The New York Times surveyed members of Generation Z — roughly those born between 1995 and 2015 — to see what they wanted their generation to be called. “Generation Z” was not a very popular answer.
The Times states that they particularly targeted those aged 22 and under. However, people from the ages of 8 to 91 responded. The 91-year-old, Annette Benedict, suggested “Thumbies” to reflect the main finger people use on their phones. On the other hand, 8-year-old Mari Sobota said “girl power” should be the main characteristic of the generation.
Other responses were the popular Homeland Generation, Post-Millennials, and iGeneration. Many suggested Memelords and Memennials to refer to the generation’s obsession with memes. Additionally, proponents of Generation Fix-It and The Cleaner-Uppers believe that this generation will need to restore order to the chaos previous generations have brought. More cynical respondents coined The Last Generation and the Final Generation.
Four people chose the Delta Generation, the Times‘ favorite response. 22-year-old Kelsy Hillesheim explained, “Delta is used to denote change and uncertainty in mathematics and the sciences, and my generation was shaped by change and uncertainty…I do not have much memory of a sustained time of stability.”
The only common denominator? Only a minority of people actually liked the term “Generation Z.”
