F JWT Generation-Z HiRes

GEN ER ATION Z
Savvy, connected,
changing the world
GENERATION Z
Like the badly behaved older child, millennials are getting

all the attention. Ignored is their younger siblingthe
ambitious, engaged, sensible child. Its time we looked at
generation Z, a group that wants to change the world
and might just do it.
I NTRO DUCTI O N GENERATION Z 3
Generation Z are todays teenagers. And theyre full of surprises. Born

from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, they are the first true digital
natives. Making up about a quarter of the population in the UK and US,
under-20s have got a lot to say and a lot to spend. In the US alone, they
have $44 billion in annual purchasing power.
Like the badly behaved older child, millennials are getting all the
attention. Ignored is their younger siblingthe ambitious, engaged,
sensible child. Its time we looked at generation Z, a group that wants to
change the world and might just do it.
Unlike millennials, generation Zers have
GENERATION Z grown up in tough times and, if anything,

have watched millennials and learned
from their mistakes. They know education
needs to be active rather than passive
and that unemployment is a real risk. In a
celebration of generation Z, energy drink brand Lucozade called them
self-starters, not selfie-takers. Theyre active and aware.
If millennials are content to use the internet to browse paparazzi shots

of the Kardashians and wallow in 1990s nostalgia, generation Z wants to
create, connect and change.
i-D magazines recent Activist Issue looked at generation Z: The

internet has helped us in making the world a better place. It's our
generation's ears and eyes, giving us the knowledge and tools to
implement change.
Ian Van Buskirk, Minerva Schools student, San Francisco. Photography by Winni Wintermeyer.
I NTRO DUCTI O N GENERATION Z 4
The caricature of a millennial is Hannah Horvath, Lena Dunhams

character in Girls. The series opens with Hannahs parents telling
her they will no longer pay her rent. Hannah, 24, self-obsessed and
directionless, is appalled. Her generation Z counterpart is Alex Dunphy
of Modern Family. Shes ambitious, always worrying about school work
and getting into a good college. She doesnt break the rules and worries
about the world around her, especially the environment.
Generation Z is a remarkably mature generation. While the teenage

years are typically seen as a time for experimentation and reckless
behavior, that isnt the case with generation Z. Drug use, alcohol
The generation before could be consumption, smoking and teenage pregnancy are at their lowest
characterized by excessive consumption levels for decades.
it makes sense for the next generation
The generation before could be characterized by excessive
to distinguish themselves from their older
consumption, Fiona Measham, an academic at Durham University
siblings and cousins. in the UK, recently told The Daily Telegraph. It makes sense for the
next generation to distinguish themselves from their older siblings
and cousins.
Fiona Measham, Durham University Generation Z is rebelling by conforming. Theres a greater sense of
responsibility as todays teenagers are more concerned about the
future. Professor Measham explained, I talked to a 17-year-old who
said, We have to stay sober to sort out the mess your generation
have made of things.'
TRE N DS GENERATION Z 5
G eneration Z b y nu m b er s
Connected and conscientious,

generation Z is not easily typecast.
Theyre always online and they worry about that

86% use their smartphone multiple times a day 79% agreed that people my age spend too much time connected
to digital devices
Technology brands are important to them but that doesnt mean they want the latest gadget
73% say the brand they buy is important to them Just 35% thought that if you didnt have the latest device you werent cool
They still watch TV but they favor YouTube

69% watch more than two hours of television a day 70% watch more than two hours of YouTube content each day
They still love Facebook but theyre cautious about what they post
71% of our SONAR survey used Facebook, more than any 82% think carefully about what they put on social media
other social network
Theyre happy shopping online but they prefer shopping offline

68% of our survey said they were as comfortable 67% would rather shop in stores
purchasing online as offline
Theyre preparing for the future but theyre concerned

83% agree its important to start saving for their future now 64% worry about how successful theyll be in the future
GENERATION Z 6
DRIVERS
Generation Z is coming of age in Early in life, generation Z had already witnessed a transformation
a time of turbulence. in parenting styles. By the time Dr. Benjamin Spock died in 1998, his
common sense approach to child care had fallen out of fashion. The
The dramas of the early 2000s were formative for millennials, but for internet now provided an endless stream of informationevery
generation Z they are dim memories. While millennials witnessed a childs ailment could be Googled; their tantrums blogged about; and
world transformed by 9/11 and its aftermath, generation Z has never special moments forwarded, tagged and shared. Dr. Spocks reassuring
known a time before the war on terror. Same-sex marriage has been message gave way to fetuses listening to Mozart and toddlers watching
legal in parts of Europe and the United States for as long as generation Baby Einstein videos. With play dates, band practice and extra tuition,
Z can remember. Young millennials assumed the boom years of the childrens lives were as busy as those of their parents. This is a
early 2000s would continue forever, but the economy has been in generation raised to succeed.
recovery since generation Z began paying attention. Some may not
personally recall a white president of the United States. Technology changed radically as generation Z grew up. Apple was
once a quirky upstart, but generation Z knows it as the most valuable
company in history. The youngest members of generation Z were babies
when Mark Zuckerberg coded Facebook in his Harvard dorm, but they
are fluent in the visual language of Instagram and Tumblr.
For generation Z, books are electronic, music is downloaded, television

is binge-watched, and films are crowdfunded. They can all be accessed
through the same screenor three screens at once. Far from novelties,
these are facts of life.
GENERATION Z 7
MANIFESTATIONS
Online sharing experiences. Photography courtesy of Skype.

M A N I FESTATI O N S GENERATION Z 88
Theyre a mature generation and theyve

got adult problems. Generation Z is engaged
and globally minded, the result of growing
Generation Z
up against a backdrop of terror, war and
financial uncertainty. is engaged and
In our SONAR survey of 1,000 12- to 19-year-olds we asked them
what they worried about. 61% mentioned terrorism and 60% said wars
around the world. This was followed by fears about the state of the
globally minded.
planet (57%) and the economy (53%).
In 2014, for the first time the American Psychological Association

published results on teenage stress. More than 1,000 teens were
surveyed and 27% said they had experienced extreme stress,
compared to 21% of adults. 40% of teens reported feeling irritable or
angry, 36% nervous or anxious, and a third revealed that stress made
them feel overwhelmed, depressed or sad.
The main source of anxiety, according to our SONAR survey, is

success and the future. The number one concern mentioned was How
prepared I am for the future, chosen by two-thirds of the respondents
(rising to 70% when just counting those from the United States). 64%
worried about whether there would be good jobs when they graduated
and how successful they would be in the future. These eclipsed
traditional teenage problems like their attractiveness to others (cited
as a worry by 46%) and how many friends they had (30%).
TITLE
Feminism is an issue
that resonates with
Theyre political this generation. Several
respondents cited Emma
The voting age in the UK and the US is 18, making teenage political Watsons UN speech
engagement hard to judge. But in last years Scottish referendum, 16-
and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote and did so with great enthusiasm.
on the subject as
Around 100,000 under-18s registered to vote, 80% of those who particularly inspiring.
were eligible.
Student and aspiring politician Ollie Middleton made a strong case for
permanently lowering the voting age, writing in The Guardian: Turning
16 is one of the few birthdays in your life when you really feel different.
You find yourself questioning the world around you more, and begin to
formulate your own opinions, yet the platform for articulating these
opinions is limited.
Speaking to teenagers for this report, the issues they responded to

most strongly were those of injustice, suggesting a deep feeling of
empathy. One 19-year-old girl said, Syria feels very far away and its
hard to make sense of. I dont know enough about it. But with feminism, I
can see how it affects me.
Feminism is an issue that resonates with this generation. 15-year-old

Ed Holtom wrote a letter on the topic to The Sunday Telegraph in the
UK that was widely praised on social media. Recently weve been
hearing about what it means to be masculine and what it means
to be feminine, Holtom wrote. It means nothing, barring biological
differences. By perceiving these two words as anything other than the Image above: Caroline Weiss,
Los Angeles. Photography by
description of a humans genitalia, we perpetuate a stereotype which is Patrick Strattner.
nothing but harmful to all of us. Image below: #HeForShe
campaign fronted by UN
Women Goodwill Ambassador
Emma Watson.
TITLE
Theyre open-minded
In the 1980s we talked about LGB, meaning lesbian, gay and bisexual.
In the 1990s it became LGBT, when transgender issues became more
widely discussed. Now its LGBTQ+ (including queer and other) as the
complexity of gender and sexual identity becomes a more accepted
part of life.
Generation Z has a real affinity for these issues: 82% of our

respondents said they didnt care about sexual orientation and
67% had a friend of a different sexual orientation. 88% said that people
were exploring their sexuality more than in the past. Of our 1,000
respondents, 69% described themselves as straight, 14% identified as
gay or bisexual, and 8% said they werent sure. 9% preferred not
to answer.
Gender roles seem less clear with generation Z as well. 81% agreed
that gender doesnt define a person as much as it used to. And race is
82% of survey
also thought of differently, with 77% agreeing: I view race differently
than my parents generation. respondents said
they didnt care about
but theyre still realistic sexual orientation, and
Just 56% thought men and women were treated equally in the
88% said that people
workplace and 87% said racial discrimination still exists. were exploring their
sexuality more than
in the past.
The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration & Parade.
Photography by Shiloh Gulickson.
TITLE
Theyre diverse
The demographics of the UK and the US have shifted. In 1990, 32%
of Americans under 20 were from an ethnic minority, according to
research last year from the Carsey Institute at the University of
New Hampshire. By 2012, that figure had risen to 47%. The institute
reported, Diversity is increasing because the minority child population
is growing, while the non-Hispanic white child population dwindles.
There are 7.7 million more minority young people now than in 2000,
but 5.7 million fewer white children.
ASOS presents Colour Control ft Juce, 2014

