ZCON, a conference held solely for the Gen Z population, was held on Oct. 24 to 25 in New York City. Organized by United Talent Agency (UTA), the conference was held with the intention of allowing Gen Z panelists to use their voices and discuss what is on the minds of the younger generation, showcasing what they can offer to the business world.
UTA explained that they wanted ZCON to be a space for attendees to “better understand young people, so they can meaningfully show up for Gen Z.”
At the conference, social media influencers, social activists, actors and business entrepreneurs alike discussed what is important to them as a collective generation and how they plan to use their platforms and voices for positive change.
It is really interesting to hear from these influencers and see how they intend to use their voice as more than just posting videos lip-syncing to trendy songs.
Each of the events held at ZCON targeted different areas of Gen Z interests. One event hosted a panel from rising Hollywood stars such as Avantika from 2024’s “Mean Girls” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” actor David Iacono, discussing how the New York City community has helped them to find inspiration and grow their careers. Another discussed how Gen Z is defining beauty and breaking past traditionally held standards of beauty. The two-day long conference had a wide variety of events for attendees to listen in on, ranging from “Are you smarter than a Gen Zer” game held by Spotify, to TED-Talk style keynote speeches from Gen-Z’s most accomplished leaders.
I think a conference catered towards the interests and endeavors of Gen Z is a really cool concept. For a long time, Gen Z influencers and entrepreneurs have not been taken very seriously because of their age, and this conference is a great opportunity for these creators and activists to show what they have been working on and how their voices can be just as powerful as older generations.
I am a big advocate for content creators using the platforms they created to make a difference in some way, big or small, and it is really interesting to hear from these influencers and see how they intend to use their voice as more than just posting videos lip-syncing to trendy songs.
I think ZCON is an innovative way for Gen Z to put their heads together to use the endless tools provided to us to become the change we want to see in the world, and I hope it inspires other members of Gen Z to do the same.
mkane10@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @zcon.xyz, Instagram
