Everything you need to know about Gen Z and Millennial research and marketing, at your fingertips.

“[Celebrity] can mean anything nowadays and it's a rather diluted term; from YouTube star, to someone on Instagram with millions of followers, to reality TV dopes, etc.”—Male, 30, WI

For any Gen Xers complaining about Millennial employees…it turns out your generation was described with just as much venom when entering the workforce. Comparing thoughtpieces on Xers from the ‘90s and 2000s to today’s generational mentions reveals some striking similarities. Xers were chastised for their entitlement, laziness, Chasing Neverland mentalities, and new expectations of the workplace like flexible hours. Sound familiar? One difference is that so-called latchkey kids were given credit for their entrepreneurial attitudes while Millennials tend to be derided for their inability to do just about anything for themselves. (Quartz)

To alleviate some of that inter-generational workplace friction, older executives are pairing up with young employees to “get ‘hip with what the kids are doing these days.’” Reverse mentorship programs are gaining in popularity at major companies, including the likes of Mars Inc., Mastercard, and Cisco Systems. Millennials aren’t just teaching tech basics (think Snapchat 101), but also covering topics like those you might find in Ypulse’s Millennial Employee Handbook. Participants are also building relationships that cut across organizational hierarchies and help dispel some of the above-mentioned Millennial stereotypes. (NYTimes)

Facebook just bought tbh, the surprisingly nice anonymous app that recently went viral with teen users. The platform allows teens to vote for their classmates in anonymous polls, and they’re required to play nice (think “best smile” or “best party planner”). This appeal to positivity sets tbh apart from the Sarahahs and Yik Yaks of the app store. The purchase by Facebook will add “to the arsenal it’s deploying against Snapchat,” which Ypulse has found is neck-and-neck with Instagram among teens. (Business Insider)

Black Friday is coming up, but retailers may want to rethink their strategies for young consumers. The shopping holiday “is morphing into Black November,” as shoppers feel less compelled to compete for deals in-store, and spread their spending throughout the month—including the increasingly popular Cyber Monday. (Which we reported on last year.) Natural Insight found that 45% of Black Friday shoppers are 18-29-years-old, but they’re also the least likely demo to do the majority of their shopping on that day. (RetailDIVE, Forbes)

Facebook is determined to make VR go mainstream, now by bringing cheaper options to the masses. The new Oculus Go won’t break the bank like the Oculus Rift, and a third headset, the Santa Cruz, will provide another price point for virtual reality access. More affordable headsets are a part of Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plan to get one billion people in VR gear in seven years. So far, augmented reality has stolen the spotlight from virtual tech (which we predicted). One billion seems unrealistic, but this is coming from the guy that co-founded Facebook—so who knows. (Recode)

“My generation feels entitled and is less willing to put in hard work to get the results they want.”—Female, 17, VA