"Gen Z: The Age of the Curator"

The past few days I have been watching the O'Reilly Web 2.0 Summit 2010 videos on YouTube.  I have seen many videos and heard about many new ideas that have sparked my interest and made me excited about the future. 

Many of the videos caught my attention, but one did in particular.   Katherine Savitt presented a topic called "Gen Z:  The Age of the Curator."  This is the first I have heard about the newest generation born from 1992-2010.  Miss Savitt mentioned numerous figures, all of which were intriguing, but the most thought-provoking ideas appeared when she mentioned the three behaviors of this generation:  share, express, and consume.

Personally, I enjoy sharing interesting and relevant information on Facebook and through email, but Gen Z seems to be even more share-oriented.  This has great implications for marketers.  The best (or the worst) ideas will be shared online, while everything else will be left behind.  This generation also enjoys creating their own works and these amateur productions can have more influence than million-dollar marketing campaign.  Traditional marketing is still very important, but these truths must be remembered when developing a new marketing campaign.

Gen Z's tendency to express their true opinions also will affect future marketing.  Miss Savitt mentions that there is no hiding from this generation and if any product or service is not up to quality, this generation will let people know.  If Gen Zers enjoy a brand, the amount of exposure could be more than any marketing campaign could provide.  This generation's ability to consume information also will have a large impact on marketing.  Consumers tend to listen to their peers, and especially with this generation.  Making a product or service that Gen Zers will consume and enjoy, and thus share, will be the key to succeeding in the near future. 

Aaron Roecker