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Every generation that has existed or will ever exist thinks that it is better than those that came before and after it. It is inevitable because every gen has its fair share of upsides, drawbacks, bizarre attitudes, weird behaviors, and quirks. Generation Z behaviors are particularly polarizing right now!
The members of older generations shared their confusion and low-key frustrations with Zoomer behavior online, and you can really pinpoint what is causing all of the tension across the age gap. Read on to see how Gen Z is being perceived and judged.
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#1
I’m a mom of Gen Zer’s and love that generation for a variety of reasons. But I don’t understand why their verbal skills are so poor. And yes, I know everyone’s going to say “screens” but these kids haven’t been locked in solitary confinement their whole lives. They have families. They’ve been out in public.
I run into this with my own kids, and I know I’ve taught them differently. But when I call them, they answer the phone with complete silence. Who does that? You say hello when you answer. The silence is bizarre.
Or the ones in customer service - I ran into a friend of my daughter’s at the store. They rang out my purchase in silence, which is fine. But before walking away, I said “thank you” and I don’t get what’s so difficult about responding with “you’re welcome” or “have a nice day.” Instead, d**d silence.
I feel like we’ve wound up with a whole generation of Lurch from The Addams Family. Lol.
While some researchers might disagree about the specifics, broadly speaking, Generation Z, aka Gen Z, refers to people born between 1997 and 2012. As Investopedia points out, this is the first truly digital native generation. Members of Gen Z, or Zoomers, as they are sometimes informally called, have been shaped by technology, social media, and massive world events like the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The generation immediately preceding Gen Z is Gen Y, Millennials, born from 1981 to 1996. Ironically, older generations often complain about young people by venting about Millennials, when they, in fact, mean either Zoomers or members of Generation Alpha, kids born between 2013 and 2025. (That’s not to say that Millennials are faultless (hi, how are you?), but we ought to be called out for different issues.)
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#2
Awkward conflict avoidance and ghosting.
Job interview, but changed your mind. Ghost the potential employer instead of calling to cancel.
Not feeling the date you're on. Ghost the other person instead of being upfront so they get closure.
It's such a waste of everyone's time to be so inconsiderate. I run a small business and had tens of potential interviews no-show with no answer. We confirmed the day before, and I blocked out my schedule to set these up, and people just decide my time is worthless. I reach out after 10-15 minutes of not seeing them with no response. Maybe I'm old school, but I actually try to make my employees and future employees feel appreciated and valued. I set aside this time to interview you and give you the attention you deserve cause I feel you're also interviewing me and my practice the same.
Then, I see so many dating people scratching their heads wondering what they did wrong on their date to be ghosted. What's the issue with their own self that made them incompatible with the other person? It would be nice for these people to learn whether they did something wrong or not. I'm sure these youngans don't like being left in the dark with no rhyme or reason, so why are they straight being so awkward in avoiding being upfront with the other party?
Why is ghosting such a normal way to deal with uncomfortable discussions?
#3
The Gen Z stare.
Like they are just currently disengaged. You'll be asking them a question and have to prompt then further for any human like response.
It's bizarre.
Members of Gen Z tend to be digitally fluent, and they can’t really remember a time before the internet, cell phones, or social media.
They are diverse, inclusive, socially conscious, entrepreneurial, and pragmatic. What’s more, they tend to be adaptable, aware of mental health challenges, and prioritize both authenticity and individuality.
Furthermore, Zoomers are big on travel and novel experiences. “Studies show that Gen Zers are putting a lot of emphasis on interesting life experiences, such as travel. They focus on adventure and mental health, and they're eager to explore different cultures,” Linda Eaton, executive vice president at Cannon Financial Institute, told Investopedia.
That being said, things aren’t looking that rosy on the financial front. “It’s not surprising that so many are prioritizing trips, even if it means going into debt. A significant number of Gen Z travelers are using loans or credit cards to fund their journeys,” Eaton stressed.
