Gen Z is often seen as "better" due to traits like strong digital literacy, entrepreneurial spirit, focus on mental health, and a demand for authenticity and purpose-driven work, challenging traditional norms with a pragmatic yet idealistic approach to careers and life, prioritizing flexibility and well-being alongside financial stability. They exhibit high adaptability, are health-conscious, and use technology to learn independently, driving innovation and social change.
The pros are that Gen Z is exceptional, creative and tech smart. We're much more diverse than previous generations and were kids when the first African American president was elected. We're great at multitasking and despite the stereotype, Gen Z actually does communicate well with others.
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and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
As you can probably already see, Gen Zers have some real strengths. They are pragmatic, they value relationships, and they love people no matter how different they are or how “shocking” their lifestyles might be.
Gen Z (born roughly 1997-2012) is known for being the first true digital natives, shaped by constant internet access, making them tech-savvy, visual, and adept at online social interaction, alongside traits like being diverse, pragmatic, socially conscious, focused on mental health, and having a strong entrepreneurial spirit and desire for authenticity, work-life balance, and social impact. They value inclusivity, are fiscally conservative, and are often characterized by their use of platforms like TikTok and a desire to create positive change.
Bae – Boyfriend or girlfriend.
The defining traits of Gen Z
Generation Z may be the most health-conscious generation in U.S. history. They prioritize healthy eating, regularly exercise, smoke and drink less than previous generations, and are more attentive to their mental health.
The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II Generation, is the demographic cohort of Americans following the Lost Generation and preceding the Silent Generation. This generation is generally defined as people born from 1901 to 1927.
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.
Resembles plewds, stylized sweat droplets used in comics and animation to show characters working hard or feeling stressed. May be used to represent various types of liquids, including sexual fluids. May also be used to represent various liquid-based slang expressions (e.g., drip, “exceptional style, swagger").
The sequence "🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥" means someone is enthusiastically talking about something amazing, excellent, or "lit," using the speaking heads to show they're voicing strong opinions and the fire emojis to emphasize how impressive, attractive, or exciting it is. It conveys intense approval or passion about a topic being discussed.
“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.
For Gen Z, the 😭 (Loudly Crying Face) emoji usually means something is overwhelmingly funny, cute, or heartwarming, signifying "crying with laughter" or extreme emotion, rather than actual sadness, often replacing older emojis like 😂 (Tears of Joy) or the skull emoji 💀 for laughter. It conveys intense, often positive, feelings that are so powerful they bring on tears, showing they are "dead" from laughing or being touched.
Gen Zers navigate technology effortlessly, can grow a social media following like no other, and (for the most part) have no struggles when it comes to conventional education. Intelligence comes in many shapes and forms, and like every generation before and after them, Gen Z has it in abundance.
The Gen Z stare is a generally pejorative phrase coined by social media users to describe a "blank stare that members of younger generations give in situations where a verbal response would be more common" or appropriate.
There's no single "toughest" generation, as each faces unique struggles, but Generation X (born 1965-1980) is often cited as the most stressed due to balancing work, family, and finances while facing economic uncertainty, yet they also show high resilience, while younger generations like Gen Z grapple with unprecedented housing costs and climate anxiety, making the definition of "tough" subjective and dependent on the specific challenges faced.
The term “Lost Generation” became associated with a group of writers and artists with whom Hemingway worked in Paris, France, during the early 1920s. However, the term also refers more broadly to all those who reached adulthood during World War I. In Europe, they have also been called “the generation of 1914.”
Baby boomers hold more than $85 trillion in assets, making them the richest generation by far. New research explores the extraordinary rise in their good fortunes — one that experts say successive generations will be hard-pressed to replicate.
Today's teens and young adults have a reputation for embracing physical activity, talking openly about mental health and scrolling through social media feeds filled with content from “wellness” gurus. Those habits have led some to dub Generation Z—those born between 1997 and 2012—the “healthiest generation.”
Boomers are the longest-living generation in history so far and increasing life expectancy makes it likely that they'll spend more time in retirement than their parents did, raising concerns about the ongoing viability of the Social Security system.
Some consider millennials to be one of the heaviest generations. In the U.K., researchers found at least seven in 10 people born in the millennial generations will be overweight or obese before they reach middle age. Baby boomers only faced rates of five in 10.
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 is the generation that never had to deal with dial-up internet or brick-shaped mobile phones. They have grown up with the knowledge that they can speak to anyone around the world at a moment's notice, and through assorted social media networks, that's what they've been doing for their entire lives.
Studies on generational differences suggest that Gen Z values respect but expresses it differently. Instead of respecting solely based on age or authority, they tend to respect individuals based on their actions, authenticity, and the value they bring. They respect experience, but they also value fairness.