TITLE
Technology is an inspiration Sometimes I look up and its

Its no surprise than generation Z is tech-savvy. But it goes beyond
just wanting the latest phone. This is a generation that wants to see
3 a.m. and Im watching a video
what else technology has to offer. Why watch YouTube when you can of a giraffe eating a steak, and
create your own video? Why play a game when you can code?
Iwonder, How did I get here?
As a result, STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) are increasingly popular, especially with young women. 15-year-old Owen Lanahan in The New York Times
Profiled are two young women using technology to change lives.
and its a distraction

For years parents have complained about teenagers spending too
much time in front of the TV. An old wives tale suggested that being
glued to the screen would give you square eyes. Now the idea of a
teenager looking at just one screen seems quaint. With their own
laptops and cellphones, generation Zers are connected at all times,
day or night. Teenagers staying up late is nothing new, but the number
of distractions is. The concept even has a name: vamping.
As 15-year-old Owen Lanahan from Portland, Oregon, explained to The

New York Times last year, Kids my age are very occupied. We have
school all day, and see our friends. We get home and we have to do
our homework. Then we eat dinner and go to bed. Once the lights go
out, thats his time. He sneaks out his laptop or phone and spends
the next few hours flirting with girls, listening to music, tweeting, and
watching YouTube.
Peter Scheybeler.
Photography by Angela Moore.
TITLE
Sometimes I look up and its 3 a.m. and Im watching a video of a

giraffe eating a steak, he said. And I wonder, How did I get here?
Sophie, profiled on page 69, tells a similar story. I usually go to bed

between one and two, which means that Im always tired because I get
up for school at 7:30. I spend a lot of time at night on YouTube, texting
with friends or Snapchatting. I also sometimes talk on the phone with
friends for a long time at night.
Theres a certain cachet to posting on Instagram at 2 a.m. And the

temptation of a phone pinging with another message when youre
falling asleep can be too great. For teenagers, the concept of FOMO
(fear of missing out) can equally apply to not being part of an
after-midnight group chat as not going to a school dance.
Image above: Screenshots from Tampon Run game by Sophie Houser and Andy Gonzales, 2014.
Image below: Sophie Houser, New York City. Photography by Greg Baker.
TITLE
They save
Perhaps because they grew up in a recession, generation Z knows the
importance of saving: 63% consider themselves savers not spenders
and two thirds have a savings account. In our SONAR survey, 83%
agreed it was important to start saving now and 77% said they save
whenever they get money.
Theyre not interested in fame and fortune

When we asked 1,000 members of generation Z what it meant
to be successful, the most common response was a good job, a
comfortable existence, and a family. Happiness was mentioned more
than money. And theyd rather have a positive impact on the planet
than be famous.
We asked respondents who their hero was. After their family and
God, it was people who had achieved something that they looked up
to: civil rights leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs. Pakistani education
campaigner Malala Yousafzai got more mentions than Beyonc.
Community work with schools in Kenya by The Malala Fund.

GENERATION Z 15
TRENDS
League of Legends Championship Series by Riot esports. Photography rights reserved by LoL Esports.
GENERATION Z 16
Generation Z grew up in a society falling in

love with food. Their parents are the original
T he E nd of foodies, going to farmers markets, buying
Fast F ood ? organic vegetables, and exposing their children
to international cuisine.
Food allergies became a multi-billion dollar industry, coffee went from a

beverage to a lifestyle statement, and the only book that could outsell a
celebrity chefs cookery book was a guide to the latest fad diet. Theres
no higher compliment in a restaurant than Instagramming your dish,
hashtagging it #foodporn.
Generation Z continues this love of food. Our panel of 12- to 19-year-olds

said it was their second favorite thing to spend money on, after clothes.
But dont expect to see them at the food court: half say they closely
watch what they eat and 62% claim to be living a healthier lifestyle than
they have in the past. They check food labels and know what to look out
for, especially in the United States, where 45% said they tried to only
consume food with natural ingredients. Its fashionable, too: 67% agreed
that healthy eating was trendy.
Burgers and shakes by Shake Shack. Photography by Evan Sung.

TH E E N D O F FAST FOO D? GENERATION Z 17
A big success story is Chipotle Mexican Grill, the fast-casual burrito

chain. One of the reasons for its success is the importance it places on
quality ingredients. Food with integrity is a guiding principle. Chipotle
describes it as their commitment to finding the very best ingredients
raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers,"
with an emphasis on antibiotic-free meat and organic or local produce
where possible.
While Chipotle sales increased by 28% in 2014, McDonalds sales

declined 2%. Bloomberg Business wrote, The story of Chipotles
meteoric rise is also the story of McDonalds failure to adapt to the
changing American appetite. Its an appetite not just for fresh, flavorful
food with good provenance but also for openness and fairness, with
better pay and conditions for workers. Generation Zers care about
brands and what they stand for, and they do their research.
The story of Chipotles meteoric rise is also the

story of McDonalds failure to adapt to the changing
American appetite.
Shake Shack boasts that they stand for something good, referring
to the transparency of their food chain, working with local charities and
using recycled and sustainable materials in each Shake Shack. When
the company went public it was valued at $1.6 billion, impressive for a
company that started as a single hot dog stand 14 years ago.
Image above: Chipotle app for iPhone.

Image below: Cultivate Festival music stage with Chipotle, 2015.
TH E E N D O F FAST FOO D? GENERATION Z 18
Fast food has been replaced by fast casualits still counter service
but the food is more customizable, freshly prepared, of a higher
quality, and more expensive. More thought is given to the atmosphere
and environment.
What's next:
Chipotle is already moving into new areas, with the hope of creating
international chains. ShopHouse is a tribute to the inspiring food culture
of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, while Pizzeria Locale
serves individual gourmet pizzas.
Fast-casual pizza restaurants becoming a new battleground, filling a gap

in the market between takeaway and sit-down restaurants. Blaze Pizza
explicitly refers to itself as the Chipotle of pizza. Blaze opened 50
stores last year and is planning a further 60 in 2015. Also muscling in are
Pie Five, PizzaRev, and Live Basil. All offer customizable pizzas, made
fresh in front of customers with promises of organic ingredients and an
artisanal touch, to be enjoyed in a slick, industrial interior.
All images: Blaze Pizza, USA.

Generation Z is a generation of savers, but they

still love to shop. And what theyre buying hasnt
O nline+ offline changed: clothes, shoes, makeup, gadgets,
retail merge games, music. But the way they purchase has.
Its easy to assume that, as digital natives, theyre happiest shopping

online. Not so. Their parents might be content to wait two days for
Amazon Prime, but they want it now. Generation Z is perfectly happy
to shop on the internet (68% of our survey respondents said they were
as comfortable purchasing online as offline), but they prefer physical
shopping (67%).
Jesse Tron of the International Council of Shopping Centers explained:

Teenagers love instant gratificationeven waiting a day is too long.
For generation Z, shopping is about much more than the transaction.

The mall experience still matters, said Jason Wagenheim, publisher
of Teen Vogue. Its a place to look and feel and try things on. Its social
in the old-fashioned sense. As their bodies continue to develop, being
able to physically try on clothes is important. In our survey, just 32% of
respondents said they shopped for clothes online, compared to 68% in
store. The numbers were even higher for beauty products and shoes.
Free People store, Fifth Avenue, New York City.

O N LI N E+O FFLI N E RE TA I L M E RG E GENERATION Z 20
Thats not to say generation Z doesnt value the internet. They use it
to research products and services before they buy, and of the 1,000
teenagers we surveyed, 79% admitted they like to shop around to find
the best deal. They do research online and then go into the store to buy
it, said Tron. By that stage theyve pretty much made up their mind, so
you better be sure youve got it in store.
Online shopping is also a way of standing out from the crowd. One
British teenager said she tracks down lesser-known brands using the
internet. You cant buy anything from Topshop without seeing two other
people wearing it, she sighed.
You cant buy anything from

Topshop without seeing two
other people wearing it.
19-year-oldLindsay Middleton
Free People app

What's next:
American malls have been dominated by European fast-fashion brands

like Zara and H&M for several years. Now there are new companies
offering low-cost trends.
Free People, the offshoot of millennial mainstay Urban Outfitters,

continues to appeal to generation Z with its bohemian aesthetic and
suggestions of independence and travel. While Urban Outfitters has
struggled, Free Peoples sales were up 25% in the first fiscal quarter
of 2015.
Primark, an Irish brand with a huge following among young people in

the UK, launches its first US store in 2015, taking over the prestigious
PINK from building occupied by Filenes Department Store for almost a century.
VictoriasSecret has
Meanwhile Forever 21, already a generation Z staple (Teen Vogue and
been a huge success, Goldman Sachss 2014 brand affinity list revealed it to be the most
though the backlash popular brand with the magazines readers) has launched F21 Red,
they received from offering even lower prices, with T-shirts from $4. Whether these low
prices will attract a generation that cares about ethics and takes
making sexually
corporate responsibility seriously remains to be seen.
suggestive ads is
a reminder of the
problems of marketing
to generation Z.
Images: Spring Break Forever campaign by Victoria's Secrets PINK, 2015.