#4
As a millennial, I don't understand their shift toward more conservative values and religion. It really felt like our generation made such strides toward progress, only for the younger generation to make fun of us while voting for Trump (or not voting at all) and going to church on Sunday.
#5
Getting their news and information from TikTok.
persephone134 43 minutes ago
I teach high school. Whenever I say something like "It was on the radio this morning", they are in shock. "You still listen to the radio?"as if it were something medieval.
#6
Gen Z appears to lack intellectual curiosity. In earlier generations knowledge and information was a scarce commodity. You had to seek it out. That might mean going to the central library and reading microfiche or similar. Now that information about everything is right in your pocket when you want it what's the value in knowing things? What's the point of asking questions out loud that might invite people to speculate and talk when you can just ask your phone? There are social costs to this. Conversation is gone.
Money worries extend to bills, not just travel-related debt.
28% of members of Gen Z are not able to pay all of their necessary expenses every month. And 32% said that they don’t feel as financially secure as their parents were at the same age.
Part of the issue is that many Zoomers do not have steady salaries and rely on entry-level jobs, gig work, and freelance work.
While Gen Z struggles with credit and debt management, around half of the generation has some form of investment, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. And yet, just 46% of Zoomers feel confident about their financial knowledge.
These days, there are so many sources of information available online, including in the news, on social media, on YouTube, in podcasts, etc., that it is difficult to know what to look for. In other words, there is too much noise on the internet.
#7
They are obsessed about gender and sexuality but no one is getting laid.
#8
I'm a college professor, and a bunch of my Gen Z students are friends or even roommates... but when they enter our seminar room, they don't greet or talk to each other at all-- just sit down and stare at their phones until class starts. *Then*, once the structured part begins, they'll have a discussion.
#9
They are so restricted by social rules it’s better to do nothing than to do something lame. There’s a strict code of conduct, a strict code of dress, and if anything is deemed cringe, they get shunned, which has resulted in their overall inaction. I think this is the reason for them drinking less, having less romantic partners, the gen z stare, not caring about work, etc.
What generation are you? What attitudes toward work, money, relationships, and life in general do you think set your generation apart from everyone else? What is your attitude toward Gen Z, as well as the older and younger generations?
Share your thoughts about everything, including the biggest pros and cons you think Gen Z has, in the comments.
#10
Very awkward social skills. When you try to be friendly or bubbly to them, they often look horrified or very confused
Edit : to clarify, I mean this in a very basic interaction scenario. For example, if you’re ordering a coffee and just smiling or making a small friendly comment, it’s often met with no response or a blank expression. I am very introverted , so this is definitely not an over the top extrovert thing.
CommunityMember 1 hour ago (edited)
This is very odd to me as well. Just a simple comment on the weather and they stare at you like you have 5 heads. Or they act super annoyed if you need assistance or ask a question. It is not normal and why work in customer service if you can't handle basic simple human interaction.
#11
No replies
They would rather ignore your text.
“Hey we still doing that thing today?”
If they know they are gonna flake they just don’t reply. And now I’m over here, having to wait on your response to replan my day. It’s inconsiderate. Just communicate.
I’ve been told by many Gen-Z that it’s cringe to double text someone or to be the last one to send a text. You always want the other person to text you last, so you can ignore them and feel cool.
#12
For me it’s the total lack of shame in taking selfies at the gym. They’ll be in the locker room posing to get the perfect pic without a care who’s around to see. The millenial in me just could never, like I’d have to wait until I’m at home or there’s nobody around at least.
CommunityMember 53 minutes ago
And the complete lack of shame they feel taking pics of complete strangers to post and humiliate on line. Its like they forgot that they are actual humans. That elderly man just trying to buy groceries did not deserve you taking a pic of him and making him a meme. What happened to common sense.
#13
I don't understand the obsession with age. When I started working at 19 I had coworkers who were 30, 40, 50 and never really treated them differently. They were all just coworkers to me. Now I'm 30 and I'm treated like a different species by my coworkers in their early 20s. It's bizarre.
#14
Get together with friends just to all sit their looking at their phones.
