2021 was the year of uncertainty. A year where young people questioned not what could be, but what would be.

What would happen to our future? What would happen to the world - would we return to the normal we grew up with, or would we slip in and out of the unprecedented states that all of the sudden seemed so normal? Would we have to be nostalgic of those times forever, or would we move on and move forward?

2022 was the year of possibility. A year where young people questioned not what would be, but what could be.

Could we not just survive, but could we thrive? Could we see one of our peers in Congress? Could we change from who we were to who we wanted to be? Could we be happier than we were last year? Could we accomplish what we set out to do?

2023 was the year of experience. A year where young people started experiencing what is.

What would it be like to start a new job? What will it be like to go out of our comfort zones? What will it be like to travel the world? What will it be like to grow up in this world?

2024 will be the year of discovery. A year where young people embrace the challenge of personal and professional growth.

As more and more young people take on their first jobs, move to new cities, make new friends, and entertain new types of decisions, Gen Z’ers will come face to face with the challenges that these experiences bring. But if we learned anything from 2023, it is that no matter how it may sometimes feel, the control of these situations is in our hands. As we become more cognizant of our relationship with technology, more aware of our relationships with those around us, and more ingrained into the fast-moving world that we have grown up alongside, Gen Z will begin to realize that it is the journey that sometimes matters most. In a digital world where outcomes are glamorized and idolized, Gen Z’ers will soon begin to value the process of discovery just as much as the outcome itself.

2024 will be the year young people realize more than ever the power they hold in the balance between consumer and culture. And it will be the brands that not only recognize this, but respect it, that will earn the loyalty of this elusive yet unwaveringly passionate generation.

-Andrew Roth

Founder and CEO, dcdx