Role Models And How The Concept Changes By Generations

The concept of role models means different things for different people, and for different generations. For some, role models are simply people that inspire you to follow a path or they are people who you build your life around, for others, they are people you pick up little things from to make big changes in your life.

The concept changes for every generation, and while certain generations still model some of the things from previous or upcoming generations, there’s always an obvious divide. 

What Role Models Present As For Different Generations 

Take for instance, millennials, Most millennials view role models as people who motivate them to stick to a path that they have interests in, and their role models are largely people around them who follow a similar career path.

However, for the Gen Z, role models could be anyone. It could be a singer they loved who also had great grades in school, and built themselves up from nothing, it could be a doctor with an online following who documented their entire lives while in school, or it could be their favorite author who has made it into having their books become a Netflix series. 

The Differences Between How Gen Zs And Millennials Connect To Role Models. 

The major difference between both generations is how everything is documented on social media for Gen Zs, so it is easier for them to find a random source on the internet who is on the path that they see themselves going in, and easily make them their role models and with the world of “stanship” being more popular with this generation, it is easier for them to go from being “Stans”of a person to using them as their role models.

 A lot of people in fandom spaces dedicate their wins to artists they “stan” who motivated them to follow a path, and come out of it successfully, thereby viewing said artist as their role model.

Another notable difference in how role models are viewed and how the concept changes between generations is particularly the level of unfiltered access that people have with each generation, while with the older generation having too much access to people who can be viewed as role models was not the norm. 

With Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the world has become digitalized and people in every field or career path are encouraged to document their lives and their work, thereby creating a sort of connection between role models and the people they inspire. 

The one common thing between all generations is that there is a role model for almost every path in life you need inspiration for, and there is always someone who has set out on a path you are hesitant to take and whose journey can help motivate yours. 

In conclusion, the greatest difference in the concept across generations is the level of access people now have to their role models, compared to how it was in the past and as this generation continues to evolve, there are more things being created to increase that access. 

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