Social media and smartphones are causing an epidemic of mental illness and anxiety among Gen Z, according to some prominent thinkers - but are these sweeping claims backed by evidence? Maybe the answer is: it's complicated, and jumping to simplistic conclusions is at best useless and at worst, dangerous.In this episode, we talk about recent discussions about the work of psychologist Jonathan Haidt (often in collaboration with generational researcher Jean Twenge), who argue tech is wreaking havoc on young people. We talk about flaws in the arguments, discuss other factors that contribute to these trends, and try to reckon with the reality that in fact all of us have a lot to be anxious and depressed about. It's the phones; but also, it's really not.ResourcesThe Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt"The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?" in Nature by Candice Odgers"Inside the debate over The Anxious Generation" in Platformer by Zoë SchifferThe Ideas Industry by Dan DreznerDon't Think of an Elephant by George LakoffYour HostsFarrah Bostic is the founder and Head of Research & Strategy at The Difference Engine, a strategic insights consultancy. With over 20 years of experience turning audience insights into effective strategies for B2B and B2C companies, Farrah helps business leaders make big decisions across various industries. Learn more at thedifferenceengine.co and connect with Farrah on LinkedIn.Adam Pierno is an author, strategist, and managing director of brand strategy at Arizona State University. He is also the founder of Specific Branding and Research, where he helps brands understand customer habits and create effective growth strategies. With 25 years of experience, Adam has written two books on marketing. Discover more at adampierno.com and find Adam on LinkedIn.Stay ConnectedWebsite: inthedemopodcast.comLinkedIn: In the Demo PodcastNewsletter: inthedemo.substack.comSign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive content, episode highlights, and behind-the-scenes insights delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and cultural critic Anne Helen Petersen discusses evolving narratives around millennials and Gen Z, exploring generational identity shifts, nostalgia for pre-internet times, and societal burnout. They also touch on political polarization, productivity culture, and the impacts of technology on human connection.

Rebecca Jennings from Vox joins Farrah Bostic and Adam Pierno to challenge assumptions about TikTok, influencers, and generational divides. They discuss the impact of social media on society, the evolution of slang, the changing landscape of advertising agencies, navigating gender norms, and the charm of malls around the world.

The nostalgia and ownership that younger generations feel toward the music and culture of the 90s is fascinating. In this episode of In The Demo, Farrah and her guest Rob Harvilla, host of the 60 Songs that Explain the '90s podcast, explore why the decade holds such a powerful allure for those who never experienced it firsthand.They discuss what accounts for this cross-generational appeal, from the mythologizing of the 90s in media to the enduring impact of the era's defining genres and artists. And they discuss how technology and cultural shifts of the past 30 years shaped the way listeners discover, consume, and connect with music, and what this tells us about the nostalgia and identity in the digital age.Resources60 Songs that Explain the '90sNew York Times “Grunge: A Success Story”BandsplainThe Oregon TrailOur GuestRob Harvilla is the host of the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s and a senior staff writer at The Ringer; he's been a professional rock critic for 20-plus years with stops at the Village Voice, SPIN, Deadspin, and other alt-weeklies.Your HostsFarrah Bostic is the founder and Head of Research & Strategy at The Difference Engine, a strategic insights consultancy. With over 20 years of experience turning audience insights into effective strategies for B2B and B2C companies, Farrah helps business leaders make big decisions across various industries. Learn more at thedifferenceengine.co and connect with Farrah on LinkedIn.Adam Pierno is an author, strategist, and managing director of brand strategy at Arizona State University. He is also the founder of Specific Branding and Research, where he helps brands understand customer habits and create effective growth strategies. With 25 years of experience, Adam has written two books on marketing. Discover more at adampierno.com and find Adam on LinkedIn.Stay ConnectedWebsite: inthedemopodcast.comLinkedIn: In the Demo PodcastNewsletter: