141
submitted 11 months ago by balderdash9@lemmy.zip to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Art3sian@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

I'm curious why you say the opposite is true?

Because it is true within the generational cohort. No disrespect, but I’m not looking at you and your mates. I’m looking at mass populations.

[-] fireweed@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

I think you misunderstood me. Let me try again.

I don't personally know many people who are Gen Z (I'm a Millennial, and most people I know are Millennials, Xers, or Boomers). So most of what I "know" of Zoomers comes from things I've read, either social media conversations like this one or news articles/thought pieces. The impression I've gleaned from those is that Zoomers are not frugal: they're Apple customers, chronic online shoppers (often for products like fast fashion that are individually cheap but quickly add up), and are spending big on experiences like travel and concerts. For example, another comment in the thread asserts that "[Zoomers] needlessly spend more money than their older generation counterparts [on technology because they replace rather than repair]."

Now I take these types of demographic assumptions with a grain of salt, especially having witnessed all the nonsense articles and conclusions made about my generation. However there is some logic behind the explanations I've heard for why Zoomers are spenders rather than savers. Such as, perhaps Zoomers are more focused on living (and spending) in the moment given their experience being deprived during their formative years that happened to fall during covid lockdowns. Perhaps Zoomers spend more frivolously because why bother save for a bleak future ("go ahead and splurge a little: it's not like you'll ever afford a house either way!" or "In the 21st century you can do everything 'right' and still easily end up failing, so why bother following the 'right' path?") Perhaps it's because we've created a world (at least in the US) where people are lonelier than ever and everything costs money: you can't even hang out at the mall for free anymore because the mall was torn down last year, so you either spend money at another "3rd space" like a coffee shop, or you try to fill an emotional hole by purchasing things to make being stuck at home all the time more bearable (especially if you're still living with your parents because you can't afford to move out). Perhaps it's because there's more addictive stuff to spend money on that's targeted at youth, like online streamers and pay-to-play games. Again I don't know if any of this is true, but IMO it at least passes the sniff test.

However your comment asserts the opposite of what I've heard, so I was curious where you got your info from, especially since it's presumably based in some kind of research if it was part of a work report. Did you survey Zoomers asking about their spending habits? Did you analyze credit card data? Etc.

[-] Art3sian@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

This is a tear-off summary of a much bigger report created from multiple peer reviewed sources over months. I think from memory, the Gen-Z content had the fewest peer reviewed sources attached to it as a) there hasn’t been as much study done on Gen-Z because if they’re age (half aren’t even adults yet), and b) most of the studies done are based on change culture and online habits.

Gen-Z as wasteful spenders is an age biased assumption. Research suggests that their learned experiences through GFC, COVID, geo-political inability, environment, and a post-COVID economy has hardened their resolve, much like WW1, the Great Depression, and WW2 did for their grandparents.

I mean shit could change. They’re only 26 at the oldest so their data is evolving.

[-] fireweed@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

That makes sense, thank you

this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
141 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Lemmy

26753 readers
1171 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Please don't post about US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS