Technology-driven hybrid lifestyles: A comparative study of Generation Z in Lisbon and Oslo

Abstract

Neoliberalism, globalization, and technological change have intensified the multi-faceted phenomenon of hybridization in contemporary societies. While discourses often address hybridization from spatial, digital, cultural, and governance perspectives, its impact on everyday lives remains underexplored. This study fills that gap by developing a conceptual framework for hybrid lifestyles, defined as the interplay between hybrid living, working, and environmental care. Applying this framework to Generation Z (Gen Z), who face intersecting pressures of housing, work, and environmental responsibility in digital contexts, the study analyzes workshops in Lisbon and Oslo. The framework also informs future scenarios of hybrid lifestyles and their societal and urban implications. Findings show that while participants in both cities value flexibility and sustainability, local conditions shape hybrid lifestyles differently: in Lisbon, hybridization is a coping strategy amid precarity and fragmented policy; in Oslo, it is enabled by welfare and established digital and green infrastructures. The comparison reveals hybridization’s transformative potential but also its socio-spatial limitations. The findings highlight the need for context-sensitive urban policies that align digital and ecological transitions with the lived realities of younger generations.