There’s a ‘vibe shift’ happening, and Gen Z will spend for it

There is a big cultural shift in young Australians, from how they spend their money to what they do on social media.

Young Aussies have revealed how the pandemic has changed how they live, from what they spend their money on to how they use social media.

Dubbed “the vibe shift”, this vibe shift refers to a popular cultural trend dying overnight, with brand new trends popping up in its place.

To get answers about what this means for young Australians, news.com.au turned to our Gen Z newsChat panellists on WhatsApp — our project with the Judith Nielson Institute — and check in with their 2022 vibes.

newsChat pannellist, Rachael, shares her views on the 'vibe shift'.

newsChat pannelists Nich shares their views on the 'vibe shift'.

Gen Z realised the importance of self-care, and aren't afraid to spend money on it.

We’re spending money differently

As a whole, Gen Z are surprisingly good with money. Whereas Millennials realised that we were economically screwed in a way our parents never had to experience and decided to spend our savings on plane tickets instead of mortgages we could never afford, Gen Z grew up knowing the economy was against them and started planning ahead for it.

Gen Z were about financial security over personal fulfilment — but not any more. Now, there’s a craving for meaningful experiences, looking after our wellness as a priority, and living in the ‘now’.

“I’ve definitely been worse at saving of late — I’m actually currently on a little holiday with my partner and we’ve spent quite a bit. We’ve discussed it, and we’d rather have these experiences than numbers sitting in bank accounts while we’re stuck at home”.

– Angus

“I spend more money now on things I actually like. I spent so much on books, and on my health — I started to look after myself more which I really put off for a long time.”

– Rachael

“When the pandemic started, I started spending money on a lot of wellness things — it provided social experiences as well as meditative ones. It truly kept me well during the pandemic.

“That meditative experience and wellness practice keeps bringing me back to a calm, less chaotic place in my mind when it gets bad”.

– Nich

“During the pandemic, I definitely divulged into ridiculous spending just to feel a sense of ‘progress’. Every Amazon package was that boost of joy during the day, which obviously isn’t healthy. I’ve made a budget for myself now”.

– Jahin

“I’d say the pandemic reinforced ideas I’ve grown up with about what constitutes a worthy expenditure. I’ve always known saving money was important and that when it’s spent it better be for something useful”.

– Amaani

We’re desperate for meaningful experiences

We’re not just living in the moment for the sake of it — it’s not just “let’s party because we can”. We’re trying to make real connections (with ourselves, and with friends) and special memories, because now we know the future is uncertain.

“My friends and I have definitely been enjoying more quality time together. Since restrictions have been lifting, we’ve been having a lot more parties and just hanging out as much as we can.”

– Angus

“My habits and overall mindset has definitely changed since the pandemic. I have deeper focus on self-care, building meaningful relationships and living in the moment, rather than focusing on the future (which I used to do a lot in the past).”

– Jahin

The way we use social media is changing

Social media has always been about connecting with the people we care about, sure, but for a long times it’s also been about showing off a glam lifestyle, immaculate selfies (that have probably been edited) and carefully curating our online lives. Not any more.

The new vibe wants social media to be more real, and less curated.

“I disengaged from social media a lot, and I used my IG differently for sure. I got tired of logging on and feeling bad about where I was in life, or how my life looked, or how I looked. So I culled heaps of brands and influencers that I felt fed into that feeling.

“I also started posting lockdown ‘dumps’, with just little pieces of life that made me happy, as opposed to for the ‘look’. My feed is a lot more curated now, and its such a nicer place”.

– Rachael

“I definitely use social media differently. I just follow people I know, plus sports and self-development accounts.

“I want to consume for my own benefit, rather than getting sucked into what everyone else is doing — no influencers or performative content. I also detox a few times during the month.”

– Jahin

“I often actively avoid anything that upsets me on social and regular media. I’m fragile enough at the moment without the need for outside misery”.

– Angus

“In 2019, I was consuming a lot of comedy content, then that dramatic shift occurred on social media, coinciding with the Black Lives Matter protests and the pandemic. I found that the majority of my consumption moved to educational and political awareness posts”.

