“Generation Z” is said to be the first generation of “pure digital natives,” as they were born with high-speed internet, social media, and smartphones. In addition, they are identified with these other characteristics:
1. Hyperconnected and visualsince they communicate and consume content through screens.
2. Pragmatic and realistic. They have fewer expectations than “Millennials” and a greater capacity to adapt.
3. Diversity and inclusion. They accept and assume diversity of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and preferences of all kinds.
4. Mental health and well-being. They talk openly about anxiety, depression, therapy and personal experiences. They prioritize work-life balance.
5. Digital activists: They use social networks to organize, raise awareness and demand responsibility from brands, companies and authorities.
6. Self-taught and creative: They learn new skills through tutorials, seek secondary jobs in digital media.
7. More conscious consumers: they value the authenticity and social responsibility of brands. They prefer experiences over possessions.
8. They seek flexibility, teleworking, purpose and continuous development. They are less loyal to a single company and prioritize their personal growth. This characteristic has generated the stigma of the “glass generation.”
They are also identified as young people who postpone the transition to adulthood.
How much does the stereotype really reflect the diversity of realities, identities, characteristics and aspirations of young people in Mexico?
I share only some data that summarizes an upcoming analytical document of the Youth Alliance with Decent Work :
CONAPO estimates 33.4 million young people between 15 and 29 years old in 2025 (women: 49.6%). Half live in large cities and metropolitan areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants, but just over a third live in small rural and semi-urban towns (35%).
The perception of “digital natives” must be qualified, because although 90% of young people 18-24 currently use the Internet, only half use computers (51%). Of the cohort born between 2000 and 2010, only a third grew up in homes that had a computer and around half had the internet (INEGI. ENDUTIH 2024).
We must further clarify the issue of flexible work and other niceties that only belong to a very privileged segment, since more than a fifth, 7.4 million young people, are excluded from work (22%) and more than 10 million have precarious jobs, out of 15.4 million young people who work. Your options for jobs with purpose and for personal development are very limited.
It is also wrong to identify young people with university students. About half lack a high school diploma and more than 70% lack higher education.
Certainly most young people share some traits, but generalization does not help if diversity is omitted and inequalities are hidden. What is required are effective actions, from governments, companies, educational institutions and society in general to promote its full potential, which is certainly a lot.