Cheaper diffusion lines, targeted at younger consumers, have already

proved popular. PINK from Victorias Secret has been a huge success,
though the backlash about their Bright Young Things advertising
campaign, which was seen as over-sexualizing children, is a reminder of
the problems of marketing to generation Z.
Two other brands noted for their controversial advertising are trying to
fight backmillennial favorites American Apparel and Abercrombie &
Fitch both ousted their CEOs in 2014 after years of sliding sales.
The athleisure trend of upmarket sport and yoga wear, already a

success with older customers, is starting to attract generation Z. Kit
and Ace, from the family behind Lululemon, is aiming for a younger
audience, while longtime Adidas collaborator Stella McCartney has
targeted younger consumers with StellaSport.
In 2015, Forever 21 launched an activewear range with Australian model

Shanina Shaik, and perhaps the most keenly anticipated collaboration of
the year is Beyoncs label with Topshop.
Image above: Forever 21 Activewear 2015 with Shanina Shaik.

Image below: StellaSport by Adidas and Stella McCartney, 2015.
More than anyone else, generation Z knows not

BE AUT Y to trust Photoshopped images. Besides, they
arent interested in perfection.
GETS REAL At the end of 2014, Beyonc released a video for her song 7/11. Typically
associated with high-concept videos and multiple outfits, Beyonc in
this video is apparently makeup free and casually dressed, dancing with
her friends in a hotel room. Filmed on a GoPro camera and using a selfie
stick, it had the homemade aesthetic of the videos that millions of her
generation Z fans upload to YouTube.
Cinematographer Matt Workman wrote a review of it: The traditional

cinematographer, over the age of 20, probably cringes while watching
this video. But this modern digital vrit style of imagery resonates
with the current generations youth, who grew up with YouTube,
Instagram and Vine.
Those services are changing our concepts of beauty. Kate Moss may
have made a career of never speaking, but the faces of generation Z
cant stop connecting with their fans, especially on Instagram. Cara
Delevingne tells her 11 million followers to embrace your weirdness.
Shes more likely to post a picture of herself making a face than posing
for her latest Chanel campaign.
Embrace Your Weirdness by Cara Delevingne on Twitter.

B E AUT Y G E TS RE A L GENERATION Z 24
What's next:
Instagram isnt just a way to see what models do behind the scenes;
its where models are being found. While Kate Moss was scouted in
JFK Airport when she was 14, the faces of generation Z are being
spotted on Instagram.
Gigi Hadid, winner of Model of the Year 2015 and described by

Vogue as Instagram aristocracy, explained more in an interview
with New York magazine.
Lets say a girl is just starting and a casting director sees her Instagram.
She doesnt need to have that many followers. But if she has a great
personality and the followers she does have are girls from 15 to 20
years old and the casting director is casting for a brand for that same
demographic, they will cast that girl. The girl will get more followers
from the brand and another brand will cast her. Followers get you jobs
and jobs get you followers, thats how it works.
Lauren Cohan, who uses Instagram to find models for Free People
campaigns, agrees: It's just really cool to be able to see what someone
is doing and what their lifestyle is like.
#CastMeMarc by Marc Jacobs, 2015.

B E AUT Y G E TS RE A L GENERATION Z 25
Sometimes its more explicit. Designer Marc Jacobs used social media
sites to announce that he was looking for groups of friends to be part
of his Fall/Winter 2015 campaign. Prospective applicants were invited
to post a photo of themselves and their friends on Instagram or Twitter
using the hashtag #CastMeMarc. Within a day the hashtag had been
used over 100,000 times.
Social media is also a way for brands to introduce themselves to

generation Z. Lucky Blue Smith, the quintessential generation Z model,
is 16 and has an army of devoted teenage fans. Like his followers, he
didnt know many designers, at least until he started modeling for them.
When asked about his appearances at Milan Fashion Week by The

Business of Fashion, he replied, I think Id heard of Fendi and Gucci and
thats it. Whats that one I did? Botte Venet or something? And Roberto
Cavalli, I didnt know either. A photo he posted of himself on the runway
at the Roberto Cavalli show got nearly 40,000 likes. A typical photo on
the Roberto Cavalli Instagram page might get 7,000.
Lucky Blue Smith at Roberto Cavalli FW15

For generation Z, each social media outlet

S ocial media : serves a different purpose.
digital natives Facebook is about a sense of community; Twitter is for connecting with
the wider world, including public figures; and Instagram is a place of
or na ves ? self-expression and creativity. Tumblr is used to talk about and explore
interests, whether its Sherlock or social activism.
Despite much talk about Facebook falling out of favor with teenagers,
it ranked as the most popular social media site with our polled group
of 1,000 members of generation Z. However, while social media allows
teenagers to express themselves and connect with the world, there
have been concerns about its darker side. Generation Z arent nave:
82% of our respondents said they thought carefully about what they
post on social media; 43% regretted sharing something online.
Fears about how young people use technology are nothing new, as Tom
Standage explained in Wired 10 years ago: It goes like this: Young people
embrace an activity. Adults condemn it. The kids grow up, no better or
worse than their elders, and the moral panic subsides. Then the whole
cycle starts over.
Where once parents worried about strangers approaching their children

on Facebook, they now express fears about how their children interact
with peers. Sexting is the term for sending sexual images of yourself
to another. Adults often assume Snapchat, which allows users to send
images that self-destruct after a few seconds, is for this purpose.
Adidas StellaSport exclusive preview at Topshop, 2015.

SOC IA L M E D IA: D I G ITA L N ATIVES O R N A VES
IVES ? GENERATION Z 27
Danah Boyd, author of Its Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked

Teens, says not: In casually asking teens about Snapchat, I found most
were using the app to signal that an image wasnt meant for posterity.
They shared inside jokes, silly pictures, and images that were funny only
in the moment.
Snapchat doesnt have the pressure of other social media sites.

Caroline, 17, profiled on page 62, enjoys the spontaneity of it.
With Instagram, its always planned. You plan the picture, make sure
its the best lighting, you make sure the caption is clever, put it up at the
right time. You put yourself out there how you want to be seen.
Thats not to say sexting doesnt happen. The teenagers in our case
studies knew about it and didnt consider it a big deal. People might
have asked them for pictures but that didnt mean they had to send
them. Like accepting a friend request from a stranger, they knew the
risks involved and could make an informed decision.
A particularly good approach came from the UK when ChildLine, a

counseling helpline for children, launched its first app, Zipit. Created
with youth marketing agency Livity, Zipit mimicked the jokey style of
image macros (an internet meme where a picture is superimposed with
text). If a teenager received a request for an inappropriate picture, they
had a bank of joke images at their disposal to send back, such as a flying
pig with the words Never. Gonna. Happen or a pile of trash labeled
Heres a picture of my junk.
Caroline Weiss, Los Angeles. Photography by Patrick Strattner.

SOC IA L M E D IA: D I G ITA L N ATIVES O R N A VES ? GENERATION Z 28
Cyber-bullying is another area of concern. Ask.fm is notorious among

parents. Users of the social media site ask anonymous questions and
receive answers from people they know. Criticized for enabling bullying,
the site is now trying to clean up its act. The anonymous questions
are now heavily moderated and theres a new safety advisory board
including five anti-bullying experts. In any case, it seems generation
Z has moved on. Our SONAR survey showed that only 13% of
respondents use the site and many people mentioned abandoning it.
Its also worth noting that while 45% of12- to 19-year-olds said
they were worried about cyber-bullying, more (48%) were concerned
about bullying in the real world. As Danah Boyd put it, The internet
mirrors, magnifies and makes more visible the good, bad and ugly of
everyday life.
What often gets ignored is the power of social media for social change.
When Tom Daley came out 18 months ago, he used YouTube to do it. He
wanted to speak openly and without mediation, talking directly to his
fans; the video was watched by over 10 million people. YouTuber Connor
Franta, who has 4 million subscribers, did the same thing in December
last year. Both provided inspiration to others.
Social media has also brought attention to less understood issues.

Mel Gonzales, a transgender teenager living in Texas, initially came out
as gay. But something wasnt quite right.
Image above: Zipit app by Livity for ChildLine.

Image below: Snapchat app.
Aged 14 I started getting involved in LGTB issues online, through

blogs and Tumblr, and I came across the transgender community, he
explained. Watching transition videos on YouTube, it really resonated
with me. I started to think that I wasnt just gay, I was a different
gender entirely.
It was a great resource, from explaining what my issues were to letting

me connect with other people. Without the internet I think it would have
been twice as hard.
In Slates articleHow Reddit Is Changing Meanwhile social media is also tackling depression and self-harm. The
SuicideIntervention, ateen dealing anonymity and strong community of Reddit make it an ideal place for
teenagers to seek help.
with depression said that the internet
providedthe comfort of knowing that In an article for Slate entitled How Reddit Is Changing Suicide
Iwasn'talone in my struggles. Intervention, 18-year-old Liam shared how Reddit offered him the
comfort of knowing that I wasnt alone in my struggles. After getting
medical help for his depression, he stopped posting to the depression
board. His final note read, I am both sad and happy to say that I no
longer need this sub. My life is going great, for the first time ever.
I feel alive.
Theres a place for brands to celebrate differences and start

conversations. Johnson & Johnson launched a bold campaign for their
Clean & Clear skin care range called #SeeTheRealMe about girls having
the courage to show who they really are, and what makes them unique.
SOC IADS
TRE N L M E D IA: D I G ITA L N ATIVES O R N A VES ? GENERATION Z 30
One girl telling her story is Jazz Jennings. In a video viewed over 2 million
times in its first two weeks, Jazz explains, Ive always known exactly
who I am. I was a girl trapped in a boy's body. Growing up has been quite
a struggle being transgender. The video ends on a positive note. The
real me is happy and proud to be who I am. And Im just having fun being
one of the girls.
What's next:
Though they can feel untouchable, social media sites must evolve or die.
Until 2008, Myspace was the most popular social network site. Now just
6% of our panel of 1,000 teenagers admit to using it.
Generation Zers are happy to try a new social network, but have no
loyalty and dont want to waste their limited time. More than half
said theyd stopped using a certain social media site. Explaining their
reasons, they used the words bored or boring 155 times. For some
the novelty simply wore offor, worse, their parents started using it.
Images: See the Real Me campaign featuring Jazz Jennings by Clean & Clear, Johnson & Johnson, 2015.
One person leaving a site can lead to a mass exodus. As one respondent
put it: The only reason for using social networks is obviously to be
social. This is impossible when none of your friends use the site. Its a
reminder that sites need to keep innovating; some sites that are only a
few years old are already being dismissed as outdated.
Snapchat has done a particularly good job of evolving, adding new

features just as the original concept was in danger of growing stale.
Snapchat Stories lets users upload pictures of their day to form a
narrative; after 24 hours a photo disappears and the narrative moves
on. This year Snapchat took the concept of short-term content to a new
level, working with media outlets such as CNN, Vice and DailyMail.com
to create quick, visual bursts of news, which refresh each day. While
Facebook and Instagram can feel sprawling and with no natural end,
Snapchat Discover is finite, giving generation Z the news they want
in 30 seconds.
Even Yo, last years talked-about app that did nothing more than let
users send the word Yo to each other, is moving on. Yo Bytes will be
offered for the Apple Watch, allowing the wearers favorite brands to
send notifications. BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, and Comedy Central have
all signed up.
Image above: Ruby Scheybeler. Photography by Angela Moore.