– Nich

“My private social media pre-pandemic was mostly for leisure, and I had a separate one for work. Now, even my private social media has become more work focused. I don’t really use it for leisure, only to keep up with my close friends”.

– Amaani

We don’t really care what other people are doing

In possibly the best news ever, it looks like this vibe shift may come down to the fact that there is no longer one-vibe-fits-all. We’re all just so excited to be outside again, that we’re keen to experiment and play with what we do and what we wear.

“I know a bit about what’s trendy, but I also don’t really care. Maybe it’s an age thing, but the look or the ‘vibe’ I have doesn’t phase me. It used to a lot, but now, I just don't think it really matters”.

– Rachael

There's a shift towards living in the moment and making real connections.

“I feel more expressive with my personal style now. I wear rings, bands and watches in ways that my previous self would be like ‘WTF are you wearing?’. It feels empowering.

“I stopped caring too much about what others think, I’m just striving towards my authentic self. I feel much more fulfilled for it”.
– Jahin

“Returning to the office provided me with an unprecedented opportunity to change up my style as well. I want to try new and different things I wouldn’t normally wear.

“After lockdown I was so sick of over thinking things, that I found a new freedom to not care about others’ opinions.

“My options are limited — the Australian fashion market isn’t spoiled for choice when it comes to modest fashion — but it’s actually more exciting in a way. I think the limited options have forced a lot of women like me to find ways of thrifting halalified outfits.”

– Amaani

“I’ve been dressing up a lot more since we spent so long at home in our trackies. I’ve definitely been putting a lot more effort into my appearance lately. I’ve been wearing makeup more often and changing up my jewellery more frequently. I’ve got my own kind of style, but it’s far from trendy”.

– Angus

Would any of this have happened without a global pandemic?

So would all these changes be happening anyway, or has it really been two years of Covid and consequential lockdowns that forced the vibe to shift?

“I think these changes were at a breaking point. There was so much change ready to happen but the pandemic helped facilitate a lot of it”.

– Nich

“I think the pandemic has been a little pressure cooker. I don't think these things would have happened if things continued as normal”.

– Rachael

“The pandemic definitely played a major role — I stopped caring about the small inconveniences in life”.

– Jahin

“I think the pandemic has been the main driver of the changes we’ve seen, but these ‘vibe shifts’ have been happening throughout humankind’s entire history”.

– Angus

“I think a lot of the ways I’ve changed were probably inevitable, but the pandemic definitely fast tracked that growth”.

– Amaani

What is the vibe shift?

Dubbed “the vibe shift” by a Substack email subscription called 8Ball and made famous by The Cut, this vibe shift refers to a popular cultural trend dying overnight, with brand new trends popping up in its place.

Doesn’t this happen all the time? Good question, and yes, but the vibe shift refers to a larger cultural change on a grander scale.

For example, according to Sean Monahan, the author of 8Ball and previous founder of art collective K-HOLE, there have been four big vibe shifts in the 21st century: hipster/indie sleaze music (2003-2009), post-internet/techno revival (2010-2016), Hypebeast/woke (2016-2021) and whatever this new one is.

It’s being talked about as something scary — in fact The Cut titled their article ‘A Vibe Shift Is Coming, Will Any Of Us Survive It?’ — but is it really? Or is it only scary concept to a bunch of New Yorkers whose whole world is about be ‘in’ (sorry NY, you seem cool and all, but if Sex & The City taught me anything it’s that you’re all Scene Queens)?

The thing is, we don’t even really know what the new vibe is yet, and that’s what seems to be making people feel uneasy. But does it even matter?

Three other vibe shifts have come to town with relative ease, in fact, you probably didn’t even notice it slowly happening. So does this one just feel dramatic because most of the world was stuck in our own bedrooms for two years and all the same, very normal, changes in attitude happened while we were all binge-watching Netflix and baking sourdough to stifle the existential dread of a global pandemic?

Want to join the conversation?

Want to share your opinions on being a Gen Z person in the modern world? If you’re between 18 and 24, get in touch with me at [e-mail]

Originally published as There’s a ‘vibe shift’ happening, and Gen Z will spend for it