Gen Z, Explained

Reviews / Votes

"This study provides penetrating insight into how American and UK youth see the world-through their own words. By building 'appreciation for the challenges they [Gen Zers] face,' the volume encourages older readers to recognize the strengths of their progeny, particularly to appreciate the importance of navigating an increasingly digital world. No other book available brings readers into more intimate contact with Gen Z . For this reason alone it warrants a careful read." * Arts Fuse * "A textured and rich account. . . . Drawing on the notion that 'generation' reflects a shared experience and attitude, not simply shared birth dates, the authors argue that Generation Z is unique and significant, as it is the first generation to have always known the internet: 'only knowing the world with the possibility of endless information and infinite connectivity of the digital age.' This has greatly affected how Generation Z see their lives and values, bound together by a strong sense of connections and collaboration, and can be, the authors suggest, an example to older generations of how to live." * Church Times * "Paints an optimistic portrait of a much misunderstood generation that has never known a world without the internet." * Observer * "In Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age, university professors Katz, Ogilvie, Shaw, and Woodhead (hereafter KOS&W) try to understand the digital medium by studying the first generation-mine-never to know life without the internet." * First Things * "Katz et al point out that Gen Zers have had to navigate the new online reality without the guidance of their elders, and have created rich and hard-to-penetrate subcultures. What they mostly like to do, the book argues, is to collaborate in leaderless groups. They use digital tools to create shared documents, sync their calendars, write and read fan fiction, play games together. They use apps to organize lift-sharing, couch-surfing and political activism." * London Review of Books * "No mere parched social-science monograph, this is a lively and thought-provoking book." * Society * "This extraordinarily rich and empathetic account of Gen Z offers a groundbreaking understanding of this generation's habits and motivations without reducing them to the sum of their posts and tweets. This work excels in unpacking the subtle ways that identity formation and presentation of self are seamlessly interwoven with digital communication for Zoomers. Parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about our future as a society should read this deeply informed contribution to the research on Gen Z." -- Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive and Survive in Their Digital World "This book is [fire emoji] (an intimate and indispensable guide to the identities and belonging of postmillennials-and some surprising lessons for all of us). -- Richard A. Settersten, Jr., author of Living on the Edge: An American Generation's Journey Through the Twentieth Century "[The authors]describe a generation that has much to teach all of us about how to collaborate and thrive in the digital age. They remind us that Gen Z is the first generation connected to 8 billion people across the planet. They are learning to navigate 'the vast expansion of information and options on the internet to find like-minded people with whom to cluster and, through such exploration, discover, refine and create their own identities.'" * Forbes *