Gen Zers are providing unofficial tech support at work and a new TikTok trend has them going to the cinema in suits...this week in social change

Welcome back to our social change weekly, where we give you a rundown on the stories that have been captivating Gen Z from weird and wacky, to empowering and informative. ??

But before we get to the good stuff, how about a quick recap of the last seven days?

Just in case you missed it, Amsterdam’s main airport is capping flight totals for the climate ??, a drug that increases human lifespan to 200 years is in the works ??, researchers are using AI to predict criminal activity ??? , NASA is planning to send swimming robots to habitable ocean worlds ??, Denmark is set on building the first-ever energy island (which will be the size of 18 football pitches!) ??, and the Supreme Court has limited the E.P.A’s power to control pollution.

Once again, the Thred team’s made sure to keep change coming in all its various forms – trust us to keep you in the loop. Now for what you?really?came for, however, the focus of this edition a.k.a. the topics that have our readers hooked.

First up: Gen Z employees are becoming increasingly frustrated as they spend on average eight hours a week providing their colleagues with unofficial tech support. ??

A long way off from habitually needing to teach one’s grandparent how to use the TV remote, is this taking things a bit too far? Let’s dive right in.

Technology struggles are a universal problem in offices across the globe, but the responsibility of troubleshooting them falls heavily on one particular demographic – if new data is to be believed. A?study?conducted by work analytics firm OSlash has suggested that one-in-four Gen Z workers feel they cannot get work done, due to being reluctantly designated as the default ‘tech support’ person. The data shows that Gen Z employees (and Millennials to an extent) are very typically the ‘go to’ colleagues for troubleshooting tech issues or tutorials on setting up digital work systems. ??

On average, they’re said to spend around eight hours a week looking for files on behalf of co-workers – time which can cost employers above $11,000 annually – while staff members over 42 delay close to one-in-four meetings a day with tech queries.

Read more here to understand how this has come about.

But not until we’ve told you all about a new TikTok trend (or carefully calculated marketing scheme?) that has Gen Zers flocking to their local cinemas in fully fitted suits. ??

And no, we’re not pulling your leg.

The new?Minions: Rise of Gru?film is a bizarre entanglement of pop culture references and memes. Where the film has particularly stood out, however, is in the bizarre #gentleminions trend currently sweeping TikTok. Gen Zers (mostly teenage boys) are kitting themselves out in full piece suits and heading to their local screenings to create online content. It’s become such a phenomenon that several cinema chains have had to?ban teens in suits for rowdy behaviour, while Universal Pictures acknowledged the trend via Twitter a few days ago. ??

Where did this meme come from, though? While it’s impossible to say exactly where or when it started, it’s worth noting that the official Minions TikTok account was almost instantaneous in embracing the whole thing. This tuned-in marketing strategy is a testament to social media’s evolution over the last five years or so. Brands are leaning further and further into ironic, left-field meme culture, so much so that they often abandon their usually squeaky clean image for some?truly?unhinged videos. We’ve seen TikTok become a serious global force in marketing and popular culture in recent years. So, while I can’t exactly pinpoint why we’re dressing up in suits and heading to the theatre, I do know that this trend hits several key Gen Z tropes that have helped it gain widespread appeal.

Find out what they are here. ??

Oh, and don’t forget to keep a tab open on?Thred.com?for more from our global Gen Z writing team every single day. If you want more updates and planet-positive ways to take action, sign up for our?email newsletter, and check out our youth empowerment opportunities through our?Change Maker Network?page.

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