Cozzie Livs: How Gen Z is brightening the darkness with lingo and comedy

Gen Z have been tackling the cost-of-living crisis with humour and laughter, in contrast to prior generations’ approaches

BY JESS HAMILTON

‘Cozzie Livs’ is the most recent slang term to go viral, the abbreviation is among many used by Gen Z to lessen the blow of impactful and traumatic afairs.

Its many predecessors, including: ‘Platty Joobs’(Platinum Jubilee), ‘Panny D’ (Pandemic), and ‘Menty B’ (Mental breakdown), along with the thousands of daily memes produced on social media, suggest Gen Z’s coping mechanism is to laugh.

The term was frst coined by the Instagram account ‘Depop Drama’ which posts dramatic interactions between sellers and buyers on the clothes-selling app. In an infamous screenshot of a conversation, a Depop user wrote: “I can’t go that low sorry babe xx Especially with the cozzie livs and all that jazz.”

The post has since gained thousands of interactions and has been shared on multiple platforms. Many users have revelled in the absurdity of the phrase, some users saying, “absolutely losing it”, and “another one to add to our vocab”. But others online hinted at something more sinister. A Twitter user observed: “The cute-ifcation of very serious, impactful events that are out of our control is so funny.”

The cost-of-living crisis has afected the quality of life for many young people. According to the Resolution Foundation, the average house priceto-earnings ratio has terrifyingly doubled since the 1990s.

Rent and supermarket prices have also soared and even leisure time costs too much.

Tyler Woodard, health and wellness expert at Eden’s Gate, suggested Generation Z are using humour to avoid facing their current reality.

“The cost-of-living crisis can be an overwhelming and serious topic to think about. Alongside potential student debt and other fnancial issues, it is suggested Gen Zers feel the best way to disguise their worry is to laugh it of,” Woodard said.

Jay Riggs, Health and Wellness expert from ZealCBD, observed the consequences of using humour as a defence mechanism. “People may come across as insensitive, which could lead to a lack of empathy and an understanding of the situation at hand.”

Riggs suggests this avoidance technique could lead to long-term consequences. “Using humour to cope can prevent individuals from properly processing and addressing their emotions, which can lead to further stress and confusion,” he said.

This generational coping mechanism does not seem to be working. An article by Therapy Insider suggested Gen Z are the most depressed generation of all time and Generational Kinetics found 55% of Gen Z is on their phone for more than fve hours a day. These dubbed ‘digital junkies’ consume more memes than any other generation.

Well-being experts suggested tackling the cost-of-living crisis with practical methods. Tommy Hatto, wellbeing coach, has urged Gen-Zers to incorporate self-care as part of their daily routine to help mentally.

“Make sure you budget for something that will enhance your wellbeing. It doesn’t need to be a huge cost but putting something into your wellbeing is going to stop you from feeling exhausted,” Hatto said. The well-being coach stressed the importance of incorporating healthy habits in day-today life.

Simple steps such as staying hydrated, having enough sleep and getting fresh air every day can help.