What’s Funny?: Gen Z’s Unique Approach to Humor
For young people humor is a coping mechanism for the stress and anxiety they’ve experienced in their lifetimes.
The world has never been a stable place for Gen Z. The generation born between 1997-2012 has experienced the attacks on the World Trade Center, the breakdown of the housing market, and a number of shootings throughout the U.S. They’re the only generation that’s grown up with the internet. They’ve experienced the launch of Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat all in real time. With unlimited access to the internet at an early age, their ability to digest and consume digital content and news is unprecedented compared to most, hence the 8-second attention span. Currently, they’re experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic at the most formative time in their social and emotional development.
All of these experiences shape the way they view and interact with the world and how they approach comedy. For young people humor is a coping mechanism for the stress and anxiety they’ve experienced in their lifetimes. Their approach to comedy focuses on surrealism and dark humor:
Surrealism/Absurdism
World has had constant/extreme shifts
Traditional milestones (marriage, kids) have been upended leaving many reframing the “meaning” of life.
Nihilistic mindset
Surrealism/Absurdism combines internet culture and commentary
Ironic, sometimes self-deprecating
Think: Adult Swim, Tim and Eric, Rick and Morty, Eric Andre, BoJack Horseman
Dark Humor
In an act of rebellion, dark humor candidly points out current state of the modern world (can be shocking)
Dark humor lets these generations explore how to deal with important issues like mental health
Stems from desensitization due to fast, disruptive news cycles
Think: Political memes, mental health memes
Millennial Humor:
Less likely to post anything that makes them look bad or strange
Approaches social media as a “record”, less likely to create and delete content quickly
More like to consume/share memes
Self-deprecating
Gen Z:
“Digital natives”, exhibitionists, will post unflattering angles, and later delete them
Most diverse generation to date, internet connection has led to diminishing ignorance
More likely to create memes (images or TikTok)
Genuinely supportive, optimistic
Gen Z’s approach to coping may sound distressing to some, but for Gen Z “humor is an act of defiance, against darkness, not an acceptance of it.”
Gen Zer’s may feel lost or scared about the world, but their humor shows that they still have faith. Making jokes about potentially getting drafted into WWIII or wanting to die because the Earth is dying anyways is Gen Z’s way of highlighting the issues that they know exist. While Gen Z has no issue reflecting on the state of the world through sarcastic memes and brutal observations, they have no tolerance for laughs that put others down at the expense of their identity.
Want to learn more about how Gen Z’s changing the definition of humor? Is your brand trying to make a funny? Chat with us at culturecore@golin.com and we can help you strategize the best way to engage with Gen Z, hilariously of course.