'pre-What Now Gen Z' vs 'post-What Now Gen Z'

Firstly, Gen Z as a categoriser is far, far too broad. Between 1997 and 2012 covers a very broad swathe of people who are fundamentally split by one product.

The iPhone (est 2007) - 18 years old.

What Now (est 1981) - 44 years old. Obituary in the works.

This is probably the most striking example to me of the destruction of the monoculture, the creation of microniches, and the unclear future of shared cultural touchpoints in New Zealand. Partly because this is our future. It'll be interesting to see how long vestigial reference points cling on in this new world. Perhaps a while, given the disproportionate spending power of their generational audiences.

Pre-What Now (1997-2005) Gen Z: Still raised on a shared, linear, broadcast monoculture touchstone. Even if they were also extremely online, there was still habitual television viewing — after school, Saturday morning cartoons, and on Sunday mornings, etc. The era of Sticky TV, Studio 2, the Erin Simpson Show (remember that?), and that McDonald's-Police Make It Click collab playing on loop.

The Nether Zone (2006-2007)

Gen Alpha-lite (2008-2012) Gen Z: It's worth noting that the kids who were 12 in 2020 were born in 2008. What else happened in 2020? This would be the era of the algorithm, the diffusion of culture online, identifying with niches becomes mainstream. The internet is no longer the sideshow but the main centre of gravity to which life orbits.

The pre-What Now cohort remembers monoculture and can engage on its terms (recall "gunging" without it seeming extremely weird in retrospect e.g.). The Gen Alpha-lite cohort might know about monoculture instinctually, but they never experienced it as something that they could relate to intimately. How intimate and inclusive that monoculture was to begin with is, of course, something that is highly questionable.

The closest cultural thing that I can think of, which Gen Alpha-lite would see as a monocultural icon, would be something like Fortnite or Roblox. But millennials (Doom, Club Penguin) and Gen Z (Minecraft and Moshi Monsters) had those too - those are games. In terms of passive content consumption, I can't think of the equivalent. There is of course an argument to be made that online gaming is a new form of media that is doing a lot more heavy lifting than games once did in people's lives and in culture.

Anyways I need to go buy an air fryer now. brb