In 2014, we asked 60 young people around the world to show and tell us about their generation. We set them the challenge of photographing their lives and describing why the images are important to them and illuminating to us. The photographs and stories they produced are beautiful, inspiring, and informative – just like the best research should be. The Generation Edge photography project reinforces The Sound’s belief that Insight is Art.

1. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
GENERATION

2. THE SOUND 2
GEN EDGE EXHIBITION
BOOMERS, GENERATION X, AND MILLENNIALS
ARE ALL GLOBAL GENERATIONS with a distinct set
of values shaped by the world they grew up in. Boomers
are known for being idealistic change agents, and
Generation X are witheringly cynical individuals, while
Millennials are stressed out, irony obsessed, authenticity
seekers.
So what’s coming next? In 2013 and 2014, The Sound
spoke to today’s teens, parents, and academics to
understand the experiences, hopes, dreams, fears, and
values of the next youth generation. After a year of
research all around the world, we began to uncover
learnings that reveal a cohort very different to the
generations before them.
‣ They’ve grown up fast, and
they’ve been taught to be
critical thinkers.
‣ They are realistic and
resilient.
‣ They want to make a
difference to the world.
‣ They engage with the altern
ative and gravitate to rebels.
‣ They want
privacy, not infamy.
Coming of age in a
world on the edge of
collapse, they’ve
developed an edge to
survive.
Meet Generation Edge.

3. THE SOUND 3
GEN EDGE EXHIBITION
IN 2014 WE ASKED 60 YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
TO SHOW AND TELL US ABOUT THEIR GENERATION. We sent
them the challenge of photographing their lives and describing why
the image is important to them, and illuminating for us.
The photographs and stories they produced are beautiful, inspiring and
informative. Just like the best research should be.
The Generation Edge Photography Project reinforces The Sound’s belief that
insight is art.
Enjoy.

4. 4THE SOUND
Tara, 18, Vancouver
Untitled
The trees in this picture represent
anyone’s life. Many branches
going off in different directions;
Just depends which path you'll
take.

5. 5THE SOUND
Tara, 18, Vancouver
Untitled
Even on cloudy days things can be
beautiful. You just need to open
your eyes and look around you.

6. 6THE SOUND
June, 18, Vancouver
Untitled
I always like to keep my future full
of options so I leave it unplanned,
like a puzzle on a sidewalk.

7. 7THE SOUND
Chloe, 18, Toronto
Untitled
I often feel like I'm stuck
somewhere in between being a
child and an adult. When you're a
teenager you can get a part-time
job and save enough money to
go somewhere, but your school
will still call your parents when
you're 2 minutes late to class.
There are so many mixed
messages about what you should
be doing and how it should be
done. I would love to make
decisions without this idea that
being "too young" is a restriction.

8. 8THE SOUND
Chloe, 18, Toronto
Untitled
Pictures of cats, lattes, best friends,
street lights, sunsets. We're
noticing the simple things and
sharing how happy it makes us.

9. 9THE SOUND
Sarah, 19, Toronto
Queensway Park
This generation tends to be
labelled as technology-obsessed
and entitled. Without even an
understanding of the intricate
pros and cons to growing up in
this modern world, many are
quick to jump to conclusions.
Through this photo taken at a
common hangout place,
Queensway Park, I tried to
capture a very true, unbiased
moment of people in my life. I
hope this can bring some
understanding to the complexity
of each person that makes up
our generation.

10. 10THE SOUND
Sarah, 19, Toronto
Leah
Mirrors have become outdated –
with front-facing phone screens
we can find every imperfection
on our face, fix our hair, retouch
our makeup, and even take a
quick selfie. Taken early in the
morning, Leah checks herself out
in her phone screen. Funny
enough, the same technology
she is using to maintain her
appearance is used to Photoshop
unachievable beauty standards,
share these beauty standards,
stare at these beauty standards,
and swallow these beauty
standards.

11. 11THE SOUND
Sarah, 19, Toronto
Snap
A common occurrence in our
generation's classrooms, a
Snapchat selfie. Snapchat might
be the only platform where
photos aren't used to capture
moments, but to share them with
others. Therefore, when I took a
photo of two girls taking a
Snapchat photo, I eliminated its
"temporariness" and created a
permanence. I captured the
moment that had been meant
only for sharing.

12. 12THE SOUND
Sarah, 19, Toronto
Haircut
This photo features my friend,
Elizabeth. A bit after they had
gotten their hair cut, a teacher
had asked them if it was "a
statement." There seems to be a
constant search for a purpose in
our generation's actions. The
notion that we want to do
something just for the sake of
doing it doesn't seem to make
sense to others. Sometimes
nothing more than intuition is
purposeful enough.

13. Kevin, 18, Toronto
Exhaustion
We agonize over contemplating
choices that will affect our
education and future; it's
perfectly normal to feel
overwhelmed and need a break.
13THE SOUND

14. 14THE SOUND
Kevin, 18, Toronto
Commute
Public transit is my generation's
main means of transportation.
For the past 7 years, I have spent
10 hours a week commuting to
school.

