Gen Z's or Gen Zers (in context)

English translation: Generation Z, or generation Zs, or generation Z-ers

13:29 Jul 2, 2020
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Marketing - Advertising / Public Relations / US SPANISH
English term or phrase: Gen Z's or Gen Zers (in context)
Dear colleagues,

The very first sentence of a text I am proofing goes like this:

***Gen Z’s are known for being realists with an acute understanding of the issues facing our society and with the motivation and courage to lead the change.***

I believe, with a high degrees of confidence, that "Gen Zers" would be the correct option, since we are talking about the members of the generation, not about the generation itself.

Please confirm or set me straight if I am mistaken.
George Rabel
Local time: 11:56
Selected answer:Generation Z, or generation Zs, or generation Z-ers
Explanation:
This is easily confirmed by Googling. I'd say "Z-ers" rather than "Zers", which is a bit confusing. And UK English would say Zs, without an apostrophe.

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Note added at 45 mins (2020-07-02 14:15:11 GMT)
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You say "we are talking about the members of the generation, not about the generation itself." This is not a meaningful distinction - they're one and the same. A generation is a group of people .
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +2Generation Z
Abdullah Ahmad
4 +2Generation Z, or generation Zs, or generation Z-ers
philgoddard
Summary of reference entries provided
Zoomers
Sheri P
Zoomers use
Rebecca Reddin

Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
gen z's or gen zers (in context)
Generation Z


Explanation:
Generation Z (aka Gen Z, iGen, or centennials), refers to the generation that was born between 1996-2010.
http://https://www.businessinsider.com/generation-z
Generation Z is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha.


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Note added at 22 mins (2020-07-02 13:52:14 GMT)
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I confirm that you are right!

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Note added at 29 mins (2020-07-02 13:59:16 GMT)
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if you are taking about the people of this generation you should say (Gen Zers)

Ex:
Gen Zers are similar to Millennials in their comfort with using gender-neutral pronouns.

Reference:
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/on-the-cusp-of-adultho...




    https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far/
    Reference: http://https://www.businessinsider.com/generation-z
Abdullah Ahmad
Egypt
Local time: 17:56
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rocsana Guignaudeau: As it's mentioned in the Wikipedia explanation. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z
14 mins
  -> Thank you!

neutral  philgoddard: Your explanation seems to contradict your answer. You say "if you are taking about the people of this generation you should say Gen Zers", which I disagree with. Any of my three alternatives is acceptable.
21 mins
  -> Thank you! there is no contradiction, kindly notice that Gen is an abb. for Generation and (Generation Zers) is one of your alternatives, which is similar to my answer (Gen Zers) when we talk about the people or mmbrs of the generation (note to my answer)

neutral  Sheila Wilson: I see a contradiction. You confirm Asker's choice, which is "Gen Zers" -- which I disagree with. OTOH, your selected term is Generation Z -- fine by me.
1 hr
  -> yes I wrote the second note to correct that, and IMO (Generation Z and Gen Zers) both are correct and I explained the use of (Gen Zers) and i's written in this way on the ref web as below: Gen Zers are similar to Millennials in their comfort with ...etc

agree  Yvonne Gallagher: I would use Gen Z. Personally I don't like "Gen Zers" at all (with or without apostrophe) but I've seen it used a few times as in your link (though there it's clear what it's referring to)
1 day 39 mins
  -> Thank you very much!
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36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
gen z's or gen zers (in context)
Generation Z, or generation Zs, or generation Z-ers


Explanation:
This is easily confirmed by Googling. I'd say "Z-ers" rather than "Zers", which is a bit confusing. And UK English would say Zs, without an apostrophe.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 45 mins (2020-07-02 14:15:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You say "we are talking about the members of the generation, not about the generation itself." This is not a meaningful distinction - they're one and the same. A generation is a group of people .

philgoddard
United States
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Wilson: I can't see how "Zers" would work in British English as we'd need to be saying "zedders". For use as a plural, "Gen Zs" works better than "Gen Z", IMO
56 mins

agree  Tony M
2 hrs
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Reference comments


1 hr peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: Zoomers

Reference information:
Just putting this out there. My 17 y.o. daughter is a member of this generation, and I’m increasingly hearing “Zoomers” being used to describe them. I think it’s a combination of the Z from Generation Z plus the fact these kids are spending all their time on Zoom these days for online school, hanging with friends, etc.

Sheri P
United States
Native speaker of: English
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thank you for your contribution, Sheri. "Zoomer" would be a viable option. In my particular example, I would not use it right off the bat, but a little farther down the text after it has been established that we are not talking about general users of the Zoom app. CheerZ!


Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Tony M: More likely of course by association with 'boomers' = those of the 'baby boom' generation
13 mins
  -> Yes, yes, the association with ‘boomer’, too. ‘Zoomer’ is so appropriate because of all of these associations.
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
1 day 12 mins
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20 hrs peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Zoomers use

Reference information:
Generation Z is definitely in use, but I think we're seeing a sharp swerve towards referring to the people themselves as Zoomers, with a big boost in a recent American political event. I'm seeing it pop up fast in more and more places like LinkedIn business market analysis, National Geographic and a business name "Zoomers to Boomers", which is not determining in and of itself, but it's both an indicator and could create a wider impression in society.

Example sentence(s):
  • A zoomer is, in the newest use of the word, a member of Generation Z, the generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
  • Shout out to Zoomers. Y’all make me so proud. ☺️

    https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1274499021625794565
    https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-zoomer-gen-z
Rebecca Reddin
Spain
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
5 hrs
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