#gen-z

#gen-z

Gen X'ers may be a bit uncomfortable if you openly blurt out how much you're making at the office-but it's less of a taboo for Gen Z, according to a new survey from Kickresume. The poll, which measured 1,850 anonymous employees worldwide, found only 31% of people say salary is openly discussed at their job-while 37% have rules against discussing pay.

I bet you remember when Nike first began using their catchphrase: "Just Do It!" It was 1988, and this tagline could be found everywhere. It was a challenge to act, to initiate, to take a risk, to move forward even if it's hard. After 37 years, Nike is reintroducing this iconic rallying cry to Generation Z, but they are tailoring their message to the Gen Z mindset: "Why Do It?" It is customized to meet young athletes where they are.

So as in laugh out loud? Or laughing out loud, though David Cameron thought it stood for lots of love and used to sign off to Rebekah Brooks, the former Sun and News of the World editor, with a LOL. I'm LOL-ing at his LOL mishap. Well, you shouldn't. Why? Because anyone who still LOLs is not cool. Laughing out loud is no longer acceptable? No, using LOL in a text or a WhatsApp is no longer acceptable. Says who? It's according to gen Z.

Gen Z may not be the AI-native generation, but it's certainly the AI-pioneering one. From studying to shopping, LLMs and other AI-powered tools have transformed how young people navigate the digital (and real) world, and the changes keep emerging. As the Digital 2026: Global Overview Report shows, Gen Z navigates the digital world like no other generation that came before it. Here are three big takeaways from this industry-leading report that every PR professional needs to have a competitive advantage in the AI age.

In today's digital age, where every sport spins stories across screens, tennis still seems trapped in its old rhythm, struggling to embrace the pulse of modern content. Taylor Fritz and his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle. who began dating the American star in 2020 and turned her life as a tennis 'WAG' into a social media empire, recently sparked conversation by calling out the sport's rigid approach to online storytelling.

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.