Managing Age Stereotype: Gen Z
I really want to know what was in the mind of the person or people who started this Gen Z, Millenials, and Baby Boomers trend just so we can know if the trend is truly helping them achieve their mission. As with trends, there will always be two sides to the coin, the good and the bad.
I’m here to talk about the good and the bad simultaneously, and my focus will be on Gen Z.
We(you and I) talk so much on social media about how gender stereotype is a big problem we have amongst other stereotypes that exists but did you know that we have taken up the duty to establish age stereotype in our generation? I know you will ask me how.
A stereotype is a fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing.
Everywhere you turn, there is always some event or attribute that is always linked to Gen Z, take, for instance, the Gen Z who left a job without informing his/her boss, do you know that there are other people who do not fall into the age bracket of a Gen Z and has done this and would still do this.
People are assertive at their workplace not because it is a stereotype for their age, but because it’s the ideal thing.
Age stereotype is defined as beliefs and expectations regarding a worker, based on his or her age -Source
Another Gen Z claim we make is that only GenZ know their way around the internet, which is obviously a lie but does Benson knows that? He has come to accept and believe that he can not use a computer because he is not a Gen Z, and that will bring us to the next question, how did we get here?
The truth here can be that Gen Z has access to information or resources but not all of them, and it’s definitely not because he or she is Gen Z. It’s simply because the person has exposure to people and resources and decided to make good use of the exposure.
I know I might sound like I have something against the trend, well I do, if we are going to keep on boxing people because of their age. Remember we are the ones standing up against societal stereotypes and demanding that our parents do the same.
What will be the fate of our children or of the younger generation, when they grow up to realize that we have created a much bigger stereotype for them in the name of following the trend?
On the other side, we are allowing the trend to help us create excuses for bad behaviors and we are gladly pinning it on Gen Z, did we forget that the so-called Gen Z is first human before the age? and as such is influenced by background, culture, education, etc.
So if he/she misbehaves, it is an expression of their personality and not because they had opportunities you did not get or the fact that they grew up with technology. Nobody came into the world rude and arrogant, something birthed it in us, and that is what should be held responsible, not our innocent age.
The assumption that all Gen Z tech-inclined is also a dangerous assumption, as it will make it impossible for those who did not have the privilege of tech to be able to own up and stand up for themselves because society has made them believe that everybody has it in their blood and they are a failure if they don’t have it in their blood.
It also makes it impossible for people who are willing to scale digital talents to do this, because we have assumed that every one of them is tech-inclined. I had a conversation with someone some months ago, that confirmed this.
The fact that an internet user is on TikTok does not mean they are tech-inclined — Annonymous.
It also doesn’t mean it’s only GenZ who are looking for instant gratification as we like to believe that shows up on social media, especially TikTok, we have older people doing the same and we also have people who are there for marketing purposes, but again, we have stereotyped it to Gen Zs.
As much as we claim we are on a journey of establishing inclusion for everyone, as it is, we will end up excluding a large number of people as well because of this and we are back to square one.
What Can We Do Differently
- Don’t define people based on their age. Their age has nothing to do with their personality.
- Don’t be quick to write people off, give them grace.
- Quit using your age as an excuse for bad behavior, we are wiser than that.
- Accommodate and provide feedback based on your expectation and not based on Twitter suggestions.
- Be open to accepting feedback, and don’t see it as an attack on your personality.
- Give people room to evolve and grow. Nobody figured it out in one day.
- Appreciate the generation diversity and leverage it. For instance, a 40-year-old man has something your startup may need- perspective, experience, network, and funding.
- Live and let others live
Lastly, Gen Z cannot replace you if you are providing value, so stop the unnecessary hate because your boss prefers the Gen Z interns' opinion, every generation can co-exist together. The beauty of living together in a society is not that we all have to be the same, but that even in our diversity, we can live together and make meaning out of life.
This piece was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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Cheers,
