workplace, soft skills are valued and they want to leave the world a better place. Privacy is not a concern for this generation who want to document every aspect of their lives in Insta stories.
Self-expression is a motivator because they are born with tools to express themselves. “What was an acquired behaviour for the previous generations, is a way of life for Gen Z,” says Srikoria. He explains how co-working and co-living are the result of this generation’s behaviour, “because this generation believes in co-existing. Brands have to treat them not as consumers but co-creators.”
But conversations around Gen Z still needs to be psychologised and given a perspective, a history, and a profile. “For now it has no biography, everything about it is conjecture. It still has to be sociologised,” says Visvanathan, and cites how this generation has no role models or exemplars and is waiting to invent itself. “It is the emptiest of the literary fiction created. It needs to grow. It is the future that has to unfold as biography,” he adds.
Lipa, at 24, would know. For she has already asked them to “Walk away, you know how… Don’t start caring about me now”. And while we were discussing Lipa and her cohort, for the GenZers, social distancing is chic and staying at home has become the new normal. Goes to show analog life can also be easily digital.with bureau inputs
The Animal Lover Vaibhav Nair, 20, Gurgaon
He was just out of school, when Nair along with his elder sister set up a pet accessories shop called Pet Paws in Gurgaon. The third-year BTech student at Amity University, Noida, says this shop gives him a sense of purpose. “I feel am making some positive contribution.”
Pet passion “We love pets but as kids we were never allowed to have one. So when we became a little independent, we started this shop where we sell all accessories related to dogs at half the cost and also try to rehabilitate abandoned dogs.”
No work beyond 50 “I will work till 45 or so and then make my money work for me.”
Difficult staying long without meeting friends but “I am looking at the brighter side. Staying at home and attending online classes has provided me with a lot of time for other activities, including studying for my major exams. Lockdown has given me a chance to realign my priorities.”
Argumentative Multitasker Satya Dewan, 19, Delhi
She would not hesitate to negotiate with her parents for what she believes is right, doesn’t mind discussing her sexual choices with them and believes as much in celebrating Eid as she would celebrate Diwali. The second-year History student of Delhi University can’t imagine life without a cellphone and the internet. Though not politically opinionated, she believes in equal opportunities for all.
An analogy for Gen Z “We are like the Indian Goddess who has 10 hands. At any given point of time, we will be doing four different things. We are a generation which gets bored easily, has less patience for anything that lasts beyond eight seconds and so we are multitaskers.”
Pandemic’s calming effect “It made me realise how we take things for granted like going out for coffee with friends or even a walk outside. The lockdown has let me value the simple pleasures of life even more.”
Uncompromising
“We are vocal about our needs. We are risk-takers and won’t mind working in a start-up but want to be responsible for our positions. We want work-life balance as we won’t wait till 50 to go sky-diving.”
Versatile Nonconformist Leander Dias, 24, Mumbai
He is a dream chaser. If yesterday his heart desired to be a fashion stylist, today he is charmed by media and tomorrow it could be social service. The psychology graduate, who quit his job as a PR executive last month, now wants to work on his soft skills and study psychology further. Dias can’t live without his phone, keeps checking social media for fashion trends, doesn’t care much about societal norm and health is his top-priority.
Career goals “Who knows? You have to make yourself a brand—whatever field you choose. My career shouldn’t define me. So what if I worked a few years as fashion stylist and then in PR? People older to me think I have wasted my years but every profession taught me new skills.”
looking up to? “A role model is someone from whom you learn something. My past is a learning experience for me.”
High on happiness “Nothing matters to me more than my own happiness.”
Self-made Influencer Trishita Bhattacharya, 23, Mumbai
She is the true by-product of technology. She can’t imagine a world which isn’t digitally connected. When she started putting a slice of her life online, she never thought it would soon bring in followers from all parts of the world and she would be called an “influencer”. Having studied pharmacy at undergraduate level, Banerjee now works as an independent photographer. A self-taught professional, she believes it’s this generation’s uber-confidence that keeps them going for career choices that could have been laughed at a decade back. An influencer could well be this generation’s role model for a short period of time.
Insta posts on travels
“I joined Instagram in 2013, never to be an influencer. It happened organically.”
Covid means less digital footage
“I am uploading Insta stories of organisations that are helping the poor during this period.”
Angry Activist Simeen Anjum, 21, Delhi
The last few months, if she was not busy drawing murals with revolutionary messages on the walls around her university, she was sure to be spotted at the Shaheen Bagh protest site in Delhi, shouting aloud not just through her art but voice too. The second year Fine Arts student of Jamia Millia Islamia has become a strong voice of resistance—be it during the anti-CAA protest, sexual harassment fights, or admission fiascos on her campus.
Fighting for rights “It is as basic to me as anything else. We are a generation not only fighting political motives but also social norms, patriarchy, and so on.”
GenZers different from predecessors “We understand things better. We want to be involved in whatever’s happening in the society.”
dissent at home “Relationship with my parents has its ups and downs. They want me to stay quiet but I have told them this is my time, my life. I should be the one taking decisions.”
Staying connected now
“We friends are supporting each other through calls, asking each other to hold on. We are also ensuring that food is provided to homeless.”
Confused Rebel Devanshu Pandey, 20, Jaipur
He is known as the rebel in the family and his parents would blame the generation for it. “Yeah, they think this generation is nothing but rebellious about everything,” says the second year English literature student of Manipal University in Jaipur. Now who could blame his parents as he first opted for Hotel Management in Ahmedabad before realising a week later that his heart lay in Shakespeare and not with kitchen knives? Though not an atheist, the native of Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) would keep religion at bay and rather be spiritual.
Shifting studies “We are a family of engineers but I dropped a year preparing for law exams, didn’t clear it, later opted for Hotel Management and now am studying literature.”
Career confusion “Perhaps, I will be a journalist and do something fruitful with my writings. Or maybe I will study for the civil services and be a bureaucrat.”
Role model “How can people idolise human beings? Everyone has flaws. I just believe in different thoughts, words and actions of different people.”