We see shows like Legendary (HBO) and Pose (FX) offer an authentic, real-life presentation of what ballroom is with the help of legends such as Dominique Jackson, MJ Rodriguez, Leiomy Maldonado, etc. It’s no surprise that modern ballroom culture, born in Harlem in the latter half of the 20th century by LGBTQ+ Black and/or Latinx people, has become popularized-some might even say commercialized. Instead, it was taken from a once underground scene that has influenced so much of our modern-day lives and mainstream culture for good- ball culture. However, this vernacular did not come out of nowhere, nor was it recycled from users’ media consumption. Whether through memes, short-form videos or classic forms of media such as TV, music, and video, Gen Z has been digitally socialized through the media they consume and formed their own vernacular. Though incomprehensible to some, this way of speaking has become near-native to Gen Z users on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

While watching one, your thumb makes its way to the comment section and, there, you find comments from users saying:

I start with TikTok-while everyone’s For You Page (FYP) looks a little different, you can bet good money on finding a thirst trap. Like all good Gen Zers, the first thing I do after shutting off that phone alarm in the morning is instinctively open my socials.

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