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Are Gen Z’s Really Different than Millennials?

Y2kTheNewOldies

Y2kTheNewOldies

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Its a radio study on demos

Both kids had early-generation iPods, but the Millennial already had relationships with radio stations before the iPod showed up. She grew up in a world where the online experience started with a dial-up modem – and streaming video was a thing of the eventual future. Cable TV played a role in her choices: she was accustomed to settling for the least-objectionable alternative. Radio could gain her attention by adding a generationally-appropriate member to a morning show or as a nighttime host and trying to keep up with the songs she was obsessing about on her early iPod.

Gen Z’s are different animals. Broadband internet has been a constant. Cable TV was there, but they always had the option to pop in a DVD or select something “On Demand” – something more to their liking. iPods, Napster, YouTube and the torrent of DSP’s have meant that you could always listen to exactly the song you wanted to hear. Social media have steadily fueled the fire of telling them what’s new, what’s interesting. The atomization of the music business has meant that they can have direct relationships with artists they love – no radio-DJ middleman needed. No DJ has to tell them a favorite band is coming to town – the band already emailed them with a link to buy tickets.
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Millennials (particularly, older ones like me) are the last truly 20th-century generation. I know how to use the Yellow Pages (actually miss it sometimes). I wanted a bumper sticker for my favorite radio station. I still get excited when my favorite song comes on (knowing thousands of others are listening at the same time). And skipping commercials with a Tivo still feels magical— and a bit like "cheating."

My Gen Z cousin? She's 20 years younger than me.

The article is absolutely correct. Yeah, she listened to KIIS FM and MyFM from ages 10-13. Then she got a phone —with YouTube. Now she doesn't even know how to turn the radio on anymore. If she forgot her phone, she'd prefer to ride in silence for an hour than sit through a commercial. She's rather scroll TikToks than watch a TV show.

GenZ are the first truly 21st-century generation. Theirs' is a media landscape with no "mass" to it. Scattered and democratized — an individual experience, rather than a communal one. It feels lonely, but I'm biased by the century I was born in.

The change between Millenials and GenZ are HUGE. I have faaaaaaaar more in common with Xers and Boomers than the GenZ kids. Heck, I have more in common with my Silent Generation grandparents. That's not to say GenZ are wrong/bad. They are an indication of where media is going.
 
henry said:
Millennials (particularly, older ones like me) are the last truly 20th-century generation. I know how to use the Yellow Pages (actually miss it sometimes). I wanted a bumper sticker for my favorite radio station. I still get excited when my favorite song comes on (knowing thousands of others are listening at the same time). And skipping commercials with a Tivo still feels magical— and a bit like "cheating."

My Gen Z cousin? She's 20 years younger than me.

The article is absolutely correct. Yeah, she listened to KIIS FM and MyFM from ages 10-13. Then she got a phone —with YouTube. Now she doesn't even know how to turn the radio on anymore. If she forgot her phone, she'd prefer to ride in silence for an hour than sit through a commercial. She's rather scroll TikToks than watch a TV show.

GenZ are the first truly 21st-century generation. Theirs' is a media landscape with no "mass" to it. Scattered and democratized — an individual experience, rather than a communal one. It feels lonely, but I'm biased by the century I was born in.

The change between Millenials and GenZ are HUGE. I have faaaaaaaar more in common with Xers and Boomers than the GenZ kids. Heck, I have more in common with my Silent Generation grandparents. That's not to say GenZ are wrong/bad. They are an indication of where media is going.
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In Millennials case we were the last generation to see VH1, BET and MTV airing music videos on cable TV before the labels signed a broadcast contract on Vevo,YouTube and the music apps to watch Music videos.
 
There really should be a bridge generation between Gen X and Millennials. Those born between 78-85 should be a sub genre. I remember the MTV generation as a monicker in the late 80s that never seemed to take off.

There is a grey area of when the change happened. Some say Gen X ended in 80 some say 82 or even 84.
 

There is one called Xennials. Depending on whose doing the study. I heard of 1984-1986 seems to be used as a transition point between Xennials and Millennials.


It won't shock me if there is something similar between 1959-1965 where there is a transition between Boomers to Gen X.

I also understand there is a transition point between 1996-2001 over the transition between Millennials and Gen Z.

