How to Understand Gen Z Humour

How many ‘memes’ have you encountered in the past week? You may be thinking one or two, possibly even none, but if you clicked this article with the intention of learning something, you’re probably thinking I don't know.

Generation Z is the embodiment of the future. Putting voting and education aside, humour is one of the most important features of this generation. How are we supposed to connect with our youth if we have no idea what they’re laughing at? The answer is, we cant. I’m here to teach you one or two things you didn't know about Gen Z humour.

An important topic in this generation’s comedy is ‘T Posing.’ It (can also be called ‘reference pose’) is a default state of most models in 3D graphics. The T pose is commonly used in ‘shitposts’ or ‘deep fried memes.’

Shitposting is a slang word for a meaningless post, or a post that lacks context or skill to create while a deep fried meme, is an image that has been heavily layered with filters, to create a vibrant highly saturated effect. Both of these are often referred to as ‘cursed.’

The opposite of a cursed meme, is known as a wholesome meme. Wholesome memes usually include a polite message to the viewer, reminding them to drink water, or just telling them they're pretty. Wholesome memes sometimes have a picture of a cute animal while other times, it could simply be a picture of someone crying out of love. Some wholesome memes are used as ‘reaction images.’ Reaction images are simply just pictures of people with heavy emotion on their face and are often used to show the users reaction to the context.

Another way users show their reaction is by common lingo used by Twitter users sometimes known as ‘locals.’ Local’s use language such as ‘tea,’ which is usually referenced when theres drama (sometimes ‘tea spilled’ or ‘the tea is piping’ is also used). Another common word used by locals is ‘wig.’ Wig refers to someone who is shocked or surprised by a situation. The phrase ‘wig’ originated fro the phrases ‘wig flew’ and ‘wig snatched.’

The last meme I will educate you about is ‘möth.’ Möth is an example of a current popular meme among the younger generation, and will most likely become old and overused in a few weeks. The möth meme consists of a large picture of a moth, usually lusting after a lamp. Möth memes are seen as funny because the way moths are attracted to lamps is pathetic and strange.

I hope you learned a little something today.