The slang of the Baby Boomer generation is the reason we speak how we do today. Young people in the 50s, 60s, and 70s are the reason we have words like “chill” or “vibes” today. Their slang has lasted through generations, but will Gen Z slang do the same? No.
Nobody is going to be using words like “rizz” and “bruh” in ten years. Gen Z slang is mostly made up of words used ironically, or as a joke. Joke words burn out. Phrases that make sense like, “Burn out,” are used decades later. Not only that, but the boomer terms that didn’t stick around are still funny to look back on, whereas Gen Z slang is hardly funny now.
Take a moment, now, to think about the words “Gnarly” and “Groovy.” They’re still fun words. “Sigma” has never been a fun word. How words age is also very dependent on Hollywood. No Hollywood writer, director, producer, or actor will ever want to use the phrase “rizzing her up” in a movie. Saying it with a straight face is hard enough. And, if slang is never used in a movie, it’s unlikely new generations will ever learn about it.
Gen Z, get better slang that isn’t embarrassing to put in a movie, or a tv show. Please. Then, maybe, some of it will last as long as old slang.
The more primary reason that Gen Z slang won’t last, though, is the internet. In my observation, the internet causes slang to die as new slang moves in. Slang words stick around for a few months, and then a new one comes along. If our slang dies out this fast, it will never make it further than our generation.
Of course, the next generations will have the internet, meaning their slang will come and go just as fast as ours. Therefore, slang will never be as groovy as it once was.