Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Abstract
Throughout time, generational differences have been studied primarily through surveys and self-report measures. These methods capture what we think but tell us little about how generations communicate and express themselves. I conduct a different method of analysis in this study. Instead of asking generations what they think, I analyze how they naturally communicate. This is done by analyzing 4,972 Reddit posts across generation-specific subreddits: r/Over60 (Boomer), r/GenX, r/Millennials, and r/GenZ. No keywords are used in the collection, allowing for natural collection of topics occurring in the subreddits. The data is analyzed using five approaches: LDA topic modeling, VADER sentiment analysis, pronoun and slang usage, aspect-based sentiment analysis, and pronoun context window analysis. The reason this matters is simple: if people in charge of policy or management construct frameworks with faulty assumptions then they become ineffective in terms of reaching the current workforce. Misreading a generation’s language is equivalent to misreading the generation as a collective. Flawed assumptions act as a basis for ineffective interventions, as people try to correct problems that may not even exist.
Recommended Citation
McCloud, Andre, "From “I” to “We”: A Computational Analysis of Gen Z, Collective Identity, and Generational Discourse on Reddit" (2026). IPHS 484: Senior Seminar. Paper 44.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/dh_iphs_ss/44
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.