Gen Z is excited about authentic IRL experiences (music, travel, events), building real-world connections, creative self-expression (digital art, niche fandoms, "weirdness"), and stable, meaningful careers with work-life balance, all while embracing technology like AR/VR and prioritizing personal well-being, health, and financial prudence. They crave comfort in nostalgia but are also disrupting norms, valuing raw authenticity over polished perfection and seeking purpose in their work and consumption.
16 discussion topics to keep Gen Z engaged
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
The Gen Z stare is exactly what it sounds like: it's a term used to describe the vacant look a Gen Zer gives in response to a question or statement. The phrase has caught fire online and sparked conversation about why younger adults do this.
Social media is a huge trend for this generation. Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are, by far, the most frequently used platforms. One-quarter of Gen Zers spend five hours or more per day on TikTok. TikTok continues to soar in popularity among members of Generation Z (911% in 5 years).
Bae – Boyfriend or girlfriend.
The defining traits of Gen Z
Gen Z guys flirt in ways that might surprise older generations. Forget the overly rehearsed pickup lines—Gen Z guys are all about humor, memes, and casual compliments. Sliding into DMs with a funny meme or sharing a relatable TikTok is more common than trying to charm someone with a cliché. But it's not all jokes.
But despite being digital natives, Generation Z also values in-person interactions and recognizes the limits of virtual communications. Among children and teenagers of the 2010s, much leisure time is spent watching television, reading, social networking, watching YouTube videos, and playing games on smartphones.
On social media, millennials and Gen Xers have complained about the Gen Z stare in meetings with colleagues, in customer service interactions, and pretty much every social exchange in a public space.
The eggplant emoji is frequently combined with other emoji. When paired with the mouth emoji, it means oral sex. When paired with the peach emoji, (a butt or female genitalia), it means anal or vaginal sex. When next to the sweat droplets emoji, it means ejaculation.
“Can't lie” “Can't lie” falls under the same umbrella as slang terms like NGL (not gonna lie) and TBH (to be honest). The 🆑 emoji is perfect to use when you're trying to keep things unfiltered and brutally honest.
The upside-down face emoji 🙃 is basically code for “this is terrible” or FML. It's used when things aren't going well or the user is having a terrible day. This modern usage is an update to the millennial sense. For the older generation, this emoji often indicated sarcasm or even silliness.
For Gen Z, the 😭 (Loudly Crying Face) emoji usually means something is overwhelmingly funny, cute, or heartwarming, signifying "crying with laughter" or being emotionally moved, rather than actual sadness, often replacing the older 😂 emoji for intense amusement. It's used for exaggerated, positive reactions to things like relatable humor, adorable pets, or touching moments.
Social Issues
Gen Z is a pragmatic, socially conscious, and trend-focused generation born with information at their fingertips. They like engaging with brands and prefer brands that actively share info on social media.
In its LGBTQ identity breakdown, the report found 72% of Gen Z adults identified as straight, 15% as bisexual, 5% as gay or lesbian and 8% as something else.
Traditional labels—like "boyfriend" and "girlfriend"—often feel restrictive. Instead, Gen Z opts for flexible descriptors that better capture the complexity, fluidity, and nuance of modern relationships. From texting faux pas to boundary-setting buzzwords, these terms shape the new language of love.
Spoiler: it's not just about skincare or genes. From burnout and chronic stress, to digital fatigue, and the pressure to always be 'on'—it's mental health that's silently taking a toll. And no, this isn't to age-shame anyone—just an honest look at what's really going on beneath the surface.
But it does provide some rough guidelines as to how soon may be too soon to make long-term commitments and how long may be too long to stick with a relationship. Each of the three numbers—three, six, and nine—stands for the month that a different common stage of a relationship tends to end.
Bae. Meaning : Similar to the '90s slang word “boo,” a term of endearment meaning “baby” or “babe,” often used to refer to a boyfriend, girlfriend, or romantic partner. While “bae” became mainstream with Gen Z, it actually originated earlier, with usage traced back to the mid-2000s. Example: “I'm out with bae tonight.”
A growing number of Gen Z women choose older partners — not for financial gain, but for emotional maturity, stability, and better communication.
For Gen Z, many of these fears stem from a combination of things: economic uncertainty and financial insecurity, climate concerns, student debt, job market instability, social media, rapid change and an overall loss of hope and purpose.
Generation Z – also known as Gen Z, iGen or postmillennial – are a highly collaborative cohort that cares deeply about others and have a pragmatic attitude about how to address a set of inherited issues like climate change, according to research by Roberta Katz, a senior research scholar at Stanford's Center for ...
93% of Gen Zs take part in socialising involving competitive activities. With young men increasingly keen to try new activities such as VR gaming bars and social cricket; while more 'traditional' competitive activities like bowling and crazy golf have higher appeal to young women.