The Passing of Time, Changing Generations, and Evolving Vocabulary: How to Understand Gen Z Without a Dictionary (And Avoid Looking Like a Boomer)

What is Gen Z?

Let’s start from the beginning—what exactly is Gen Z? Generation Z (Gen Z), also known as iGen or Zoomers, refers to the generation of people born roughly between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s. This generation is the first to grow up fully immersed in technology, the internet, and social media from a very young age.

Have you ever been walking down the street and overheard a conversation between friends from Gen Z? It happened to me once, and I must admit, I looked around to make sure I was still on Piraeus Street and not in Brooklyn. “We were fine,” said the girl next to me at the traffic light, speaking with great intensity to her conversation partner, “it was probably just a simple love bombing.” Love bombing, ghosting, orbiting, and who knows how many more terms we’ve missed.

There are so many foreign words now to describe our romantic lives, thank goodness for The New York Times, which decided to make a list of them and open our eyes—otherwise, Mr. Babiniotis would have a lot of work for the next edition of his dictionary.

So, let’s look at some of these “strange” words that have entered our daily lives and their meanings.

Ghosting
Ghosting is a term used to describe the sudden and unexplained cessation of communication from someone, usually in a personal or friendship context, without any explanation or warning. The person doing the ghosting ("ghoster") stops responding to messages, calls, or any other form of communication, leaving the other person ("ghosted") to wonder what happened.

Mini Note: Don't be an a**hole—make a call, send a message, and simply say, "Sorry, but I’m not interested."

Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse or manipulation where one person tries to make another doubt their perception of reality, memory, or judgment. The term comes from the 1940s play and film Gaslight, where a man manipulates his wife into believing she is losing her mind.

Breadcrumbing
Breadcrumbing refers to the practice of sending small, inconsistent, or unclear signals of interest to someone without making any real commitment or showing genuine interest in the relationship.

Love Bombing
Love bombing is a manipulation tactic where one person overwhelms the other with excessive attention, praise, gifts, and emotional intensity to impress them and create emotional dependency. This behavior usually appears at the beginning of a relationship and may seem very positive or romantic, but it often hides a darker motive. After the initial intense love period, the person who did the love bombing may become distant or controlling, exploiting the emotional dependence of the victim.

Mini Note: It’s like what we call excitement but with a more toxic twist.

Cyberflashing
Cyberflashing is the term used to describe the inappropriate and unwanted sending of explicit or sexual images, videos, or other content through digital media, like mobile phones, social networks, messaging apps, or even email. This usually happens without the recipient's consent and can cause emotional distress, embarrassment, or a sense of threat.

Mini Note: Before you open that new message in your requests (since you don't know the sender), take a deep breath because you don’t know what you’ll be confronted with.

Orbiting
Orbiting refers to the behavior of someone who avoids direct communication or commitment with another person but continues to watch their life through social media or other online platforms.

Mini Note: Bored? Play Candy Crush, tic-tac-toe, hangman, poker, or visit our e-shop, but stop liking things you shouldn't.

Cookie Jarring
Cookie jarring refers to the behavior of someone who keeps other options or potential partners in their life, often through online dating apps, without any serious intention of pursuing anyone specifically.

Mini Note: Make up your mind and stop keeping "backups" (as the great troubadour, Stathis Xenos, once said).

Soft-launching
Soft-launching is the process of gradually revealing a new relationship or significant event on social media without fully announcing or exposing it from the start.

Situationship
A situationship refers to a relationship that lacks clear boundaries or definition. It can involve intense emotional or physical connection, but without clear rules, commitment, or discussions about the future. This relationship is usually vague and uncertain, and the people involved haven’t openly agreed on what it is or how it will develop.

Mini Note: So... are we together?

And now that we’ve covered these terms, discussed them, and analyzed them, you’re fully informed and have no excuse for saying, “I didn’t understand.” And to wrap things up, remember the advice you were given as a child: "Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you."