From isolation to aspiration. In this week’s Our Take, we do a deep dive into Gen Z as new research reveals them to be power-hungry party people, which seems at odds with the latest Gen Z trend of bed-rotting. And Ireland is named EU’s loneliest country, especially among 18-34 year olds. That’s Gen Z again. Confusing bunch, but we’re keeping an eye on them.
In other news – Smoothie King is giving Fifty Shades of Gray a run for its money, and we’re thirsty for it. Check it all out below!
Gen Z are entering POWER MODE
A recent BCW Movatory study states that Gen Z values power, achievement, hedonism and stimulation more than other generations. It claims that 44% of Gen Z feel it’s crucial to be successful and have people recognise their accomplishments, compared to 37% of millennials, and 23% of Gen X.
We’re not surprised. Gen Z have been immersed in digital technology since birth and what comes with this? An expectation to be immediately praised when posting online and a constant feed of other people thriving in their own lives. Combine these and you have a generation hyper-focused on bossing it in life. We see you creative director of the local coffee shop in Roscommon.
However, for a generation so focused on money and career they’re not afraid to grab life by the b**ls. 43% of Gen Z feel it is essential to “do things that can give them pleasure” and “seek every chance they can to have fun”. In contrast, only 38% of millennials and 27% of Gen X feel the same way.
Check out more of the research here.
Gen Z are staying in bed
If 44% of Gen Z are power-hungry party people, what are the other 56% up to? This week a new trend has them climbing right back into bed, scrolling through TikTok. This is Gen Z’s latest fad – #Bedrotting.
So what exactly is it? The term is similar to Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year for 2022 – Goblin Mode – where rest is seen as an act of indulgence. Bed-rotting requires nothing more than lazing around in bed and doing nothing. This trend is an act of defiance against hustle culture and an antidote to life’s stresses.
Millennials have long been pushing grind culture on social – they’re credited for the #5to9routine trend, which sees people share their pre-work routine – (think green juices, gym sessions and life admin BEFORE 9 AM), so it seems apt that the younger generation is embracing trends like bed-rotting, quiet quitting and acting your wage – all of which prioritise mental health over productivity.
Generation Lonely
A recent EU survey has found Ireland to be the loneliest country in the EU. According to EU-LS 2022, loneliness was “most prevalent” in Ireland with over 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely.
With not an affordable gaff in sight, the cost of pints on the rise, and all your mates fecking off to Australia, this doesn’t come as a shock.
Often when we consider age demographics, we assume loneliness is most prevalent in elderly people. However, in 2021 the Institute of Public Health (IPH) claimed that ‘Loneliness is increasing more among 18–34-year-olds than for any other age group and is emerging as a ‘very serious public health issue’.
Considering how younger generations are assumed to be so ‘connected’ via their online spaces, it begs the questions, are we as connected as we think? We know of course that loneliness is not unique to Ireland, however, such a statistic does lead to some introspection around Irish culture and norms. When the category is loneliness, you don’t want to be No.1.
50 shades of smoothie
In need of a steamy summer, where passion, love and thirst come together in a BLAZING love triangle? No? Just us?
Smoothie King, the largest smoothie chain in the world, has launched a new juicy romance novel called “A Summer Fling to the X-treme” to promote their new flavour X-Treme Watermelon.
The novel tells the story of Millie’s idyllic summer with her crush Samson which is soon interrupted by the arrival of the enigmatic Walter Melone.
The novel was co-written by the Smoothie King crew and ChatGPT which, according to the company, makes it the first romantic novel written by AI about a watermelon smoothie. I mean, hard not to believe that.
So how do we cool off after the blazing heat found within the pages of this story? Yeah, you guessed it, a nice cold smoothie. And the first 300 readers who crack the secret codes hidden in the book’s 154 pages of thirst-inducing romance, win a free smoothie. A love story with mystery – classic.
This is a smart and bizarre campaign that gives a good laugh while drawing attention to Smoothie King’s luscious smoothies. 10/10.