Image below: Snapchat Discover app, 2015.
GENERATION Z 32
Generation Z grew up surrounded by technology.

72% of our panel have a laptop and 70% have a
T eens and smartphone, while 73% agreed that the brand of
technology technology they bought was important to them.
Their favorite? Apple (like their parents). One college student guessed
that 95% of students on campus had an iPhone. Our generation Z case
studies all used Apple products.
But generation Z isnt interested in buying the latest gadgetry just for
the sake of staying up to date. 58% said they always had the latest
technology and just 35% agreed with the statement If you dont own
the newest version of digital devices then youre not cool.
What's next:
Wearable technology has been the Next Big Thing for some time.
But beyond the hype, its been a disappointment. In the past year,
Google has gone back to the drawing board with Google Glass after a
lukewarm reception from the public. Nike discontinued its FuelBand
fitness tracker, and the launch of will.i.ams smartwatch Puls was
widely panned, with one journalist calling it the single worst consumer
electronics gadget I have ever tested.
iPad 2 by Apple, USA.

TE E N S AN D TEC H N O LOGY GENERATION Z 33
The Apple Watch will not be the homerun

productthat iPod, iPhone and iPad have been. Not
everyonewill want to wear a computer on
their wrist.
Venture capitalist Fred Wilson
Nevertheless, the Apple smartwatch is keenly awaited. The Apple

Watch will be instrumental in taking the wearables market to the next
level of growth. If successful, itll create a rising tide that will lift the
whole market, reported CCS Insight, going on to suggest that 20 million
units could be sold in 2015.
Venture capitalist Fred Wilson (co-founder of Union Square Ventures, an

early investor in Twitter, Zynga and Tumblr) remains unsure: The Apple
Watch will not be the homerun product that iPod, iPhone, and iPad have
been. Not everyone will want to wear a computer on their wrist [It will]
take up a lot of time, energy and money in 2015 with not a lot of results.
Or, in the words of one teenager we surveyedwho is the proud owner

of an iPhone, iPod, Kindle and MacBookThe smartwatch is the
stupidest thing Ive ever seen.
Certainly wearables dont seem to have caught on with generation Z.

Out of our panel of 1,000 people, just 6% owned a fitness band and only
34% said they were likely to buy one in the future.
Image above: Apple Watch, USA, 2015.

Image below: Android Wear.
TE E N S AN D TEC H N O LOGY GENERATION Z 34
However, wearables might appeal to generation Z as a new medium for

communication. One company that understands this is Mighty Cast.
Theyve developed the NEX Band. It can track friends by location, give
social media notifications, and be used to send secret messages. Acting
like a 21st-century charm bracelet, the device allows wearers to add
mods that change how it functions and can be shared with others.
Creator Adam Adelman explained the thinking behind it: Existing

wearables tend to be single function on the inside and single style on
the outside. Were giving more power to the consumer by letting them
customize their wearables, inside and out.
Unlike other wearables, the NEX Band is designed with generation Z

in mind. Adelman has hosted 20 focus groups and uses those insights
to change the product, particularly the design. Its entirely visual, he
said. In our testing, literally no one wanted text delivered to their wrist
because they didnt want others to see what was written. Now the
messages that are sent are pre-programmed emojis, like a heart or
It used to be the case
raindrop, or something customized, similar to a secret message.
that if something
was marketed to a He sees generation Z as such an important market because theyre
16-year-old then a influential: what they do today, other generations will do tomorrow.
30-year-old wouldnt
It used to be the case that if something was marketed to a 16-year-
want to touch it. old then a 30-year-old wouldnt want to touch it. Thats not the case
Thats not the case anymore. Look at Snapchatthat started as a complete teenage
product. Now its embraced by 20-somethings and 30-somethings.
anymore.
Image above: Android Wear.

Image below: NEX Band by Mighty Cast.
GENERATION Z 35
For generation Z, technology isnt just at

the center of their livesit's also a viable
CR ACK ING career option.
THE CODE
A report by the Georgetown University Center on Education
and the Workforce projected that there would be 2.4 million job
openings in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics
fields by 2018. But there's a problemschools are failing to cater to
generation Zs interests.
Despite widespread interest among young students in STEM gaming

and science toys, that enthusiasm is often dampened by the boring
rote learning forced on them in the classroom, warned the New York
Academy of Sciences. The World Economic Forum ranks the United
States at 51st in the world for its quality of math and science education.
What's next:
Osman Rashid, a London-born tech entrepreneur who was educated

in Pakistan and now lives in the United States, is concerned about
how prepared generation Z is. We know that the 21st century will
require a workforce with a firm grounding in science thinking and
practices, Rashid said.
Tim Arboo coding on his laptop. Photography by Angela Moore.

C R AC K I N G TH E CO D E GENERATION Z 36
In light of this, he created Galxyz, a compelling, immersive next-gen

learning experience that will ignite a lifelong fascination for science.
Its a computer game created by a team of curriculum experts, artists,
game designers, engineers and parents, making it both intellectually
rigorous and entertaining, blurring the line between learning and gaming.
Galxyz is being used as a recruiting tool for the

New York Academy of Sciences forthcoming
Junior Academy, an online international talent
development program.
Students ask testable questions, build models and carry out planned
investigations. After conducting experiments, they evaluate evidence,
generate claims, and communicate their findings, explains Rashid. Only
then can players progress to the next level.
Galxyz is being used as a recruiting tool for the New York Academy of
Sciences forthcoming Junior Academy, an online international talent
development program. High-ranking players of Galxyz will be invited
to join, receiving access to mentoring, working on projects, and gaining
research experience. It identifies, inspires and prepares gifted students
to stay engaged in STEM and eventually enter STEM careers, according
to the Global STEM Alliance.
Galxyz by Osman Rashid.

C R AC K I N G TH E CO D E GENERATION Z 37
MIT Media Labs Lifelong Kindergarten has taken a similarly innovative

approach. It aims to develop new technologies that, in the spirit of
the blocks and fingerpaint of kindergarten, engage people in creative
learning experiences. One success story is Scratch, a free programming
language and community where users can make their own games and
animations. Almost 9 million projects have been created and shared.
Now Google is teaching Scratch to 100,000 students across the United

States as part of its CS First program. In addition to bringing computer
science and coding to a much wider audience, Google is using the
program to persuade girls to pursue careers in STEM. This is something
Google has been doing for a few years: investing in coding nonprofits
and launching its Made with Code initiative.
The Made with Code website offers various projects like making your
own avatar or mixing a music track. The emphasis is on the infinite uses
of technology, with an altruistic and creative bent. The website explains,
If girls are inspired to see that computer science can make the world
more beautiful, more usable, more safe, more kind, more innovative,
more healthy and more funny, then hopefully they will begin to
contribute their essential voices. They work with groups as diverse as
the Girl Scouts and Girls Who Code, which inspired 17-year-old Sophie,
profiled on page 69, to create Tampon Run, a simple game that treats
menstruation as normal rather than taboo.
Image above: Scratch by MIT Media Lab.

Image below: Sophie Houser coding. Photography by Greg Baker.
GENERATION Z 38
Since Beatlemania was born 50 years ago,

T he new teenagers have had a celebrity to obsess over.
For entertainment and inspiration, generation Z
teen icons is turning to YouTube.
Dominic Smales was one of the first to spot that things were shifting.
( part one ) Five years ago he ran a production company in London. As digital
became a bigger part of his work, he met Pixiwoo, two sisters from
England who did makeup tutorials on YouTube. Smales was amazed by
how quickly the videos were shared around the world and approached
the sisters about representing them.
This was the start of Gleam Futures, a talent agency for social media
stars. Smales represents some of the best-known British social talent,
including Zoella, described by the Financial Times as Online big sister,
agony aunt, ultimate style guru and key to the hearts and minds of
millions of avid, not yet cynical, young shoppers.
Also on the roster are Zoellas boyfriend Alfie Deyes (who runs
PointlessBlog), her brother ThatcherJoe, and his flatmate Caspar Lee.
Between them, these four have had over 1 billion views, and have 20
million subscribers. Though its a close-knit world, its truly global.
Pixiwoo by Samantha Chapman and Nicola Haste.