Then again the generation names are arbitrary and subjected to have different years depending on who is doing the survey.
 
henry said:
It feels lonely, but I'm biased by the century I was born in.
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I think it's all relative. For those of us who grew up before Instagram, TikTok and the like and were much more social and preferred to be out with our friends and spending time with others, if we stayed in on a Friday or Saturday night it could sometimes feel a bit lonely. For the younger generation, they're never alone. Even if they're by themselves, they just grab their smartphone and they have all the entertainment and interaction at least some of seem to need.
 
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RadioPatrol said:
There is one called Xennials. Depending on whose doing the study. I heard of 1984-1986 seems to be used as a transition point between Xennials and Millennials.
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Pete Buttigieg was born in 1982 and calls himself a Millennial, although I think he chose that term because during his presidential campaign he liked introducing himself a "Millennial Midwestern mayor".
 
Mikey Radio said:
I think it's all relative. For those of us who grew up before Instagram, TikTok and the like and were much more social and preferred to be out with our friends and spending time with others, if we stayed in on a Friday or Saturday night it could sometimes feel a bit lonely. For the younger generation, they're never alone. Even if they're by themselves, they just grab their smartphone and they have all the entertainment and interaction at least some of seem to need.
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I agree, the younger generation now is always on their smartphone.
 
Don CT said:
There really should be a bridge generation between Gen X and Millennials. Those born between 78-85 should be a sub genre. I remember the MTV generation as a monicker in the late 80s that never seemed to take off.

There is a grey area of when the change happened. Some say Gen X ended in 80 some say 82 or even 84.
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Yes the birth years between 1978-1985 would have to be this demographic where Iraq war vets and Afghanistan war vets have to be at their height. Note this demographic will include 1976-1986 in some cases on who is doing the study.

But then again I was born in an era where having VHS tapes was then a luxury, or having cable TV was a luxury in the same way some TV apps are today. FM radio was where trending music can be heard in the same way Spotify is today.

To a person in the core demos of Tik Tok they would see FM radio the same way Gen X and Millennials saw AM radio with all talk or only useful for all news in some areas.
 
Are we gonna focus on our differences, or get to experience our similarities? I've got grandchildren who love oldies and great-grandchildren who are tapping their feet to big band music. They like melody and are identifying with it - almost calling it their own - just because they were exposed to it. My children are baffled, but are accepting it.:sneaky:
 
RadioPatrol said:

There is one called Xennials. Depending on whose doing the study. I heard of 1984-1986 seems to be used as a transition point between Xennials and Millennials.


It won't shock me if there is something similar between 1959-1965 where there is a transition between Boomers to Gen X.

I also understand there is a transition point between 1996-2001 over the transition between Millennials and Gen Z.

Then again the generation names are arbitrary and subjected to have different years depending on who is doing the survey.
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I've heard about first wave and second wave boomers; the immediate post war generation who grew up in the 50s and 60s the later who grew up post-Beatles into the 70s.
 
trusty said:
Are we gonna focus on our differences, or get to experience our similarities? I've got grandchildren who love oldies and great-grandchildren who are tapping their feet to big band music. They like melody and are identifying with it - almost calling it their own - just because they were exposed to it. My children are baffled, but are accepting it.:sneaky:
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There are similarities and I agree with you on this.
 
RadioPatrol said:
It won't shock me if there is something similar between 1959-1965 where there is a transition between Boomers to Gen X.
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There is. It's called Generation Jones. I learned of it from a radio industry publication. Former President Obama is a Generation Joneser. They have different attitudes from Boomers. More skeptical and less optimistic than Boomers, among other things.
 
trusty said:
Are we gonna focus on our differences, or get to experience our similarities? I've got grandchildren who love oldies and great-grandchildren who are tapping their feet to big band music. They like melody and are identifying with it - almost calling it their own - just because they were exposed to it. My children are baffled, but are accepting it.:sneaky:
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The American pastime, since our inception, appears to be to focus on our differences. I don't like it, you don't like it, many people don't like it, but it seems to be the dominant part of our culture anymore. How to fix it?
 
boombox4 said:
The American pastime, since our inception, appears to be to focus on our differences. I don't like it, you don't like it, many people don't like it, but it seems to be the dominant part of our culture anymore. How to fix it?
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Get off the internet and meet in person is how you fix it.
 
There are many people with many experiences different than ours that many may lack the practical ability to meet in person. By contrast, we can “meet” some of those people via digital means.
 
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