Characteristics Analysis for the “MZ Generation” Using Text Mining Techniques: Implications for HR/Organization Fields

Abstract

This study is conducted to analyze the MZ generations characteristics as a key topic within the Korean society these days. To achieve this goal, this study explores the MZ generations characteristics by examining the previous studies including books, papers, and news articles. In addition, this study utilizes network analysis and text mining techniques to identify the main characteristics of the Millennial, or the “MZ” generation. Our analysis draws from a multiplicity of academic and journalistic literature including the Bigkinds database provided by the Korea Press Foundation, which creates a timeseries database from July 2019 to August 2021. The analytical results showed that ‘targeting’ and ‘communication’ were the outcomes of the co-currence network analysis, and five topics were suggested as significantly relevant for those born in this generation (1990’s). For text mining, when using the same methodology the keywords ‘youth’ and ‘justice’ were the results of this approach, as well as six topics which were deemed as significantly relevant. This study further visualizes the above analyses with word-clouds based on news articles from Korean and international sources such as personal social network services (instagram, Naver blog), foreign media(The Guardian), and international academic studies (100 papers). Based on our findings, this study suggests implications for HR/organization fields, particularly regarding the organizational justice theory. The theoretical and practical implications, as well as the limitations of the study are also discussed.