From aura farming to Fanum tax: Defining 2025’s viral internet slang | Mashable

June 9, 2025June 8, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Each year, the internet births a new lexicon, one that’s as fast-moving and unpredictable as the online trends that fuel it. 2025 is no different, with a fresh crop of viral slang that’s quickly become shorthand for everything from viral moments to internet culture’s quirks.

More than words, these phrases are creative expressions of identity in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Whether you’re on TikTok, Twitch, or the latest meme loop, these are the terms that have dominated conversations among Gen Z and Gen Alpha this year.

How to Use Print Marketing to Reach Gen Z | Business

October 15, 2024October 14, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Just when marketers and small businesses have figured out how to market to millennials, a new demographic is capturing their attention.

Gen Z is a budding consumer powerhouse cohort that, according to NielsenIQ, is expected to reach $12 trillion in buying power by 2030. Gen Z is known for being digitally attuned and culturally diverse, and you can’t talk to them the same way you’d talk to other generations. We’ll examine Gen Z’s buying preferences and how businesses can use print media to attract these consumers.

What is Generation Z?

Generation Z, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, now includes individuals in their teens to mid-20s. Many of them have already entered the workforce or are pursuing higher education. According to the NielsenIQ data cited above, by 2030, Gen Z will comprise 30 percent of the global workforce.

Why Gen Z Should Be Your Small Business’s Next Big Focus | The Startup Magazine

April 17, 2024April 16, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re hoping to generate more customers within your business, it might help to take a step back and reevaluate it. For starters, what demographic are you targeting? Is there a certain age range? Well, if you’re not targeting Gen Z, then it might be time to move forward and do this! Now, a lot of businesses only see Gen Z as teenagers, but this generation started in 1997, so essentially, the older ones are in their late 20s, slowly creeping to their 30s.

They have just as much spending power as Millenials, so you’re only hurting your business if you’re not targeting them. But that’s not the only reason either; here’s exactly why Gen Z should be your small business’s next big focus and you should use effective Gen Z marketing!

YouTube Unveils New AI-Powered Music Ad Solutions | Small Biz Trends

May 4, 2023May 3, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In a strategic move to help small businesses capitalize on Gen Z’s engagement with music, YouTube has launched innovative AI-powered music ad solutions. As a small business owner, these tools can offer you an effective avenue to reach and connect with Gen Z audiences who are highly active on YouTube.

The announcement came on the heels of the Coachella music festival, one of the industry’s largest stages. YouTube serves as a hub for festival content, especially among Gen Z. The platform is flooded with videos ranging from performance highlights to outfit inspiration, vlogs, and more, making it a fertile ground for businesses targeting this age group.

YouTube’s new music ad solutions aim to get your brand in front of trending music, such as from festival headliner BLACKPINK. They will be available across devices and formats, including long-form, audio, and, in the near future, YouTube Shorts.

Gen Z top employees include big companies, not startups | Fast Company

August 19, 2022August 16, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When it comes to starting their professional lives, Gen Z probably has it harder than any living generation at the same stage in their career. In 2022, with the first of the Gen Z generation now graduating college, a young person today is facing inflation, a rapidly rising cost of living, and a potential looming recession.

Still, according to a study conducted by Glassdoor, Gen Z has a very clear picture of the jobs they want, the companies they want to work for, and the places they want to live.

‘They Don’t Know What Work Actually Means’: Manager Fired After Posting Rant Against Gen Z on Front Door | Entrepreneur

May 5, 2022May 3, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s long been joked about that boomers blame millennials and Gen Z for everything, including critiques on the younger generations’ work ethic and alleged inability to save and spend money responsibly.

But one Dollar Tree manager took the generational assumptions a little too far after posting a hiring notice that banned Gen Z hopefuls from applying, subsequently getting herself fired in the process.

The Dollar Tree in Bremen, Indiana has become the source of internet infamy after a photo made its rounds of a sign that was plastered to the front of the store.

I’m Gen Z, and I ditched my iPhone for the Light Phone II for a week

February 2, 2022February 1, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

My name is Jennimai, and I am addicted to my iPhone.

As a Gen Z-er, I can barely remember a time before smartphones. My first cell phone was a purple monster with a sliding screen. I traded it in for my first iPhone in 2013 and never looked back.

I do everything on my phone: text, FaceTime, mindlessly scroll for hours and hours. I can hardly imagine going even a day without touching my phone, and I have no interest in the resurgence of nostalgic tech the rest of my generation is so intrigued by. So, imagine how I felt when I turned off my beloved iPhone for a week.

Yes, dear reader, I tried not to use my iPhone for seven whole days. In its place, I used the Light Phone II, which launched in 2018 via Kickstarter after a successful run of the original Light Phone in 2015. Here’s how it went.

If you use this emoji, Gen Z will call you old | CNN

February 16, 2021February 14, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Bad news for people who frequently use the 😂 emoji: It is no longer cool.

In recent weeks, two internet-savvy generations have been clashing in videos and comments on TikTok over the hallmarks of millennial culture that are now deemed uncool by Gen Z. The list includes skinny jeans (Gen Z verdict: set them on fire), side parts (Gen Z verdict: middle part or bust) and perhaps most painful of all, the popular laughing crying emoji that some millennials, myself included, use hundreds of times a day, or more.

“What’s wrong with the laughing emoji[?],” one user asked in a TikTok comment. Another responded: “it’s so off.” On a different video of a woman saying she’s cut back on using it after learning kids don’t, one teen commented: “As a 15 year old I say you should use that emoji bc [because] we sure aren’t going to.”

Gen Z hasn’t completely lost trust in their Elders. Hollywood is another story | Fast Company

June 23, 2020June 22, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Say “OK boomer” to “OK boomer.”

Members of Gen Z trust their elders more than the police, the government, and even, yes, Hollywood.

A lot more than Hollywood, actually.

Morning Consult surveyed people ages 13-23 in April, May, and June and found that this demographic is losing faith in all major institutions in the United States. In June, 28% of Gen Z found older generations to be trustworthy versus, say, 13% in police and 10% in the U.S. government. Only 4% said the same of Hollywood.

Here’s a breakdown, based on how many of them said they trust various components of our society “a lot”:

A New Generation Of Zoomers | Getentrepreneurial.com

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Can’t stop confusing your Zoomers and millennials? When it comes to hiring, the differences matter. According to Pew Research, millennials were born between 1981 and 1996 which makes them 24 to 39 years old in 2020; Zoomers (or Zers or Generation Z) were born starting in 1997, so the oldest turn 23 this year. This all means your potential hiring pool will change as Gen Z is 24 percent of the global workforce this year, according to research by Manpower.

Although, you may think these successive generations aren’t all that different, their experiences, needs and actions are diverse enough to pay attention before you hire them. Here’s what you should know.