TH E N E W TE E N I CO N S (PA RT O N E ) GENERATION Z 39
The most popular YouTubers are honest, funny, relatable and

accessible. They talk about their lives, play pranks, give advice and
answer questions. They collaborate with each other, and love to
connect with their fans.
What's next:
Most YouTubers have been active for just a few years. What started as
an outlet for creativity and self-expression has unintentionally become
a career, funded through advertising revenue, endorsements, product
lines and more.
Where millennials might have wanted to appear on X Factor or American

Idol, generation Z see being a YouTuber as a career option. Smales
warns that its not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes hard work, talent
and time. Hes very selective about who he represents.
Increasingly, YouTubers are moving beyond the platform that gave

them their name. As Smales said, Well talk about book deals and TV
appearances because these are creative people who are at their heart
entertainers. But they dont have to be platform specific. This talent is
the first truly platform-agnostic talent.
But the audience still comes first. As Zoella put it, Ive built this
community of people that trust my opinion, and I value that far more
than a fat check.
All images: Zoella on YouTube.

TH E N E W TE E N I CO N S (PA RT O N E ) GENERATION Z 40
AwesomenessTV, a AwesomenessTV, a YouTube multichannel network, has explored

YouTube multichannel ways to link YouTuber endorsements with physical retail. This year it
partnered with STORY, a retailer with the point of view of a magazine
network, has explored
that reinvents itself periodically. Six stars of AwesomenessTV curated
ways to link YouTuber some of their favorite products, from candy to jewelry, to be sold in the
endorsements with store, as well as making live appearances for meet and greets.
physical retail.l
Your Story by Story in collaboration with Awesomeness TV and Samantha Hahn, 2015.
TH E N E W TE E N I CO N S (PA RT T WO) GENERATION Z 41
For decades teenagers have been berated

for spending too long playing video games.
T he new teen Now it could be their path to international
icons ( part T W O) fame and fortune.
eSports, the name given to professional video game competitions, is

the fastest growing form of entertainment, especially for generation Z.
Like any other sport there are star players, millions of fans, and a lot of
money at stake. One of the most popular games is League of Legends, a
multiplayer online battle arena game. The world championship final was
played in South Korea last year, in the stadium built for the 2002 soccer
World Cup. While 40,000 people watched live in the stadium, 27 million
people around the world tuned into the event via live-streaming sites. To
put that in perspective, an average of just 14 million Americans watched
last years baseball World Series.
James Luo, 17, from Blackpool in the UK, plays Hearthstone, a

card-based strategy game set in the Warcraft universe. Luo compares
it to poker or chess: You need really analytical thinking and a logical
brain. Better known as Greensheep, hes one of the best players in
the world. Last year he signed with Team Dignitas.
Like a traditional sports club, the team pays him a salary, covers his
costs, and arranges sponsorship deals (including one with Intel). In six
months of play, hes already traveled to California to compete in front of
thousands of people, and has earned $10,000.
The online gaming

platform Twitch has 100
million unique users per
month and last year was
snapped up by Amazon in
a $1 billion deal.
Future earnings could be 10 times that. Even Luos parents, who want
him to be a doctor or a lawyer, are coming around to the possibilities.
Meanwhile the teenager is getting used to all the attention. It still really
shocks me that people ask me for an autograph, he said.
Luo got into Hearthstone by watching professionals playing live on

Twitch, a sort of YouTube for gamers. It has 100 million unique users per
month and last year was snapped up by Amazon in a $1 billion deal. And,
like YouTubers, theres a living to be made, with donations, advertising
revenue, and a subscription model. After finishing his exams, Luo plans
to take a gap year and dedicate his time to playing on Twitch. The top
streams on Twitch easily make six or seven figures, he said.
What's next:
eSports are on the rise and quickly entering the mainstream. Newzoo,
which conducts market research for the game industry, estimated that
in 2014 there were 89 million eSports enthusiasts and that this would
rise to 145 million by 2017. IHS Technology predicts that in 2018 6.6 billion
hours of eSports video will be watched.
Brands associated with traditional sports, such as ESPN and Red Bull,
are becoming involved. Meanwhile, in South Korea, the first purpose-
built eSports arena has opened.
Gaming is a $90 billion+ industry and, while blockbuster games are

becoming ever more deep and complex, much of the recent growth has
come from casual gamingshort, fun games played on smartphones,
often by young women. Brands are quick to see the opportunities.
Swedish underwear brand Bjrn Borg used an online game to launch its
new fashion line. It mimics the style of a first-person shooter but with
humorthe game is called First Person Lover. The company describes
it as follows:
In First Person Lover, evil and hatred is taking over a place in the world.
Your mission as a Love Agent is to fight the forces of evil with the power
of love. Equipped with a love glove, you master your enemies with a
hologram kiss gun, a flower petal shotgun or rainbow caster.
Image above: Game-a-Thon 1.0 by Coke Zero and Twitch, 2014.

Image below: First Person Lover by Bjrn Borg, Sweden.
GENERATION Z 44
If you walk into a lecture hall, youll see

thousands of dollars of equipment. But it all
E ducation belongs to the students. Aside from laptops
enters and tablets replacing pen and paper, little
has changed in education. While so much of
the 2 1 st generation Zs life is driven by technology,
century education seems stuck in the past.
With US college debt now totaling $1 trillion, tuition fees on both sides
of the Atlantic rising and a degree no longer being a guarantee of a job,
many are questioning the value of a traditional education. Nevertheless,
it remains a key goal for generation Z. In our SONAR survey, 62%
of respondents said they intended to go to a four-year college or
university, and 34% of our American respondents were already saving
for future education.
What's next:
The Minerva Project offers a glimpse of where education could go.

Based in San Francisco, the Minerva Project enables students to take
part in intensive seminars via their laptops, where they debate, vote,
take tests, and are graded. There are no lectures, no library, no
college newspaper.
Ian Van Buskirk, Minerva Schools student, San Francisco. Photography by Winni Wintermeyer.
E ducation enters the 2 1 st century GENERATION Z 45
In fact, geography is irrelevant. Every semester the students will move

to a different city, taking in San Francisco, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Mumbai,
Hong Kong, London and New York. The initial class started in September
last year and includes 28 students from across the world. One of them,
Ian Van Buskirk, is profiled later in this report.
Minerva chimes with generation Zs ambition, understanding of

technology, and global outlook. Ben Nelson, Minervas founder,
describes the students as having a voracious intellectual curiosity and
wanting to achieve something. They come to Minerva because they
want to have a broad impact on the world, he said.
Nelson thinks Minerva will shake up the entire education system: We

will have the best students in the world, and because we provide them
with the best possible education and a chance to live around the world,
we will produce better results. He sees Minervas competition as
institutions like Harvard and Oxford. Theyll have to up their game.
In the next 10 years, he sees major changes. Harvard will stop the
lecture. Education will be delivered in active learningproblem-solving,
project work, etc. I see greater geographic flexibility. Maybe two years
on campus, two years exploring the world.
Minerva might be the first of its kind, but writer Kevin Carey thinks
it could be the future. His book, The End of College, attacks US
universities for their obsession with prestige and lack of interest in what
actually matters to students and their parents: the quality of teaching.
Images: Minerva Schools, San Francisco.

E ducation enters the 2 1 st century GENERATION Z 46
You dont need libraries and research infrastructure and football teams
and this insane race for status, he said. If you only have to pay for the
things that you actually need, education doesnt cost $60,000 a year.
Ben Nelson isnt the only person hoping to disrupt the education
system. But while he wants to reform it from within, others want to
destroy it. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, set up the Thiel Fellowship,
which offers 20 under-20-year-olds $100,000 to drop out of college and
pursue their most ambitious project.
One of the earliest fellows was Dale J. Stephens, founder of the

UnCollege movement. His main criticism of the current education
system is that people pay too much and learn too little.An unofficial
slogan comes from the film Good Will Hunting: You dropped $150,000
on a fucking education you coulda got for $1.50 in late charges at
the public library.
The UnCollege movement promotes self-directed learning, or what it

If you only have to calls becoming a hackademic. At the end of 2013, Stephens launched
pay for the things that the UnCollege Gap Year, described as a 12-month skills-building
you actually need, regimen designed to equip young adults to succeed in the 21st century.
The gap year is split into four phases, including living in another country
education doesnt cost
to experience a different culture; a residential program involving
$60,000 a year. workshops, discussions and mentoring; an internship that draws on
UnColleges professional network; and a creative project.
Kevin Carey, author of
The End of College While approaches may differ, the mix of online learning and real-world
experience seems to be a potent one.
Images: UnCollege, founded by Dale J. Stephens.

FUTURE
Agender by Selfridges, 2015.

FUTU RE GENERATION Z 48
Be part of their education

Generation Z has so many interests that choosing
a career can be daunting. Inspire them. Open up
worlds, and offer advice. Everyone from LOral
How brands
can reach
to Microsoft is encouraging young women to have
careers in STEM, with impressive results. There
are great opportunities to guide this generation.
Generation Zers want to continue their education
generation Z
but college may not be the best option. Brands can
offer tailor-made experiences and opportunities
that are much more valuable.
Give them the information

Generation Z cares about provenance, sustainability,
working practices, corporate responsibility, tax
affairs, and political leanings. Brands should be
honest and transparent. Chipotles website tells
the brands story in an engaging way, giving
information on environmental policies, nutrition,
animal welfare practices, outreach programs, and
employment policies.
Dont just sponsor, host

Be a good host: invite generation Z in. Show
them how you do things and theyll do the same.
At the end of last year, Coke Zero and Twitch
hosted Game-a-Thon 1.0 at Coca-Colas Atlanta
headquarters, a live gaming session in which four
professional gamers competed for charity. Bringing
the event to Coca-Cola physically is a unique
window into both worlds, explained Matt Wolf,
head of global gaming at the company.
We give our employees at Coke a never-before-

seen view of what a gaming broadcast looks like
But were also giving the viewing audience a look into
our world at Coke. Viewers can see were not just a
mythical big brand. Were real people here
and we care.
NA LCS Spring Playoffs by LoL Esports, 2015.

