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Gen Z are the digital natives born between 1997 and 2012, which makes them the first generation not to remember a world without the internet. From a young age, tech became their digital babysitter.
Parents handed them devices that allowed them to drift from websites, apps, and social media feeds. Tech would help shape their worldview, and a permanent online connection became their standard expectation.
Gen Z thinks and behaves differently from the millennials preparing for middle age. Armed with a digital-first mindset, they expect personalized and inclusive brand experiences and will represent 27% of the workforce by 2025.
Join us as we explore the latest Gen Z trends in 2024 and learn more about how this generation rejects the status quo and aims to improve the world.
Key Takeaways
- Gen Z rejects email, preferring instant messaging for workplace communication.
- 65% of Gen Z identify themselves as video content creators.
- Digital natives seek work-life balance and flexibility in career choices.
- Gen Z uses retro tech as a rebellion against digital overload.
- Smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles dominate Gen Z tech ownership.
- Gen Z slang reflects concerns about the impact of excessive internet use.
Top 7 Gen Z Trends in Tech 2024
Do you need help understanding how Gen Z work?
These socially progressive dreamers can be found side-by-side texting or switching on their “Rizz” (charisma) or bringing “main character energy” when required, and they can see straight-through click-bait titles in their newsfeeds.
You are likely to see them on TikTok, where they make up 60% of the platform’s one billion users. But this is just scratching the surface of the generation that wants more than hybrid work.
They are driven by living a life on their terms. So, what are the big Gen Z trends in 2024?
7. Cold Regards, Lukewarm Regards: The Snarky Email Sign-Offs of Gen Z
One of the biggest struggles for Gen Z at work is how formal office life can be and their overreliance on old tools like email.
One survey revealed that 46% of younger workers saw organizations that only communicate via email were lagging behind with technology.
- Generation Z believes that the emails they send are only fully read and understood by the recipients 36% of the time.
- Even when they get responses, 62% also reported that it’s common not to get their questions answered in replies, making the entire process frustrating for all parties.
- When it comes to communication, they much prefer Slack, Microsoft Teams, or other instant messaging services over email.
They don’t hide their disdain for inauthentic email communication and often try to have fun with their sarcastic email sign-offs.
Some snarky examples of the rebellion against corporate culture are cold regards, lukewarm regards, and mean regards.
@ninetyeightla Bryant is a menace on gmail fr
6. Smartphones, Laptops & Consoles
These digital natives live up to their name, with 95% of Gen Zers owning a smartphone, 83% having a laptop, and 78% owning an internet-connected gaming console.
But make no mistake—this generation lives in a mobile-first world.
Gen Z’s tech dependency also drives the importance of digital authenticity to them, and they will avoid anyone who misrepresents themselves online.
5. From Quiet Quitting to Resenteeism
The evolution of “quiet quitting” into “resenteeism” underscores a significant shift in employee dissatisfaction among Gen Z workers.
While quiet quitting involved employees doing the bare minimum to reduce stress and avoid burnout, resenteeism reflects a deeper sense of entrapment and resentment.
Many also feel that there is an unrealistic expectation placed on them in the workplace to instinctively know how to use all things tech.
But there is no hiding from the mismatch between the tech they use in their lives and what is waiting for them in the office. This is why for Gen Z, walking into an office can feel like stepping back in time with legacy hardware such as telephones, photocopiers, printers, and scanners.
For Gen Z, the drive for work-life balance, remote work, and flexibility reflects their broader life priorities.
With 42% of Gen Z workers valuing these aspects when seeking employment, it’s clear that this generation is focused on maintaining strong connections with family and friends and achieving personal fulfillment outside of work.
This preference for flexibility also manifests in their career choices; they want the freedom to determine their career paths and switch directions to pursue lifelong learning and skill development.
4. 65% of Gen Z Describe Themselves as Video Content Creators
The YouTube Culture & Trends Report revealed that 89% of Gen Z are fans of someone or something. However, the most revealing of all was that 65% of Gen Z users described themselves as video content creators.
Gen Z is the generation that doesn’t just consume content. They create it. Fan content comes in many shapes and sizes, from reaction videos to costume recreations, and fans now spend more time with fan content than the source material.
When it comes to shopping for new tech, 82% believe short-form video content is one of the most influential factors when buying new gadgets.
71% of students also admitted that influencer content can persuade them to buy new tech.
3. Gen Z & Voice Messages
Last year, 7 billion voice messages were sent on WhatsApp every day. Gen Z started this trend, making it easier to deliver a long message without spraining your thumbs.
