#gen-z

#gen-z

As a preteen, I couldn't resist the siren song of AIM, or AOL Instant Messenger. I'd hear that "door opening" noise or a message notification and rush to my computer, eager to see if the sign-on was my best friend or my boyfriend, both who were equally tethered to AIM at the time. (Naturally, all of our screen names usually contained the name of the person we were "dating" at the time ― NicksGirl4Eva88 was the height of romance in middle school in 2001.)

Gen Z is quietly rewriting the rules at work by letting AI take their meetings. An October study from Software Finder, a software discovery platform and database, found that three in ten survey respondents admitted to skipping a meeting, banking on AI to "have their back" by taking notes. The survey also found that 19% of full-time worker respondents use AI tools to automatically generate meeting notes. The strategy is paying off for some: According to the research, employees that use AI regularly to take meeting notes were 28% more likely to be promoted, compared to 15% otherwise, and earned nearly $20,000 more annually.

This year, cash ranked as the third-most-used payment method, behind credit and debit cards, according to the Federal Reserve Financial Service's 2025 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice. And Gen Zers are leading the charge in ditching paper for plastic. Results from a Cash App/Harris Poll survey released Thursday shows more than half of Gen Z only uses cash as a "last resort" when paying, and almost a third said people who pay with cash are either "out of touch" or "cringe."

Gen Z may be the most tech-savvy generation in the workforce, but when it comes to understanding their benefits, many are still lost in translation. Thirty-percent of Gen Z employees don't enroll in employee-paid benefits because they don't understand them, according to research from financial investment management and insurance company Principal Financial Group. Another 50% admit they use social media like TikTok and Instagram to learn about benefits - bypassing their HR and benefit leaders entirely.

"Nowadays, everyone gets so caught up in technique - 'oh, you had a deep plane, you had a SMAS,'" he said. "'But the main factor is actually the surgeon.' He said he's seen huge disparities in facelift results, for example, even if the procedure itself is the same."

While high premiums were the top complaint across all age groups, Gen Z respondents were more likely to point to poor customer service (15%) and claims handling (28%) as reasons for dissatisfaction. Some insurance companies outsource all of their customer service, which can lead to really poor alignment on communication between the insurance company, the customer service reps and the policyholders, said Sean Harper, CEO of Kin.

We're a team of problem solvers,

Members of Gen Z are often referred to as "digital natives." They were born and raised in the internet era and have been engaging with computers, tablets, smartphones, and other connected devices from an early age. In many ways, this gives Gen Z an advantage in today's increasingly digital working environments-but that isn't always the case. In fact, research has consistently shown that each generation has its own unique blind spots when it comes to safely navigating the digital realm.

We look at loneliness in the digital world, where everyone is connected but no one is connecting. From rising suicide levels to surveys showing how Gen Z is the loneliest generation ever, we look at the reasons behind this global sentiment. We ask: Is the digital world helping or hurting our ability to truly connect? What happened to communities that support their members? Presenter: Stefanie Dekker Guests: Larissa May Founder, #HALFTHESTORY Tracey Mark Psychiatrist and author

While it's not unusual for young people to work multiple jobs through college and early in their career, Gen Zers are stacking jobs on top of jobs as a way to DIY their own careers. (One Gen Zer, Carissa Ferguson, says she's earned more than $144,0000 selling voiceovers, content creation, and copywriting on Fiverr's platform.) Of those surveyed, 67% said that multiple streams of income were essential for a sense of financial security.

Driving the news: The suicide rate for U.S. adults aged 18-27 increased nearly 20% between 2014 and 2024, rising from 13.8 per 100,000 people to 16.4, per a new analysis of CDC data from Stateline, a nonprofit newsroom. That came as Gen Zers entered that age range and millennials left it, and was driven largely by Black and Hispanic men, especially in the South and Midwest.

