Gen Z Effect

5

Shifting from Affluence to Influence

The past influences everything and dictates nothing.

—ADAM PHILLIPS

In this chapter we take on one of the most critical, and perhaps most controversial, Gen Z issues, the shift from affluence to influence. We’ll start by discussing the ways in which Gen Z is using hyperconnectivity to shift power toward networks and communities of influence, creating what we term elastic influence. Then we take a look at some previous work done on the way influence is exerted through psychologist Robert Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion. Our focus then shifts to the persuasive mechanisms used in marketing and how they are changing for Gen Z from “paid” media to “earned” media—and how earned media’s effectiveness ...