Some of us call them “Post-Millennials” but those who are under the
age of 14 would prefer another name to describe their generation. Jane Gould, SVP,
MTV Insights launched a study designed to find the perfect name for the next
generation of consumers – those born totally in the 21st century and
who are too young to be called Millennials.
“MTV is committed to giving youth a choice for voice,”
explained Jane, “When we began doing research on post-Millennials, none of the
names that we saw (e.g. Gen Z, iGen, Plurals, etc.) really summed up the
essence of what we were hearing from the kids themselves.” She continued, “After
holding in-person and virtual focus groups to brainstorm more than 500
potential names, we then launched a nationwide quantitative survey of more than
1,000 13 to 14-year-olds who ultimately chose The Founders as their top choice, and we think it’s spot on.”
What distinguishes this generation from other generations
is the level of diversity. Jane
explained, “People
of color will outnumber whites in The Founders cohort (2011 was first year
where less than 50% of babies born were white). They feel strongly that they
are ‘laying the foundation’ for a new future, by ushering in a new era of
openness and acceptance in terms of race, gender and sexuality.”
The
Founders
feel that they can build and consolidate the changes and disruptions brought on
by the previous two generations – Gen X and the Millennials. “Millennials were
dreamers, born from Boomer parents. The Founders
are pragmatic builders, born from pragmatic Gen Xer parents,” said Jane.
“This
next generation is self-aware and articulate and we wanted to give them the
power to name themselves,” explained Jane. So MTV started with nothing – no
presumptions, no labels and no expectations of the test results. “We just led
them through exercises,” Jane said, “I was overwhelmed by their creativity and
passion. I don’t think I could have done that when I was 13 years old.”
The
Founders
combine pragmatism with technological adeptness. Jane explained, “Almost all
were born after September 11, 2001 with the oldest born around the time YouTube
was created – so they’ve only known a world where anyone can achieve overnight
fame. They have grown up completely in the digital world. They’ve been swiping
screens since birth and their birth announcement was likely on social media. They
don’t know an unconnected world. For most of them, Facebook has been around for
their entire lives.”
One
of the concerns by the researchers was that the generation would define
themselves strictly by technology since that is such a pervasive force in their
lives. But those concerns were unwarranted. In fact, Jane noted that, “This
generation is inspired by where they sit in society and their need to bridge
gaps and connect generations. I was very impressed by them and by their
creativity.”
So
how will the generation impact the world when they are in charge? Jane is
hopeful, “The Founders were born into
a world of chaos. I believe that every generation has its counterpoints to
create an environment that is not like the previous generations. The Founders are looking to create a
positive environment. In many ways this next generation is very different from
those who came before them.”
Learn
more about The Founders in this MTV
video:
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