Ah, remember the summer of 2022 when we were talking about quiet quitting? Well this summer, it is all about quiet vacationing. If you haven’t heard the term yet, it is when you go on vacation, but haven’t asked anyone for the time off. The phenomena has sparked a lot of online discussions this past week, many of which highlight broader attitudes about how younger people feel about work. There is the sense that the contract between employer and employee is broken, and both quiet quitting and quiet vacationing are ways in which for employees to regain some sense of control. As one of our Gen Z Trendsetters told Cassandra in our Future of Work report, her generation’s work ethic is all about “breaking the cycle of being used and abused. No longer believe that the American dream can be achieved through hard work.” (Laura, she/her, 24, TX).

The Friend Dictionary (or “BFF Dictionary”) is the secret language that only best friends can share. Private, secret shared words (some real, many that are made up) between friends are now getting wider visibility as this trend has captured millions of views on TikTok with Besties recording their secret dictionaries or quizzing each other on their shared vocabulary. While sharing secret words and meanings has always been a hallmark of close friendships, this trend will be one to watch as we are sure some of these “secret” words will make their way into the mainstream vernacular!

Yesterday afternoon, Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in a courtroom in downtown New York city. While many took to social media to discuss, a lot of the dialogue we saw from Gen Z creators was around the mechanics of what this meant. Many went to TikTok with the question “can Trump run for President”, once again, demonstrating Gen Zs engagement in the upcoming political process.