inthedemo.substack.comSign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive content, episode highlights, and behind-the-scenes insights delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing impatience with generational stereotyping has sparked a critical reexamination of how we categorize and analyze age cohorts. Despite Generation Alpha still being born, that won't stop consultants and pundits from making sweeping predictions about who they will be and laying out dubious prescriptions for how they should be raised. By scrutinizing the motives behind labeling Generation Alpha, the absurdity of predicting the traits of a generation that hasn't fully arrived becomes apparent.Farrah and Adam discuss the cyclical nature of generational myths, the societal anxieties they reveal, and the problematic values emerging from Gen Alpha's parents. The episode uncovers the financial and economic drivers behind generational analysis, challenging assumptions and highlighting the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the forces shaping our youth.Resources"The ABC of XYZ" by Mark McCrindleBusiness Insider: The oldest Gen Alphas can almost drive: Here's how millennials' kids will shop, work, and liveMorning Consult: A Brand's Guide to Gen AlphaYour HostsFarrah Bostic is the founder and Head of Research & Strategy at The Difference Engine, a strategic insights consultancy. With over 20 years of experience turning audience insights into effective strategies for B2B and B2C companies, Farrah helps business leaders make big decisions across various industries. Learn more at thedifferenceengine.co and connect with Farrah on LinkedIn.Adam Pierno is an author, strategist, and managing director of brand strategy at Arizona State University. He is also the founder of Specific Branding and Research, where he helps brands understand customer habits and create effective growth strategies. With 25 years of experience, Adam has written two books on marketing. Discover more at adampierno.com and find Adam on LinkedIn.Stay ConnectedWebsite: inthedemopodcast.comLinkedIn: In the Demo PodcastNewsletter: inthedemo.substack.comSign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive content, episode highlights, and behind-the-scenes insights delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The demographic cliff - a controversial idea that declining population growth will trigger economic disaster. But is it real or just sensationalized clickbait pushed by those with an agenda?Investment advisor Harry Dent popularized demographic cliff fears in the mid-2000s to sell his financial advice (and a book, of course). From there, it became a favored trope in education, where school administrators - from K-12 to college - worried about not having enough enrolled students. Recently, concerns have shifted to plummeting birth rates in South Korea, China, and Canada. But throughout history, similar narratives have repeatedly stoked moral panic about changing demographics - from Gen X’s alleged lack of work ethic to Millennials' supposed disinterest in homeownership and parenthood. Cutting through the hype, Farrah and Adam expose who gains from pushing demographic doomsday myths and why resisting these misleading narratives matters.Mentioned Resources:Harry Dent's book "The Demographic Cliff": https://www.amazon.com/Demographic-Cliff-Survive-Prosper-Deflation/dp/1591847273New York Times article on China's demographic challenges: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/business/china-birth-rate.htmlWhy Pew Research Center is no longer reporting on generations: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/22/how-pew-research-center-will-report-on-generations-moving-forward/New York Times Op Ed on the population of school-aged children dropping: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/14/opinion/declining-enrollment.htmlNational Post article on the Canadian birth rate drop off: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canadas-birth-rate-has-dropped-off-a-cliff-and-its-because-nobody-can-afford-housingFind us at www.inthedemopodcast.com where you can also sign up for our newsletter.You can also find us on twitter or instagram at @inthedemopod for updates and clips, and on LinkedIn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Millennials came of age to enter the workforce (which took nearly 15 years) the media was awash in headlines about how to cater to this powerful new generation. Today, the headlines have turned to Gen Z. Farrah and Adam go deeper than the headlines to reveal that the story is still about Millennials. Reminiscent of the treatment of Gen X, Gen Z is constantly compared to their elders, but worse, many writers and