Gen Z Money Moods

Money Moods We decode some new trends that define GenZ money habits. It's not all doom and gloom!

- Ayush Khar

Move over YOLO (you only live once) and FOMO (fear of missing out), some of the trends that often dictated and affected the decisions, including those related to money, of the millennials (born between 1981 and 1996). These words often defined their impulsive decisions and risky behaviour, especially when it came to finances. The Gen Zs (born between 1997 and 2012) have their own language and trends that define and establish how they invest, spend and view money decisions.

Every generation defines its own milieu and era through its language. This informal set of loosely defined words in turn becomes the zeitgeist in creating the culture of each generation. With the change in generation, there is always a new set of concepts and understanding, giving rise to a whole new lingo. And after the millennials, Gen Zs, who rely heavily on the Internet, have created their own lingo.

Many among the Gen Z, the digital-first generation, imbibed the digital culture big time during the Covid restrictions through 2020 and a part of 2021. As digital natives, who have had unrestricted access to the Internet for the better part of their lives, Gen Z's lingo is extremely contemporary and topical. This lingo is created, followed and perpetuated across various social media platforms, such as Reddit, Instagram and YouTube, becoming a truly global phenomenon.

While older generations may brush off these terms and trends simply as Gen Z's knee-jerk reactions to the world around them, the story is far more complex.

These trends are a reflection of their dreams, desires and insecurities, often serving as a guiding force for their spending, saving and investing decisions amid massive uncertainties, which are a part of their coming-of-age story.