#15
My father in law owns a publishing company. They moved office about a quarter of a mile up the road.
An INTERN approached him with a "I'm disappointed and invalidated. You didn't consult me that it would be okay to move. "
I don't even think it's "entitlement"; there's just a complete disconnect from how the world works.
Mark Alexander 32 minutes ago
To be fair, the way the world works does sùck. Every generation is allowed to regret the world they inherited from their predecessors. They are building their own world, now, whether they know it or not. It has to merge with ours until we d*e out. We need to learn how to adapt to them so they can learn how to adapt to us.
#16
I take classes at a community college and they don’t take notes. Just come to class and stare at the professor or be on their phone. If the professor is drawing diagrams or something on the board they don’t follow, just take a picture after. I’m taking a biology class and it’s easy to get lost. I don’t know what super power they have or if they learn by osmosis but it’s mind boggling to me. One day in lab the professor put the directions on the board and one of them kept asking me how I was getting my answers. I repeatedly told her the formula was on the board, but she couldn’t grasp that concept?? I literally had to explain to her the exact thing that the professor explained to us 15 minutes ago and wrote directly on the board. They’re a confusing group of people to interact with.
persephone134 37 minutes ago
Same here. During tests, they ask me what they should write down, though.
#17
Willingly go to church. I won't "get" this regardless of which generation does it, though.
Dan Holden 25 minutes ago (edited)
I'm sure I'll get downvoated to oblivion for this, but I can't for the life of me understand how people don't outgrow this around the same time they outgrow Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny.
#18
As a millennial with a gen Z stepdaughter: wearing band shirts of bands they don't actually listen to. This one drives me up the wall.
persephone134 32 minutes ago
I teach high school. One day I asked a student who wore a Led Zeppelin t-shirt whether she liked the music. She was shocked to find out that Led Zeppelin is a band.
#19
The complete lack of personality in the younger Gen Zs is what gets me. Like, I've seen more personality in a rock in some cases. It's like they don't really know how to be social.
#21
You hate on millennials but play our music in the clubs…the clubs they attend but don’t dance at.
Yep, standing around a sensory overload factory sober while literally listening to “Move” by Ludacris.
😭 “Why don’t they move?!??
#22
Generally speaking, communication skills are below par. I have almost got used to silence after asking a follow up question trying to be nice.
#23
As a millennial with a lot of Gen Z coworkers, I don’t get the memes. In our work group chat they’ll post reaction gifs and deep fried memes that are completely incomprehensible to me. I don’t understand what is being said or implied by them at all, but they seem to understand one another.
#26
They text
in short bursts
so that you get
ten messages
for one simple question
I got six texts from my daughter yesterday. All she wanted was to let me know the time to pick her up. .
SM 52 minutes ago (edited)
It is interesting you should mention this. I'm from the generation before texting started, so when years later my wife started texting because of her work and texted me, I made the mistake of hitting Enter at the end of a sentence. This of course, went out as a separate text. I have to really think not to hit that Enter key until I'm really ready to send the message.
#28
An alarming percentage of Gen Z males voted conservative/MAGA.
I don’t understand if they’re doing it for the lulz or they genuinely believe in those ideals, but it’s confusing either way.
#29
I work at a library, and the few GenZ patrons we get usually go through check out like this:
GenZ: *plops book on desk*
Me: Hi. How are you. Are you checking out?
Gen Z: *long pause* Yeah.
Me: Can I have your library card...?
Gen Z: *blinking noise* no
Me: Do you have a library card?
Gen Z: yeah *looking around/looking at phone*
Me: What's your name? I can look you up.
Gen Z: umm Tina
Like what the actual heck, Tina?????????? How are you going to survive in this world?? What happened to youuuuu???
#32
It seems like they force themselves into a position where they don’t get to enjoy anything earnestly, for being of being called cringe. I think that’s so sad.
Like come on babies, go live your lives! You don’t get a second shot stop wasting your time acting cool, you aren’t cool and you are just depriving yourselves of joy.