researchers are lumping Millennials and Gen Z together. Mentioned Resources: Email-gated landing page: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/content/genzmillennialsurvey.htmlResultant PDF: https://app.box.com/s/cl1f3v6tabsudujm6ej1ois9svuaxttyConnect with us!Our website: https://inthedemopodcast.com/On X: https://twitter.com/IntheDemoPodOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/in-the-demo-podcast/Our substack: https://inthedemo.substack.com/Rate & Review In the Demo on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeiHeartCohosted by Farrah Bostic and Adam Pierno. Edited by Allison Preisinger and AMP Studio, and produced by Ashley Derrington. Music by 0megaMan under the Creative Commons license. Our intro is voiced by Eliza, a robot created by Murf.ai.Why stories about groups matter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Farrah and Adam discuss the role and effectiveness of strategy in advertising, including how connected it needs to be to cultural trends, consumer insights, and business realities. And then - they take a deep dive into an article by Richard Huntington in WARC, "The Future of Strategy 2023: Marketing is in desperate need of a reality check" in which he agrees with our premise that generational segments are astrology for marketers - but uses this as a cudgel against all segmentations, which we don't care for, frankly.Also mentioned, Farrah's piece, "There's no such thing as insights".Connect with us!At our websiteOn ugh twitterOn LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletterRate & Review on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeiHeartCohosted by Farrah Bostic and Adam Pierno. Edited by Allison Preisinger and AMP Studio. Music by 0megaMan under the Creative Commons license. Our intro is voiced by Eliza, a robot created by Murf.ai.Why stories about groups matter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The best advertising reveals something you’ve thought for a long time about a product, service or its users (or yourself!) and presents in an unexpected way. Either for a laugh or some emotional response. Today, we’re seeing advertisers take broad stereotypes of generational segmentations and paste them directly into ads. The results are, um, not great. MENTIONED RESOURCES:2024 Lamb: The Generation Gap Coinbase: GenerationsJP Morgan Chase: Meet the JennifersTide - quiet timeThe Musings of an Opinionated Sod - Sorry, dear Rob Campbell, Farrah misattributed your blog title to Dave Trott!!! For shame! CONNECT WITH PODCAST:Our websiteOn ugh twitter On LinkedIn Subscribe to our newsletterRate & Review on Your Favorite Podcast Platform:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeiHeartCohosted by Farrah Bostic and Adam Pierno. Edited by Allison Preisinger and AMP Studio, and produced by Ashley Derrington. Music by 0megaMan under the Creative Commons license. Our intro is voiced by Eliza, a robot created by Murf.ai.Why stories about groups matter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Farrah commence a new season, and in the spirit of the new year, take a look at recent Millennial headlines and found that... nothing has changed, and nothing ever will.Links:Jodie Foster on Gen ZThe ironic reason Gen Z are ageing faster than millennials — MetroThe Plastic Surgery Trend Gen X, Millennials, & Gen Z All Agree On — The Zoe ReportHow you wear a scarf can reveal if you're Gen Z or Millennial — New York PostGen Z's throwback ‘chunky highlights’ hair trend makes millennials cringe: 'Don't do it!' — New York PostMillennials are ditching 'sad beige' interior design — Business InsiderGen Z Loves Watching TV With Closed Captions On, & Gen X Is Bewildered — Scary Mommy7 Bills Millennials and Gen Z Have That Boomers Didn't — GOBankingRatesThese 2 generations visit libraries at higher rates than any other generation — Deseret NewsGen Z workers say this emoji is the most NSFW — but boomers and millennials disagree — New York PostHow Gen Z and millennials want to work in 2024: ‘Lazy girl jobs,’ 'bare minimum Mondays' — and less — Fox BusinessMillennials have found a way to buy houses: Living with mom and dad — The Washington PostGen X is being ignored. Gen Xers say they like it that way. — Business InsiderOK Soda: The '90s Soft Drink for Gen X That Fell Flat — Mental FlossThe Year the Millennial Internet Died — WIREDCohosted by Farrah Bostic and Adam Pierno. Edited by Allison Preisinger and AMP Studio, and produced by Ashley Derrington. Music by 0megaMan under the Creative Commons license. Our intro is voiced by Eliza, a robot created by Murf.ai. Learn more and find supporting materials at inthedemopodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.