There are many benefits of audio messages for the sender, but for the receiver, it is more likely to be an annoying inconvenience when you have to stop everything you are doing to listen to a message.
2. Gen Z Love Digital Cameras
In 2019, Over 60% of Gen Z owned or used a digital camera, a trend steadily increasing six years later, proving it’s more than a passing fad.
From the retro appeal of Polaroid-style instant cameras bringing physical photographs back into the frame to high-end DSLRs for Instagram and YouTube, Gen Z plays a massive part in driving the popularity of digital cameras.
1. A Retro Revolution Against Digital Overload
A life surrounded by technology can feel stifling and cause many Gen Zers to look back at the 2000s as a time when life was so much simpler.
Carrying a Walkman with wired headphones and old-school flip phones or listening to Vinyl records are just a few ways that Gen Z rebels against big tech.
Despite being raised on an always-online connection, many yearn to live in the moment rather than record it and go off the grid.
After all, anyone who is truly living their best life is not posting it on social media, keeping a low profile.
‘No Cap’: An Honest Look at Gen Z’s Online Language
If you hear a group of Gen Z talking in the office, you could be forgiven for thinking they have their own language.
Here are a few of the most popular Gen Z slang words and phrases that you are likely to hear.
| Slang Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Brainrot | The perceived negative impact of excessive social media and internet use on cognitive abilities and attention span |
| Doom Spending | Spending money on immediate gratification rather than saving, often as a stress coping mechanism |
| Terminally Online | Someone who spends an excessive amount of time on the internet, often disconnected from real-world interactions |
| Touch Grass | Encouragement to disconnect from the internet and engage with the real world |
| Chronically Online | Similar to “terminally online,” describing someone who is constantly engaged with internet culture |
| Doom Scrolling | The habit of continually scrolling through negative news or social media content, despite the negative impact on mental health |
| Main Character Syndrome/Energy | The tendency to view oneself as the central figure in all situations, often fueled by social media |
| Parasocial relationship | A one-sided relationship where a person feels a close connection to a celebrity or influencer they’ve never met |
| Finsta | A secondary, more private Instagram account used to share content with close friends only |
| Ratio | When replies to a post significantly outnumber likes, usually indicating disagreement |
| L+ Ratio | Used to mock someone’s opinion or post, combining “L” (loss) with getting ratio’d |
| Receipts | Screenshots or saved messages used as proof in online arguments |
| Ghosting | Suddenly cutting off all communication with someone without any explanation, often in dating contexts |
| Cap/No Cap | “Cap” means a lie, and “No Cap” means no lie, often used to express the truthfulness of a statement |
| Stan | A superfan of something or someone, often engaging heavily with related content online |
| Clout | Refers to influence or popularity, often in the context of social media presence |
Who Are Gen Z?
They’re the second-youngest generation, between Millennials approaching middle age and Generation Alpha, who are waiting in the wings.
The Bottom Line
Gen Z is on course to become the best-educated and most diverse generation and is also more socially aware.
They are more united politically and can see through clickbait articles and the age-old trap of choosing the color associated with a political party and supporting them for the rest of their life like a sports team.
Whereas previous generations often used technology to escape their mundane lives, Gen Z is trying to escape technology so they can live their best lives.
It’s too early to tell if this golden generation will live up to its promise of being the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). But they are on the right track. No Cap.
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References
- Gen Z and Gen Alpha Infographic Update – McCrindle (Mccrindle.com)
- McCrindle | Meet Gen Z 🙋 Born 1995-2009 they make up 23% of the global population and are growing in workforce participation. Raised around the… | Instagram (Instagram)
- TikTok Statistics – Everything You Need to Know [May 2024 Update] (Wallaroomedia)
- Swap email for Slack: How to save employees 11 hours a week | Slack (Slack)
- Bryant is a menace on gmail fr | TikTok (Tiktok)
- Gen Z and tech dependency: How the youngest generation interacts differently with the digital world – Jason Dorsey (Jasondorsey)
- What Is Resenteeism? (Money.usnews)
- CNBC|SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey April 2024 (Surveymonkey)
- YouTube Culture & Trends Report 2024 (Media.licdn)
- Tech it to the next level with Gen Z (Genzinsights)
- Chart: More than 60% Owns or Uses Digital Cameras | Statista (Statista)
- Digital Cameras – Worldwide | Statista Market Forecast (Statista)
- Age Range by Generation (Beresfordresearch)
- What We Know About Gen Z So Far | Pew Research Center (Pewresearch)
- 7 Ways Gen Z is The Most Diverse Generation (Indiviti)