Theyre not customers, theyre

brand ambassadors
If generation Z loves your brand, theyll represent
it. Teen Vogues Jason Wagenheim sees Brandy
Melville, an Italian label with a California vibe, as
the brand getting it right on social media: They
have 18 stores in the US but 2 million followers on
Instagram. Theyve got a cool factor and creative
content. The stores are staffed by young women
who look like they could be girls from the brands
Instagram page (blonde, beach). In many cases they
are. The brand uses a team of teenage girls to give
their opinions on the clothes, and often sends them
out to be photographed. This means that the roles
of focus group, sales assistant, and model can be
carried out by the same 16-year-old. Meanwhile,
shoppers recreate the Instagram images, tagging
Brandy Melville, and are sometimes then hired by
the company.
Brandy Melville, Spring/Summer 2015.

Innovate, dont replicate

Social media gives brands a great chance to
connect with consumers. But it can go badly wrong.
The Twitter feed @BrandsSayingBae gleefully
documents brands trying to reach teenagers
on social media by using their own language.Its
unoriginal and unpopular. Taco Bell is more inventive.
To launch its new mobile ordering and payment
app, the brand had a social media blackout, simply
redirecting users to the app. The surprise move
worked: a day after the apps launch, 75% of outlets
had accepted an order through the app.
Taco Bell also launched a campaign to have a taco

emoji made, demonstrating a sense of humor
and understanding of its customer base. Why do
pizza and hamburger lovers get an emoji but taco
lovers dont? the brand wondered. Heres a better
question: Why do we need four different types of
mailboxes?... Or a VCR tape and a floppy disk emoji?
No one even uses those things anymore.
#onlyintheapp campaign by DigitasLBi San Francisco for Taco Bell.

Use social talent, not a script

YouTubers speak to generation Z in a way traditional
celebrities cant. Theyre relatable, honest and
trustworthy. With such an active and dedicated
fanbase, YouTube offers brands enormous
possibilities.
But working with YouTubers requires careful thought

and genuine, deep relationships. Too often brands
approach it like theyre making an advert. Dont
expect talent to read from a script, warned Gleam
Futures founder Dominic Smales. This audience is
super-savvy. Theres a mutual respect between the
talent and the audience. The talent have no interest
in duping them or talking to them about anything
they dont believe in.
Gleam Futures works with Asda (the British

supermarket owned by Walmart) on one of their
YouTube channels. The supermarket has no editorial
control, and the results (At Home Pedicure with
YouTubers speak to generation Z in a
Pixiwoo, How to Make Caspar Lees Favourite
Pizza) promote the supermarket while fitting way traditional celebrities cant. Theyre
naturally into the work the YouTubers do. relatable, honest and trustworthy.
Caspar Lee on YouTube.

Celebrate, dont appropriate

In 1993, Marc Jacobs scandalized the fashion
world with a grunge collection inspired by
the Seattle music scene. Today the path from
subculture to commerce is shorter than ever.
Generation Z doesnt appreciate such cultural

appropriation, as detailed in a story in Vice titled
Stop Fucking with Our Youth Subcultures. Jacobs
has learned the lesson that brands should celebrate
but not copy. Last year, the designer teamed up
with i-D magazine to create Tribes, a three-part
documentary video series profiling American
subcultures. Combining fashion with documentary
storytelling, each of the three videos explores a
different subculture that represents rebellion and
self-expression, i-D said.
Marc Jacobs Tribes with i-D, USA.

Be neutral
Generation Z sees sexuality and gender as fluid.
Brands should consider a gender-neutral approach.
This year London department store Selfridges
introduced unisex shopping spaces. We want to
take our customers on a journey where they can
shop and dress without limitations or stereotypes,
a representative told The Times. A space where
clothing is no longer imbued with directive gender
values, enabling fashion to exist as a purer
expression of self.
Agender pop-up store designed by Faye Toogood for Selfridges, 2015.

Embrace omnichannel shopping

Online and offline shopping should complement
each other and work flawlessly together. If its
on the website, it needs to be in store as well.
Generation Z will get ideas from Instagram, research
online, buy using the app, and pick up in store. Or
buy online, with same-day delivery, and the option
of exchanging in store.
Brands need to invest at every level, from providing

the best in-store experience to the infrastructure
that lets generation Z get what it wants, without
the wait. A good example comes from Macys.
Discussing the Macys customer, Jennifer
Kasper, group vice president, digital/new media &
multicultural marketing, said: The bottom line is,
were indifferent to whether she converts in the
store or online. We just want her to shop
with Macys.
Image above: Connect@Macys.

Image below: Image Search app developed by Idea Lab for Macys, USA.
Bring the online offline

While traditional offline brands embrace the digital,
online brands have something to gain by moving
offline. Warby Parker, a glasses retailer that got its
start online, has benefitted from the decision to
build physical retail spaces.
Co-founder Neil Blumenthal explains why: First,

our customers wanted it. Second, it allows us to
build close personal relationships with customers
by meeting them, which you dont get from an
online transaction. Third, the showrooms act as
learning laboratories, and help us to create ways to
make shopping for glasses online easier based on
how we see people behaving physically, in person.
Fourth, the stores are a great training opportunity
for our staff. When theyve served people in our
showrooms, they do a better job helping customers
who need assistance by phone or over email.
Warby Parker store, Lexington Avenue, New York.

57
Things to Remember
1 Think about your vocabulary

Talk about the internet not the Internet. Its not a brand
name or a destination. Its just there, another part of our life.
6 They listen to their friends and peers
And those peers might be someone they watch on YouTube.
Remember that the internet is now classed as a utility, like

water or electricity. Even words like online are problematic.
Generation Z is always connected; there is no offline anymore.
7 Dont make them wait
Whether its ordering a taco on their phone or wanting a new
outfit that day, generation Z isnt used to waiting.
2 Dont underestimate them

They arent just teenagers. Theyre consumers, activists, and
content creators.
8
Move beyond the mainstream
Embrace and celebrate niche trends. They might be
tomorrows big thing.
3 ont stereotype them

D
Generation Z is racially diverse and moving beyond binaries
like straight and gay, male and female.
9 Dont be provincial
Generation Z takes inspiration from around the world,
from food to fashion.
4 Have a positive impact on the world

Generation Z wants to change the world. Brands
should join them.
10 Let them choose
Whether ordering from a secret menu or hacking education,
generation Z will not respond to a one-size-fits-all approach.
5 ont assume you speak their language

D
Theres more to engaging with this generation than
adopting teen slang.
GENERATION Z 58
CASE STUDIES
Clockwise from top left: Tim Arboo, photography by Angela Moore; Caroline Weiss, photography by Patrick Strattner;
Peter Scheybeler, photography by Angela Moore; Ruby Scheybeler, photography by Angela Moore.
GENERATION Z 59
TIM, 19, LONDON
It all started with a bet. Tims friend said he wouldnt be able to make
500. So, at age 14, he set up his first business finding tutors for
teenagers preparing for their exams. Originally it was just me doing the
tutoring and within six weeks I had 65 people working for me. That was
my first introduction to business, explains Tim.
Hes not the only one starting young. 40% of our respondents said
their friends were doing interesting entrepreneurial things to make
money. When asked about heroes, more respondents looked up to
entrepreneurs than celebrities.
Thats not to say its easy. Tims tutoring business quickly fell apart.
Once I had introduced the tutor to the parent, they didnt need me
anymore so they went behind my back and went directly to the parent,
he explains. It was a good lesson to learn.
I found out the importance of learning to code. If I had built a website, I

could oversee everything that happened and get the payments done on
my site, rather than in cash, he explains.
Tim Arboo, photography by Angela Moore.

TI M , 1 9, LO N DO N GENERATION Z 60
Failure completely sucks, admits Tim. He rejects the notion,

particularly popular in Silicon Valley, that failure is a good thing. People
think they can go into business and if it fails it doesnt matter. I think
thats complete bullshit, he argues.
Luckily, things have gotten better since his tutoring business folded.
At 17 he started a magazine for young entrepreneurs, which he sold
a year later. It didnt make him a millionaire but things were going in
the right direction.
His latest business is Fanbytes. Launched less than a year ago with
his friend Ambrose, its described as a marketplace for brands to
collaborate with YouTubers on branded content. Part of the inspiration
came from a shopping trip with his 13-year-old niece who wanted to buy
something because her favorite YouTuber had recommended it. Thats
when I realized there was a huge new group of people whose spending
habits were influenced by someones recommendation, says Tim.
Tim works with smaller YouTubers, those with tens of thousands of

subscribers rather than millions, partly because he thinks the level of
audience engagement is higher. These include 19-year-old Beckii Cruel,
who celebrates Japanese culture and fashion, and Scola Dondo, a
19-year-old who lost 50 lbs through healthy eating and exercise, and
shares her fitness tips.