#33
Constantly track each other while in a relationship through cell phones. That's just insane to me and feels like tech based borderline personality disorder.
#34
Deadpan stare at someone in a job where they interact with customers. I.e. As a barista just staring at the person to place an order without saying *hi what would you like*. It’s weird because I’m used to waiting for them to greet you as a sign that they’re finished with their other task (the previous persons order) and ready to take my order so as to not be rude.
#36
Taking feedback no matter how delicately it's put as a personal attack. In workplaces some would resign over it.
#37
They take a lot of mental health days from work and they're very open about it.
Not saying it's right or wrong, but it isn't something Gen X or Boomers understand.
#38
Using AI instead of thinking for themselves.
persephone134 27 minutes ago
And thinking they are the smartest for not having to go to the trouble of learning something.
#40
I’d like to add something positive to this thread that Gen Z does that older generations don’t get. The conversations around mental health is a big one. The boomers in my life think I’m a special snowflake for going to therapy, reading books about psychology, etc… When actually, I’m the first one breaking the cycle of dysfunction in my family.
#41
I saw a video where someone was shocked that a kid went on his phone and just purchased multiple hundred dollar flights through there.
Purchases over $100 are a laptop level decision.
#42
I work in a restaurant, and a startling amount of older high school kids are incapable of ordering from their servers and have to still whisper their order to a parent. Many can't even figure out how to read a menu. It's very unsettling considering some are only one or two years away from college and won't have mom or dad there to tell someone what they want on their sandwich.
#44
Gen Z plays with the English language in really unique way.
In the past, more extreme slang expressions were more the domain of specific region or cultural group, but with the connectivity of gen z's social media culture, their slang has become widespread, ubiquitous and immediate to a degree we've not seen in prior generations.
I find that fascinating.
#45
The Gen Z Stare:
Instead of dealing with uncomfortable or difficult situations they choose to dissociate and stare at the other person in an attempt to get out of whatever the thing is.
That’s a really weird one.
Some have described it as trumping social norms or something but truly it’s a lack of social skills and coping mechs to do that sort of thing in public.
e: someone responded “the most millennial thing I’ve ever heard” and then deleted it. Kinda proves the point above doesn’t it? Say it with your chest homie.
#46
A friend of mine works at a restaurant and they keep getting one star reviews because the GenZ servers and hosts just stare blankly at the customers when they walk in. .
#47
Monetizing their own existential dread through layers of irony so thick that sincerity has effectively become a niche vintage aesthetic.
#49
Gen Zers track each other. I worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years, and what I’ve noticed about the younger Gen Zers that really freaks me out is that not only did their families track where they are through their cell phones, they also know where every member of their family is at all times. Their friends and significant others too. they all share locations with one another, as if it’s normal to have constant access to one another. It’s exhausting just to watch. My young friend, who is a hard worker, and a smart young man, told me that he could turn his location off, to go do things he wanted to do, but he knew that his parents would give him a hard time about it, and maybe even take money out of his bank account, that they have full access to! This man is 20 years old, is buying a house, has worked for years for all his money, and his family has access to his accounts, his location, and him at all times, and it’s not an isolated thing amongst them. It boggles my mind.
#50
Probably how everything is content now filming daily life, talking to a camera like it’s normal, and building a personal brand out of it. Older generations just see it as oversharing, but for Gen Z it’s just how you exist online.
#51
Ghosting people, it’s so infuriating and they do it all the time, very bad communication skills online and in person.
#52
Their casual speech is wack. I was at work and two girls in their 20’s next to me were talking to each other. It reminded me of Spanglish. I could pick up a lot of what they were saying mixed in with phrases or words that sounded like a new language to me.
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What do you think ?
persephone134 20 minutes ago
To me, it sounds more and more like an entire generation is lost due to the overpowering influence of shared stupidity on social media,
persephone134 20 minutes ago
To me, it sounds more and more like an entire generation is lost due to the overpowering influence of shared stupidity on social media,
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