15. 15THE SOUND
Jesus, 18, New York
Faceless Man
I took this photo in a
photography program from
school, this is definitely my
favorite picture because of the
creepy look. People always tell
me is a creepy photo but very
cool, that's why I love this photo
it's creepy and cool!

16. 16THE SOUND
Jesus, 18, New York
Scary Girl
This photo was taken during the
Halloween photo shoot, I just love
how this picture came up, a girl
in the middle of the road looking
so scary. This picture reminds me
of the old scary legends that
grandma used to tell me.

17. 17THE SOUND
Kayla, 17, Chicago
Zombie Bear
Making others afraid can be a
defense mechanism to one’s own
insecurities. My generation is
skilled in hiding our feelings and
pretending to be something we’re
not.

18. 18THE SOUND
Kayla, 17, Chicago
Fight Club
This is a depiction of the anger
that my generation feels. Waking
up with bruises and blood all
over you is like waking up five
years from now older and
uncertain.

19. 19THE SOUND
Mikayla, 18, Chicago
Hot Spots
I took this photo because I have a
strong appreciation for street art
and I am attracted to areas
where there is a lot of street art.
This photograph represents inner
city kids who are often
demonized in the mainstream
media. This photo embodies
them and how they are trying to
reach for the light and to be seen
in a positive way.

20. 20THE SOUND
Mikayla, 18, Chicago
House Dance
I love going to house style dance
battles because of the
contagious energy and positive
vibes. The whole room was filled
with excitement.

21. 21THE SOUND
Mikayla, 18, Chicago
Long Distance Relationships
My best friend from Illinois was
dating her boyfriend Zach who
lives in New York. After a few
months, they finally met face to
face.

22. 22THE SOUND
Ewan, 18, London
Absorbed
The internet's a sharp knife,
infinitely useful and infinitely
dangerous at the same time.

23. 23THE SOUND
Bernice, 18, London
Untitled
I took this picture to show how I
think everyone in the world have
similarities. The image is a
combination of three images in
which everyone is on the
move. Everyone has a place they
want to be in their lives. Just
remember that only you as an
individual can truly decide where
you want to go. That's what I like
the most about my generation,
we are strong headed individuals
who know what we want and how
to get it.

24. 24THE SOUND
Tami, 19, London
Magazine
As a teenage girl I often find
that I compare myself to
models in magazines; it’s
becoming a struggle for many
of my age, as portrayed here.

25. 25THE SOUND
Tami, 19, London
Alone
A lot of my generation sadly suffer
with mental illnesses, although a
person may appear happy, inside
their heads they feel alone.

26. 26THE SOUND
Anya, 18, Mumbai
Roaring Compassion
Competition doesn’t hold negative
connotations, as it’s everywhere.
We’re so accustomed to having to
fight for our rightful place that we
stopped looking at it as fighting.
There is a wonderful
amalgamation of compassion and
competition within us. The tiger
shows the strong determination,
but the white parts of the girl
prove that compassion cannot be
overruled by the generation’s
increasingly competitive nature.

27. 27THE SOUND
Anya, 18, Mumbai
Urban Emotions
We are the technology
generation. However, while we
may be the last to read actual
books rather than Kindles and E-
books, we might also have been
the last to play dress up and
‘house’. While technology has
imposed itself onto us, we still
hold onto our humanity through
it. This image shows the concrete
nature of technology slowly
becoming a part of the essence of
our humanity. However, our
generation got saved from getting
sucked into its grasp completely,
thus we still can be seen in its
vividness.

28. 28THE SOUND
Anya, 18, Mumbai
Intimate…Are We?
In today’s day and age, intimacy is
often brought down to the level
of social media. We’re so
comfortable sitting behind
computer screens and text
messages that we now have
become habituated to hiding
behind them when we’re afraid to
face any level of personal
connection. We communicate
with Snapchat, WhatsApp, and
Facebook so we can express our
emotions with emoticons and
end the conversation with the
infamous ‘k’. Friendships are
made, relationships ended,
secrets revealed - all through
keyboards and touch screens. So
does social media help us
connect across globes but
disconnect from the human
connection?

29. 29THE SOUND
Anya, 18, Mumbai
Quivering Tonsils
Rebellion. We have grown up in a
world with an increasing amount
of ambiguity in its morality. We
demand answers to the injustice
and try to challenge all bigotry.
We grew up to be accepting of all
kinds of people of all cultures,
sexual orientations, and religions.
I find pride in the fact that most
of my generation helps in wiping
out any racism, sexism, and
injustice, which have previously
challenged the human condition.
We’ve refused to carry out old
traditions of blind acceptance
and have chosen our own
decisions.

30. 30THE SOUND
Karthik, 19, Mumbai
Untitled
Free as a bird- sport unleashes
the child in you, even if you
already are one!

31. THE SOUND 31
GEN EDGE EXHIBITION
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