How COVID-19 is Changing The Way Gen Z Communicates

Gen Z communication has been evolving because of this pandemic for better or for worse. Keyboard smashes, seenzoning, and oversocializing are all fair game now.

Even if most of our interactions now happen through Zoom, there are so many cues, verbal and non-verbal, that tells us about zoomers’ state of mind during the pandemic. These reflect in the way we speak which has slowly been changing more and more as we continue to be trapped in a world of self-isolation.

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Not replying is now okay.

And it’s not only okay, it’s encouraged. Even before the pandemic hit, I’ve always had a reputation of not replying quickly enough to my friends because most of the time, I’m just not in the mood to. And the reality now is that a lot of people are starting to feel the same way.

Are you not feeling well enough to talk? Then don’t reply.

More often than not, people will understand. You’d get a lot of flack before when you wouldn’t reply to people or read their messages at all. But everyone is now becoming more sensitive of each other’s feelings as we all start to feel anxiety and uncertainty more often.

Now, the first thought that pops into our head when we encounter a slow replier isn’t how rude they’re being, but rather “I hope they’re okay”. Which is a good thing because everyone is finally understanding that just because you’re online does not mean you are always in the right disposition to talk.

We make a conversation out of anything.

Everyone’s lives has either been on pause or on slow motion ever since coronavirus hit. While we are trying our hardest to make memories in our homes, it’s safe to say that the progress in our lives has taken a big hit with the outside world being close to inaccessible.

This means that Gen Z communication is becoming more and more mundane as we struggle to create meaningful experiences. And because of that, we are running out of valuable material to go through with friends.

I want you to take a look at your recent conversations with friends and then ask yourself: what are you really talking about? Everything is becoming water-cooler conversations nowadays like the NBA Playoffs and what k-drama you’re watching. Some of the most memorable conversations I’ve had with people during quarantine involve skincare routines, and I don’t know how to feel about that.

And when asking someone how they are, they’d probably just give you the same tired answer: “just stuck in the house”.

For the sake of our sanity, we do make an effort to socialize with our loved ones. But we don’t really have anything substantial or new to talk about most of the time leading us to talk about things that don’t matter a lot. This is a challenge to you: why not go beyond pop culture or funny banter and get to know your friends a little bit deeper?

It’s easier to talk to old friends and strangers.

Even the most introverted of us are reaching out to people whom we never thought we’d be in contact with again. Being stuck at home means everyone has more time on their hands to scroll through their social media feeds, which means you’ll probably see more of your acquaintances interact with the posts that you share. Whether it be a like or a comment, everyone is craving for social interaction.

So when the conversations with your best friends are becoming stale, you might see yourself striking a conversation with someone whom you haven’t talked to in a long while. Maybe it was a person you met pre-COVID and never got the chance to interact with on a deeper level. Or maybe it’s a good friend from high school that disappeared in your life after graduation.

The crazy part is they’ll probably be up to talk to you too. Just watch as they reply with the same excitement that you have! While some people may not be up for a conversation all the time, this is the best time to talk with practically anybody. Why? Because a simple gesture like leaving a message in their DM’s will make them feel like they are not alone in this pandemic.

Overcommunication is real.

Ironically, the same people who want to be left alone in this pandemic are the ones who talk a lot too. Similar to how we may experience mood swings during the pandemic, our willingness to talk also flip flops. Gen Z communication is now defined by a neverending stop-and-go seesaw battle where one may just choose to spend the entire night chatting with people, or hiding from the online world.

What triggers this tendency to flip flop?

The first one is guilt. At times when we’re not in the frame of mind to have a conversation with people, we may feel bad for leaving them hanging. So when the time comes when we’re finally in the mood to reply, we may tend to start bombing their inbox with messages.

Aside from that, overcommunication is also a coping mechanism for those who need a sense of “normalcy” in their lives. Talking with people face-to-face is something everybody took for granted until the pandemic started. By starting conversations with others during quarantine, we are putting ourselves back in a mentally comfortable place where everything feels normal again.

And in addition to that, having a chat with someone is a great distraction from whatever hell is happening outside. Our overthinking may kick in the moment we are left alone with our thoughts.

We’ve forgotten how to communicate properly.

Gen Z communication was always weird in the eyes of older people. We could be typing gibberish and it would be sensible and funny to only us. So imagine doing most of your communication online with friends who all type weird like you.

As a reference, most of my conversations with fellow zoomers are just filled with keyboard smashes and all the synonyms to “lol” that you could think of. If we’re not doing any of those, we’re probably just using one of the reactions in Facebook Messenger or finding the perfect GIF/meme to use as a reply. It was perfectly fine before COVID hit because we complemented this form of communication with real-life, socially-acceptable interactions.

Now that most of us have not been able to go out to meet friends nor an authority figure (who is not our parent), we are forgetting what it’s like to talk like a functioning human being. The first wave of job interviews and online classes would probably be difficult for zoomers who have gotten used to light conversations that don’t require proper decorum.

When was the last time you were actually able to sustain a conversation with someone who required your full respect and courtesy? Zoomers now face the challenge of training or re-training themselves in the art of communication which has been getting more muddled as we spend more days in the pandemic.

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Coronavirus has affected everything in our lives including our mental health. We have some tips that can help you cope with online classes. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Featured Image: Edward Janner on Pexels