Abstract

In today's social and cultural world, Generation Z had created its own unique way of speaking. Phrases like "Aray moo!!" and other slang helped them build their identity and connect with friends. This study aimed to explore how Gen Z slang linked to social belonging among second-year Psychology students at Bestlink College of the Philippines, with the main goal of checking if their "digital language"—a mix of local slang, online acronyms, and memes—helped create stronger social bonds and a feeling of safety in school. A descriptive-correlational design was used for the study. Participants were second-year Psychology students at Bestlink College of the Philippines. Spearman correlation was employed to analyze the relationship between Gen Z expression and social belongingness. The results showed these students used slang frequently across all categories and handled digital language skillfully, using it to express deep emotions regular words could not easily capture. Gen Z expression had a mean score of (M = 2.94, SD = 0.52), while social belongingness scored higher at (M = 3.04, SD = 0.38)—initially suggesting positive engagement with slang and peer connection. However, the Spearman correlation was very low (Rs = 0.03) with a p-value of 0.67, indicating no significant link between the two variables. While slang was widespread and culturally meaningful, it did not predict how connected students felt. Its vagueness might have hindered solid social ties. Though useful for identity and cultural participation, true belonging stemmed from shared values, empathy, and emotional support—not short-lived trends. The study highlighted the need to prioritize clear communication and deep connections in academic settings. Future research could test findings in other groups or explore slang’s interaction with face-to-face communication.