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Welcome
346 Plays7 years ago
Dive into the lives, trends, and future with #GenZ, the podcast hosted by generational expert, Dr. Meghan Grace Each episode unpacks the cultural shifts, challenges, and triumphs shaping this dynamic generation.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Hashtag Gen Z'
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to Ashtag Gen Z. I'm your host, Megan Grace.
00:00:18
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Hashtag Gen Z is a podcast about, as you guessed it, Generation Z, the generation of young people born between 1995 and 2010. It's about who they are, what they believe in, why they do what they do, and what makes them different than any other generation. But who am I, and what makes me credible to be talking about Generation Z?
00:00:36
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Well, fun fact, I'm not a member of Generation Z. Just a boring old millennial. Yes, another millennial who started a podcast, but I'm a generational researcher and author. Me, I conduct research specifically on Generation Z with my research partner and co-author, Dr. Corey C. Miller, who you'll hear from later. I also read about just about anything that comes out about Generation Z. Thank you, Google Alerts.
00:00:58
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And I write about this topic, whether it be books, blogs, etc. Being able to do this work has allowed me to learn a lot about this awesome group of young people, and I like to call myself Generation Z's biggest advocate.
Inspiration Behind the Podcast
00:01:09
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With my work, I've also been lucky enough to start speaking about my research in Generation Z, and that's truly where my inspiration for this podcast came from.
00:01:17
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I've worked with a wide variety of people as a speaker and I get some incredible questions. Questions I would have never thought of. Questions I can't seem to fit into a keynote session or breakout session at a conference or Q&A session even that. Questions that I can't put a canned answer to and questions that need more exploration. And a lot of questions that need a voice beyond just the numbers of quantitative research
00:01:39
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Just saying this generation does this, or hates that, or loves this, or wants to do
Megan Grace's Millennial Background
00:01:44
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this. Beyond being a generational researcher and author, I'm a self-proclaimed walking, talking, millennial stereotype, and I'm proud of it. I'm a 90s kid through and through, raised on caprisons, the sound of it in sync, and growing up alongside the internet and social media. As an adult, I've spent more money on my education than I thought was possible, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
00:02:02
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I also had very involved parents growing up who were probably listening to this podcast, Hey Mom and Dad. Yes, I might have had helicopter parents, but hey, they were there for so many important aspects of my life and did everything they could to set me up for a future, even if that future meant a career in education, turning into a generational researcher, turning into an author, then turning into a podcast host. They've been around for the whole journey.
00:02:23
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As much as I'm proud of being millennial, my generation has experienced a lot of criticism to the point where I think most people are kind of sick of hearing about millennials.
Understanding Generation Z
00:02:31
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No offense, so am I. But not because we aren't awesome in our own way, but because there's this wonderful passionate group of young people in the next generation that deserves their time in the sun. So I think it's time to give them a little attention as well.
00:02:44
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However, just because a new generation is coming along does not mean it's time to criticize a new generation. How much good is criticizing a new generation going to do? I'll tell you one thing. Criticizing millennials about spending money on experiences instead of investing in houses didn't change their home buying habits.
00:03:00
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It didn't make them get married earlier or lower their student loan debt. With this new generation, we have the opportunity to learn about them, understand their perspectives, gain insights as to what makes them different, and utilize that information to work together effectively. So you're probably wondering, if this is a podcast about Generation Z, who exactly is Generation Z? Generation Z was born 1995 to 2010.
00:03:22
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There's some variability of the birth range depending on who you're talking to or what report you're reading or article you're referencing. However, there's no definitive group or authoritative voice as to what years mark the beginning and end of a generation. I've always used 1995 because it was the first date I ever saw in terms of a beginning birth year. But it's also the one I see most commonly used. You'll see other firms are using 1996, 1997, but typically it's anywhere between 1995 and 1997.
00:03:50
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Being born between 1995 to 2010 makes the oldest of generation Z 23 this year, and the youngest would be about eight years old. So the very oldest are just entering the workforce and the very youngest are in about second grade. They make up the entire youth and adolescent population and there are emerging young adults, meaning they're everywhere. They're in our K-12 schools, on college campuses, and they're entering the workplace. Some right out of high school, others are graduating from college.