TI M , 1 9, LO N DO N GENERATION Z 61
Tims pitch is simple: Im your age, I get this, you can trust me.
Theyre our friends but theyre friends that we help make money,
he jokes. We want to help them engage their fans.
Fanbytes works with brands and YouTubers to create experiences,

from a shopping trip to UK fast-fashion retailer New Look to a day at a
treetop adventure course with Go Ape.
Its early days for Fanbytes but Tim is ambitious. I want Fanbytes
to become a force to be reckoned with in the UK, he says.
Nevertheless, hes still looking forward. Im not going to be one of these
people who say, I love this company and Ill run it until I die. Come on.
Lets be serious.
TIM
I cant live without my phone
The last thing I posted on a social network was an

article on software eating the world
My favorite app is Quora
I get my news from Twitter
The thing I care about most is living an interesting life

GENERATION Z 62
C aroline , 1 6 , L o s A ngele s
Caroline loves shopping, dreams of owning a Chanel Boy bag, and gets
teased by her friends for the amount of time she spends looking at
clothes on Instagram. But her future plans might surprise you. I always
thought I was going to be a doctor, she says, but as I get older I go
toward the technology and engineering fields.
Caroline isnt alone. The girls of generation Z are embracing STEM

(science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The Girl Scouts of
America say 74% of high school girls are interested in the subjects, but
relatively few make it their career. Even President Obama (father of two
generation Z girls himself) is worried: Weve got half the population that
is way underrepresented in those fields and that means that weve got a
whole bunch of talent not being encouraged the way they need to.
Luckily Caroline isnt easily put off: It doesnt turn me off that its
seen as a male industry, it turns me on more. Women are equal. If I do
something and enjoy it, why not? Why cant I be one of the people to
end the inequality? she asks.
Caroline Weiss, photography by Patrick Strattner.

Caroline , 1 6, Los A ngeles GENERATION Z 63
63
One way to encourage young women to explore STEM careers is through

mentoring and hands-on experience. For Caroline, it was working with
Genesis that really inspired her, turning an interest into a career path.
Genesis is a California-based organization that offers teenagers the
chance to work with the latest technology, showing them what is
possible through STEM and how it can be used to help others.
Caroline has been involved in the Helping Hands project, where

prosthetic hands are created by 3D printing and sent to children who
need them. Caroline and eight of her classmates were invited to Las
Vegas earlier this year for the International CES, where they met
technology industry figures at the Ipsos Girls Lounge, including Megan
Smith, the chief technology officer of the United States.
Were a generation whove always known

technology, and we want to use it for goodto
improve our lives and everyone elses lives.
It was a very girly place, says Caroline. There were manicures and
clothes you could try on. But there were completely powerful women
there from Facebook, and Google and Yahoo. You can be a girly girl and
still be a feminist.

Caroline , 1 6, Los A ngeles GENERATION Z 64
Its not a word shes afraid to use. Im a very big feminist. I use the word.
A lot of people dont like to use it, she says.
She cites Emma Watson as an inspiration; her speech to the UN on

gender equality particularly resonated with generation Z. Caroline
identifies with Watsons observation that, too often, calling yourself
a feminist is confused with hating men. It was an amazing speech,
Caroline says.
Above all, Caroline is an optimist. Were a generation whove always

known technology, and we want to use it for goodto improve our lives
and everyone elses lives, she says. You can do everything with STEM,
from saving someones life to finding directions. Whatever you make will
help others in some way.
CAROLINE:
My favorite brand is Alice + Olivia
My favorite store is Bloomingdales
The last thing I posted on a social network was a

Throwback Thursday of my siblings and me
The thing I care about most is my family and friends

65
I an , 1 8 , San F ranci s co
Starting college is a new experience for everyone. For Ian, it was even
more unique. Not only was he living away from home and meeting new
people, he was in the first class of a brand new university.
After applying for a number of colleges, Ian started to wonder if

he was doing the right thing. Youre in one place for four years,
surrounded by people with the same experiences as you, he points
out. I did question the value of a degree in the 21st century.
Hes not alone. Generation Z still values a university education, but

they want to be in control. The president of Northeastern University,
Joseph E. Aoun, summed up generation Z: A new generation of
Americans is on the rise: highly entrepreneurial, pluralistic, and
determined to take charge of their own futures. Those of us in higher
education must listen to this next generation and enable them to chart
their own paths, gain valuable experience, and become the leaders
of tomorrow.
For Ian, taking charge meant a new approach. A friend of mine texted
me and told me about this cool new school that I had to apply to, he
says. When I started reading about it I realized that a lot of things I
didnt like about higher education were the exact ones that Minerva
was trying to change.
Ian Van Buskirk, photography by Winni Wintermeyer.

Ian , 18 , San Franci sco 66
With technology today,

the amount of information
you can find and how much
you can learn on your own
is incredible.
Ian , 18 , San Francisco 67
Minerva offers a form of the flipped classroom model where

students research on their own time using internet resources and then
discuss in classes, which take the form of interactive online seminars.
With technology today, the amount of information you can find and
how much you can learn on your own is incredible, Ian explains. I love
having the independence to research and prepare for class, and then
challenge my peers and professors. Im glad to be actively engaged in
my learning rather than passively bumping around from lecture hall
to lecture hall.
While online learning could transform education, Ian knows that the
community aspect of college cant be replicated. Ian is one of just 28
students. The other students are absolutely incredible, he says. The
diversity is more than just their background, its their experiences. Its
unbelievable to be part of that group. They come from 14 different
countries, including Trinidad, Malaysia, Nigeria and Sweden. Each
student brings a unique perspective. As Ian explains, Our definition of
what it means to be a human and live in a community is
so different.
The students will move to a different international city every semester

following their first year in San Francisco. The city is your campus is
something of a mantra. There are no Minerva sports teams, but twice
a week Ian and his classmates go to the Mission District to play soccer
with a group of kids who only speak Spanish. Its been a really good
opportunity to connect with people I never would have connected with
if I was stuck on a campus, says Ian.

Ian , 18 , San Francisco 68
He loves the citys diversity, and its fusion of technology and culture.
Everything becomes a learning opportunity, from taking a master class
at the San Francisco Opera to visiting a startup.
For Ian, the question of what hell do after college is a difficult one. Im
optimistic and excited to be part of the future, he says. The world is
changing so fast, the job Ill be doing might not even exist yet.
IAN:
I cant live without my bike
I spend most of my money on food
Im saving up to travel
My favorite social network is my network of friends at

Minerva
My favorite app is Google Maps
My favorite store is [outdoor clothing retailer] REI
The thing I care about most is the people who are close
to me

69
Sophie , 1 7, N ew York
It was all her mothers idea. Last summer, Sophie was looking for
something to do. Her mom knew she was creative and liked math, and
suggested she try coding. It was something shed never done before. I
didnt even really know what it was, she admits.
Shes not the only one. Google surveyed 1,600 men and women
last year and found girls were half as likely to be encouraged to
try computer science as boys. Females who studied it described
computer science as fun and exciting; those not familiar with it
called it difficult and boring. The message was clear: those who
try it love it.
The past few years have seen a number of groups set up to expose
teenage girls to coding, realizing this is the way to change their minds.
Girls Who Code is one. Their intention is to educate, inspire and equip
high school girls with the skills and resources to pursue opportunities
in computing fields.
Sophie took part in the groups summer program, held at IAC, Barry
Dillers media and internet company, parent company of The Daily
Beast and Match.com. She and 19 other high school girls had seven
weeks of intensive training, culminating in a final project. Sophie
partnered with Andy Gonzalez and started throwing ideas around.
Sophie Houser, photography by Greg Baker.

SO PH I E , 1 7, N E W YO RK 70
Andy really wanted to do a

game that targeted the hyper-
sexualization of women in
gaming. I liked the idea of using
coding to create social change.
Sophie , 1 7, N ew York 71
Andy really wanted to do a game that targeted the hyper-

sexualization of women in gaming, and I liked the idea of using coding
to create social change. We were brainstorming and I made this
joke that it would be funny if we made a game where people threw
tampons, Sophie remembers. We talked about the menstrual taboo.
Ive grown up being taught my period is weird and dirty, and something
I should be embarrassed about.
Determined to break the taboo, they created Tampon Run, a simple

game with old-school aesthetics where players throw tampons to
destroy their enemies. It was inspired in part by the actions of the
Texas Senate, which confiscated tampons during an abortion debate
for fear they could be used as weapons.
The game starts with something of a mission statement: Although

the concept of the video game may be strange, its stranger that our
society has accepted and normalized guns and violence through video
games, yet we still find tampons and menstruation unspeakable.
Beyond the message, Tampon Run is simple, maddeningly addictive,
and hugely popular.
We posted it online and thought our friends and family would play it.
We didnt think anything would come of it, says Sophie. Instead Sophie
and Andy have been overwhelmed by the support theyve received.
Ive gotten emails from people around the world, and thats been so
incredible. Some have been from older people and theyre so excited
that there are girls who are getting into tech and gaming, Sophie says.
Sophie Houser, photography by Greg Baker.

Sophie , 1 7, N ew York 72
There have been emails from girls who said theyre so much more
comfortable talking about their period. Some have said, Youre my role
model. I want to learn how to code now.
The support theyve received is all the more notable because the
release of the game coincided with a time of online harassment and
misogyny in gaming, known as Gamergate. I hope through Tampon Run
we can show that tech doesnt have to be like that, Sophie says.
This has been a huge, life-changing experience for me, she

continues. Im going to college next year and I want to major in
computer science.
S ophie :
I spend most of my money on food
Im saving up for a trip to Europe
My favorite app is Google Maps
I get my news from Facebook
The thing I care about most is feeling fulfilled
Sophie Houser. Photography by Greg Baker

73
R u b y, 1 2 + P eter , 1 4 , L ondon
Ruby and Peter dont have a TV. They used to, but they
never really watched it.
There are plenty of other screens to choose from thoughPeter

loves gaming, while his sister Ruby would be lost without her phone.
Generation Z watches less television than their parents generation,

instead preferring gadgets and devices. Our survey of 1,000 12- to
19-year-olds showed that while 81% watched more than two hours of
TV every day, 83% used their smartphone and 89% their laptop for
more than two hours.
Peters dad describes him as obsessed with video games. Thats

completely fair, laughs Peter. I play them on everything you can
play them on, basically. Hes got an Xbox One and is building his own
gaming PC. You need a good computer for PC games, he explains.
The only real option is to build it yourself. Ive got a decent sound
system but I need better graphics and more RAM. Most days, he plays
for hours at a time.
Ruby Scheybeler, Peter Scheybeler, photography by Angela Moore.

