Generation Z finds the upside to growing up amid total disruption

Eric Dew is part of a cohort that has grown up during mass disruption. The post-millennial generation best known as Gen Z—individuals now in their teens and early 20s—looked on as their parents lost jobs during the Great Recession. They’ve seen older millennial siblings drown in student debt. Since they could eat solid food, they’ve watched one promising technology displace another, and, along with older generations, have questioned everything from the gig economy to the state of democracy. Now they’re entering adult-hood with a willingness to experiment.

“The old systems we used to rely on aren’t working anymore, but new systems haven’t necessarily been put in place,” says Melissa Lavigne-Delville, founder of the trends and research firm Culture Co-op, which specializes in generational attitudes. “Parents aren’t even sure about how to direct their children, because too much is up in the air.”

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