A study of over 2000 Australians led by Snapchat has shed light on changing attitudes to work, wellbeing and their social media usage.

Eliminating hustle culture for work-life balance

Local Gen Z-ers are pioneering a new look on work. The study highlighted Australia’s Gen Z as abandoning the once praised ‘hustle culture’, made prominent by their Millennial predecessors. Not only do they not want to be part of the hustle, but they are also rejected the traditional work hours, and don’t want to be involved in a 9-5.

The culture of being busy resulting in burnout has been replaced, with 76 percent of respondents saying that they have replaced being busy with balance and boundaries. Seven in ten respondents also say that they would sacrifice salary for happiness, saying that they’d rather be paid less to have more free time.

However, this isn’t to be conflated with Gen Z completely absolving work. Over 85 percent have said they’re actively seeking new ways to earn money outside of traditional work, with side gigs and passive incomes. Eighty percent want to work for themselves, or work freelance eventually.

Unfiltered authenticity

Privacy is key for the next generation. They’ve grown up in the spotlight, and now they desire intimacy, privacy and authenticity. Three quarters of the respondents say that they value posting less content on social media, and 80 percent said they prefer to DM or private message rather than posting an opinion to a large group on social media.

Two thirds (67 percent) of Australian Gen Z have said that they still use emojis, but the way they use them has evolved – with irony and abstractness embraced to add satire to conversations – while 44 percent have admitted they now prefer to send voice notes and videos to text messages.

Commenting on the report, Julia Berk Snap’s marketing insights says: “Australia’s Gen Z community truly are the future, so we need to work harder to understand the nuances of this generation, what’s important to them, and what they expect from the world around them. This study offers real-world insight directly from the mouths of young people, and highlights how they’re tackling this age of uncertainty head-on by finding new ways to overcome the challenges we face on a regular basis. If anything’s for certain, Gen Z are going to do things differently as they carve their paths in this world.”