Millennials and Gen Z in Media and Popular Culture disrupts common narratives about these generations to present complex portrayals that touch on every aspect of their lives. Chapters delve in depth about millennials’ and Gen Z’s diverse experiences and desires regarding (inter)generational relationships, technology usage, political and social movements, entertainment, work experiences, and nostalgia and remixed media, with critique about agency, authenticity, empowerment, and Instagramability. Populated with examples of affluence and everyday consumption, Millennials and Gen Z in Media and Popular Culture offers insights into the influencers of the future.

Patrice M. Buzzanell, University of South Florida

“Millennials and Gen Z in Media and Popular Culture is an innovative collection that centers generational experience with media. Ahmet Atay and Mary Z. Ashlock brought together an impressive collection of essays that examine not only how millennials and Gen Z are represented in the media, but also how they create and engage with media. By demonstrating the importance of studying mediated experiences of these generations, the collection does great service to the fields of media studies and popular culture.”

Marina Levina, University of Memphis, author of Pandemics and the Media

In their latest collaboration, Millennials and Gen Z in Media and Popular Culture, editors Ahmet Atay and Mary Z. Ashlock offer a collection of nine chapters of original research by scholars ranging from full professors to emerging scholars in graduate school. Having studied Millennials in past years, their inclusion of Gen Z as a demographic focus complicates their research but also extends its value for scholars interested in cultural study through the tool of generational logics….[T]he scholars who contribute work to this collection share a desire not only to justify the study of these younger generations but also to use that scholarship to qualify, even to counter, some of the more negative stereotypes that have dominated popular press discussions of Millennials and Gen Z.

Communication Research Trends