00:04:16
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They're in our churches, on athletic teams and extracurricular activities, and in community organizations. They're some of your children, nieces, nephews, cousins, and grandchildren. And as you listen to this podcast, you'll probably start to see some of what I talk about in the Generation Z in your life. For me, I see these traits and behaviors in my teenage nephews, the students I work with, and the young professionals I interact with.
00:04:39
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If you're still listening, great. I hope you continue to do so.
Podcast Themes and Structure
00:04:43
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Each episode of this podcast will have a theme. These themes come from a variety of inspirations. Some are the questions that I've received from people over the years, some are observations I've personally had, and some are coming from research and other elements that are coming out in other media today. If you have questions about Generation Z that you'd like me to explore, please let me know. That's what this podcast is all about. It's continuing a conversation about generational research.
00:05:04
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Head over to my website, meganumgrace.com, and you can drop me a line. Let me know what questions you have and how am I able to cover that in the podcast. As each episode has a theme, every theme is going to be backed by research of some sort. Sorry, you can take the data nerd away from the analysis software, but you can't take the love of research-backed conversations out of the data nerd.
00:05:21
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So yes, there will be research in every episode, but fear not, it'll be research in a digestible way meant for dialogue. I feel it's incredibly important to have elements of research backing our discussion, because without it, we're making assumptions and generalizations about a group of people, which is kind of a no-no and definitely not cool.
00:05:39
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But more importantly, each theme and episode will have a Generation Z guest, and maybe some other guests that are not Generation Z but are pretty cool. As much as I love data, the kind of data I love the most is hearing about people's stories. I'm a qualitative researcher at heart, and so I want to hear about the experiences of other people.
00:05:54
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And I want to learn more about the stories of Generation Z. You can expect to hear from some incredible young voices on this podcast. If I mentioned how cool Generation Z is, if I haven't yet, get ready. And when we talk about research regarding Generation Z, wanting to engage in entrepreneurship and start their own businesses, we're going to talk to Generation Z entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses and have engaged in these sort of ventures. They're bringing to life this research and it's really cool to see their experiences become lived pieces of data.
00:06:24
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We'll also talk about pop culture and what's going on in society, as it might relate to Gen Z. The cool thing about generations is that they're shaped by what's going on in society and what's happening in the world. Meaning current events and societal happenings can and will have an impact on Gen Z's perspectives, outlooks, and behaviors. So understanding their response and how that's going to impact their behaviors and outlook down the road is an important element of this conversation.
Fostering Discussions on Gen Z
00:06:49
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And there's more and more research emerging about this generation. So the intention of this podcast is to continue that conversation. My co-author and research partner, Corey Similler, and I are able to write a book every now and then, but we can't keep up with how quickly research is coming out. And so that's why this podcast exists, is to continue that conversation and give a place for dialogue. This podcast is a place to understand research that is emerging and weave it together with the stories and voices of Generation Z.
00:07:16
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Something that I think we often miss when we're talking about generations is actually the voice of the people we're studying, sometimes criticizing. So why not have conversations with them and talk to them about their experiences and learn how both the data and the research from many perspectives is actually playing a role and playing out in their lives and experiences.
Engagement and Feedback
00:07:38
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Beyond understanding Generation Z and what makes them tick, we'll talk about differences among generations, the responsibility that older generations actually have in setting the tone for younger generations, and how we can utilize all of this information to work together.
00:07:54
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Thank you for tuning in to the first episode of hashtag Gen Z. I'm excited to start this journey in podcasting. I'm excited to have you along for the ride. Tune into episode two, where we'll chat more about my journey, becoming a generational researcher, how I got started in this work, and how we can kind of start to understand generations and
00:08:12
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kind of the theory and research that goes into really what generational research is. Sounds nerdy, but it's fun. My guest for episode two is Dr. Corey C. Miller, my co-author, research partner, mentor, professional life advice giver. I talk to Corey all the time and we're excited to be able to share more about our journey with Generation Z, how we started this research and where a lot of our inspiration comes from.
00:08:36
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In the meantime, I want your suggestions and feedback on topics. You can head over to meganmgrace.com and send me a message about questions you have and topics you'd like me to cover. And of course, if you want to hear more, which I hope you do, you can subscribe and stay up to date on new episodes and new content coming your way. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll chat soon.