Ru by, 12 + Peter , 14, London GENERATION Z 74
Ruby uses her phone to browse Instagram, use Snapchat, and listen
to music. Shes looking to upgrade as well. Ive got no space on my
phone anymore because I download so much music. It has, like, 5GB,
which isnt really enough, she complains. Ive got no games and hardly
any appsits all taken up with music and photos.
Both worry a bit about how much time they spend attached to their
devices. I guess it makes me kind of sad how much I rely on it. If I
didnt have it, Id be so bored all the time, admits Ruby.
They both love social media. Peter likes Facebook but rarely posts
anything. I just like looking. I can be on there for ages just scrolling
through without thinking about anything, he says. His sister isnt a
Facebook fan. I really hate it all. I went through a phase of really,
really loving it and then realized it was stupid. I never use it anymore,
says Ruby.
I guess it makes me kind of sad how much I rely on

[my phone], says Ruby. If I didnt have it, Id be so
bored all the time.
She loves Tumblr though, especially the idiosyncratic humor, a mix of

pop culture references and animal pictures. If I showed my mum that
shed be, like, Whys that so funny? Why are you almost in tears at a
picture of a frog? Its hard to explain if you havent grown up with it.

They also disagree about YouTube. Im addicted to YouTube, says

Peter. He loves watching gaming videos, especially those made by
NerdCubed, a British YouTuber known for his rapid editing style and
humorous commentary. He also likes the excitement of watching
live-streamed games on Twitch: I like the fact that its live and I
can ask questions.
While Rubys friends love YouTube beauty videos, shes losing interest.
It used to be the first thing I did when I came home from school,
she says. One of the reasons she watches fewer videos is she finds
that success has made YouTubers less relatable. I used to like them
because they were living with their parents and now theyre modeling,
and writing books, and doing sponsored videos. I find it
really annoying.
One thing they do agree on is a dislike for shopping. Peter finds it

boring, Ruby finds it stressful, and theyd rather spend money on
music, games or technology than clothes.

R uby :
I spend most of my money on downloading music
Im saving up for a new phone
My favorite social network is Tumblr
The thing I care about most is the well-being of my

friends
P eter :
The gadget I cant live without is my PC
The thing I spend most of my money on is games
Im saving up for parts for my gaming PC
My favorite social network is Facebook
The thing I care about most is my bed
Peter Scheybeler, Ruby Scheybeler, photography by Angela Moore.

GENERATION Z 77
G E N E R AT I O N Z I C O N S
Activists, entrepreneurs and polymaths, Jazz Jennings, 14

Jazz has been a transgender activist for years. Shes been interviewed
these are the faces of generation Z. by ABC News Barbara Walters, co-wrote a childrens book, and uses her
YouTube channel to speak about the issues she cares about.
This summer shell appear on her own reality TV show on TLC
called All That Jazz.
Romeo and Brooklyn Beckham, 12 and 16

Paparazzi favorites for years, the Beckhams have now started modeling.
Romeo has appeared in Burberry campaigns, while older brother
Brooklyn models for Reserved, Polands leading fashion brand.
Its not all glamour though: last year Brooklyn got his first job,
working in a London coffee shop.
Tavi Gevinson, 18
After starting a distinctive style blog at age 11, Tavi became a regular
fixture at fashion week front rows. At 15 she launched Rookie, a smart,
funny online magazine for teenage girls, as likely to discuss feminism
and race as boy problems. Actress Lena Dunham and radio and TV
host Ira Glass are admirers. Tavi has also moved into acting, making an
acclaimed Broadway debut last year.
G E N E R ATI O N Z I CO N S GENERATION Z 78
Nick DAloisio, 19 Willow and Jaden Smith, 14 and 16

Four years ago Nick created Summly, an app that summarizes news The children of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, these two have a
stories; in 2013 he sold it to Yahoo for $30 million, making him one of the wider range of interests than most child stars: quantum physics, ancient
youngest self-made millionaires ever. But unlike college dropouts Mark texts, and states of higher consciousness. Full of creativity, they act,
Zuckerberg and Biz Stone, Nick wanted to continue his education, and is release albums and write. Willow explained, Therere no novels that I
studying computer science and philosophy at Oxford University. like to read so I write my own.
Malala Yousafzai, 17 Lorde, 18

The worlds most famous schoolgirl and youngest recipient of the A winner of two Grammys at 17 years old, Lorde shows such maturity
Nobel Peace Prize, Malala continues to fight for education for every through her music that she had to present her birth certificate to
child. She told the UN, The terrorists thought they would change my prove she really was a teenager. Her lyrics deal with friendship and
aims, and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this: alienation, mocking the lavish lifestyle presented in rap music that had
weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage no significance for a girl growing up in New Zealand. She uses Twitter to
was born. talk to her 3 million followers about body image and social issues.
Bella Thorne, 17
An actress, singer and model, Bella has just written her first young
adult novel about dyslexia, which mirrors her own life. She has 4 million
Instagram followers and works with a number of charities, including
Thirst Project, a youth activism project to bring safe drinking
water to Africa.
The Innovation Group is J. Walter Thompsons futurism, research and Contact:
innovation unit. It charts emerging and future global trends, consumer Lucie Greene
change, and innovation patternstranslating these into insight for brands. Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group
It offers a suite of consultancy services, including bespoke research, J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
presentations, co-branded reports and workshops. It is also active in lucie.greene@jwt.com
innovation, partnering with brands to activate future trends within their
framework and execute new products and concepts. It is led by Report author: Graeme Allister
Lucie Greene, Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group.
The Innovation Group is part of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, a platform

for global research, innovation and data analytics at J. Walter Thompson
Company, housing three key in-house practices: SONAR, Analytics and
the Innovation Group. SONAR is J. Walter Thompsons research unit that
develops and exploits new quantitative and qualitative research techniques
to understand cultures, brands and consumer motivation around the world.
It is led by Mark Truss, Worldwide Director of Brand Intelligence. Analytics
focuses on the innovative application of data and technology to inform and
inspire new marketing solutions. It offers a suite of bespoke analytics tools
and is led by Amy Avery, Head of Analytics, North America.

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GEN ER ATION Z

Like the badly behaved older child, millennials are getting

Generation Z are todays teenagers. And theyre full of surprises. Born

Unlike millennials, generation Zers have

GENERATION Z grown up in tough times and, if anything,

If millennials are content to use the internet to browse paparazzi shots

i-D magazines recent Activist Issue looked at generation Z: The

The caricature of a millennial is Hannah Horvath, Lena Dunhams

Generation Z is a remarkably mature generation. While the teenage

Connected and conscientious,

Theyre always online and they worry about that

They still watch TV but they favor YouTube

Theyre happy shopping online but they prefer shopping offline

Theyre preparing for the future but theyre concerned

For generation Z, books are electronic, music is downloaded, television

Online sharing experiences. Photography courtesy of Skype.

Theyre a mature generation and theyve

In 2014, for the first time the American Psychological Association

The main source of anxiety, according to our SONAR survey, is

Speaking to teenagers for this report, the issues they responded to

Feminism is an issue that resonates with this generation. 15-year-old

Generation Z has a real affinity for these issues: 82% of our

ASOS presents Colour Control ft Juce, 2014

Technology is an inspiration Sometimes I look up and its

and its a distraction

As 15-year-old Owen Lanahan from Portland, Oregon, explained to The

Sometimes I look up and its 3 a.m. and Im watching a video of a

Sophie, profiled on page 69, tells a similar story. I usually go to bed

Theres a certain cachet to posting on Instagram at 2 a.m. And the

Theyre not interested in fame and fortune

Community work with schools in Kenya by The Malala Fund.

Generation Z grew up in a society falling in

Food allergies became a multi-billion dollar industry, coffee went from a

Generation Z continues this love of food. Our panel of 12- to 19-year-olds

Burgers and shakes by Shake Shack. Photography by Evan Sung.

A big success story is Chipotle Mexican Grill, the fast-casual burrito

While Chipotle sales increased by 28% in 2014, McDonalds sales

The story of Chipotles meteoric rise is also the

Image above: Chipotle app for iPhone.

Fast-casual pizza restaurants becoming a new battleground, filling a gap

All images: Blaze Pizza, USA.

Generation Z is a generation of savers, but they

Its easy to assume that, as digital natives, theyre happiest shopping

Jesse Tron of the International Council of Shopping Centers explained:

For generation Z, shopping is about much more than the transaction.

Free People store, Fifth Avenue, New York City.

You cant buy anything from

Free People app

American malls have been dominated by European fast-fashion brands

Free People, the offshoot of millennial mainstay Urban Outfitters,

Primark, an Irish brand with a huge following among young people in

Images: Spring Break Forever campaign by Victoria's Secrets PINK, 2015.

Cheaper diffusion lines, targeted at younger consumers, have already

The athleisure trend of upmarket sport and yoga wear, already a

In 2015, Forever 21 launched an activewear range with Australian model

Image above: Forever 21 Activewear 2015 with Shanina Shaik.

More than anyone else, generation Z knows not

Cinematographer Matt Workman wrote a review of it: The traditional

Embrace Your Weirdness by Cara Delevingne on Twitter.

Gigi Hadid, winner of Model of the Year 2015 and described by

#CastMeMarc by Marc Jacobs, 2015.

Social media is also a way for brands to introduce themselves to

When asked about his appearances at Milan Fashion Week by The

Lucky Blue Smith at Roberto Cavalli FW15