This Halloween, horror fans will be invited to a live experience from Coca-Cola's Fanta, where they'll be spooked by iconic scary movie characters like Chucky and M3gan and challenged to navigate a series of escape rooms. The Haunted Fanta Factory, open nightly in New York from October 29 to 31, is the product of a Coca-Cola partnership with Hollywood studio Universal Pictures and its production partner Blumhouse. There will also be soda cans sporting movie characters, a limited flavor sold at AMC theaters,

"I see a lot of young people now-they're wanting to take the easy route without working so hard,"

Lea Veloso, 26, has an ever-growing ick list. If he spits on the ground, can't cook, lies about his height, identifies as apolitical or doesn't travel enough. If he's weird about other men wearing makeup (like, K-pop idols), says he wants a slightly autistic woman, has no skincare routine or only likes songs that got famous on TikTok. It's an ick if he doesn't call his parents, sniffs every five seconds, is an unsuccessful DJ or is embarrassed to do karaoke.

For years, Europe's big cities-Paris, Berlin, Barcelona-were the dream destinations for young people seeking opportunity, culture, and nightlife. But recently, a surprising shift has begun. More and more Gen Z Europeans are turning away from these bustling hubs and relocating to smaller, quieter towns often dismissed as "boring." This trend isn't about rejecting excitement altogether. Instead, it reflects a generational desire for balance: affordable living, community connection, and sustainability.

"I hate giving flowers because of how it makes me feel," Safe Elghorab admits while putting together a flower arrangement with his friends. His friends see this admission as an opening to unpack Safe's honest take. "How does it make you feel? Let's talk about it!" "Just always ask why," another friend, Chui, recommends, and soon, the men are unpacking why Safe "hates" giving flowers. "Why does it make you feel vulnerable?"

At many gas stations across the Midwest and South, Gen Zers have discovered "heavy" options on soda-fountain machines, where the syrup-to-water ratio is boosted for extra sweetness and flavor. The drinks are intentionally made stronger to withstand dilution from melting ice, allowing the soda to taste like it typically does as the ice melts. The hack appeals to those who purchase a single, large drink and keep adding ice and water throughout the day, effectively extending the life-and value-of each purchase.

You spy a dishy stranger across a bar. The attraction is instant. The urges are strong. What do you do? I assume that I'm being honeytrapped by a government organisation, because that would never happen to me. No, you take them back to yours. Or you would, except that you're gen Z, and as such you still live with your parents. Ah yes, nothing kills ardour like trying to sneak upstairs to a single bed in your childhood bedroom while your parents watch Newsnight.

The Drum Live 2025 is now in full swing - two days of debate and comment that bring our audience into the live workings of The Drum. In this live showdown of machine minds, we put four of the world's leading AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude) through their paces. Forget the research papers. How about testing AI's marketing capabilities live on stage? In this session at The Drum Live, we have four large language models battling it out, responding to a series of marketing prompts to see which could deliver the sharpest ideas with the least amount of jargon.

Snap Inc. (SNAP), the parent of Snapchat, came under pressure last week after Guggenheim analysts struck a cautious tone following their review of Q3 user growth. The stock has fallen 24% year-to-date, in stark contrast to Meta Platforms (META), which has climbed over 30%. I believe the market's skepticism is justified, as Snap still lacks clear, defensible competitive advantages to drive sustained growth and monetization.

First coined in 2021 by Demetri Kofinas, the host of the Hidden Forces podcast, "financial nihilism" is a trend that describes how Gen Z and even some younger millennials, who are profoundly disillusioned with the traditional financial system, believing it's unfair and unpredictable, are finding it pointless to save for retirement or invest in the stock market, or in bonds, or other conventional ways.

Picture this: A 22-year-old scrolls through TikTok, sees a viral "butter board" video, and within hours, they're recreating it at home. By week's end, they're searching for restaurants serving their own take on the trend. This isn't just casual browsing: it's the new reality of how an entire generation discovers, experiences, and shares food. Recent data reveals a staggering truth: 84% of Gen Z actively try social media food trends, fundamentally reshaping how restaurants must approach marketing, menu development, and customer engagement.