Millennials are so last year.
As the generation that inspired countless thinkpieces eases out of the public eye, marketers are honing in on the next wave of consumers: Generation Z. These folks, born in 1995 or later, make up 25.9% of the United States' population, contribute $44 billion to the American economy and differ from their predecessors in a few key ways.
While millennials -- a.k.a. Generation Y -- grew up alongside the World Wide Web, Gen Z is growing up with social media. This shapes everything from their academics to after-school activities, with more than half of Gen Z using YouTube for research projects and a third collaborating with classmates and watching lessons online.
That said, not all social media is the same to Gen Z. As the average Facebook user gets older, more than 25% of 13- to 17-year-olds left the network in 2013.
Instead, Gen Z favors Snapchat, Whisper and Secret -- ephemeral and visually engaging platforms that cater to the youngsters' eight-second attention span.
Gen Z shares the entrepreneurial spirit of millennial innovators: About 72% of current high-schoolers want to own their own businesses, and 76% hope they can turn their hobbies into full-time jobs.
Check out everything you need to know about Gen Z below, in an infographic courtesy of Marketo.
