Featured Image Credit: Klaus Vedfelt/Ginnet Delgado/Getty Images
Topics: Social Media, Alcohol, Mental Health
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Social Media, Alcohol, Mental Health
Gen Z and millennials might never fully understand each other - and I suppose that's to be expected.
When you're raised in different generations, everything from societal norms and even slang phrases can change pretty rapidly.
And eventually, it'll be Gen Alpha and the next generation, born in 2025, comparing and contrasting their own ways of living.
In the meantime, though, people have taken to Reddit to discuss the intergenerational differences between Gen Z and millennials.
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One user posted in the r/AskAnything thread: "Millennials, what confuses you about Gen Z?"
The thread received a huge 18 thousand comments - but there were a number of reoccurring answers throughout.
Here's a look at the main themes...
Redditors were in agreement that Gen Zers appear to have skipped their 'awkward phase' when it comes to their looks.
One person observed: "It’s like they came out of elementary school knowing how to coordinate outfits and drink Starbucks."
A second agreed: "I don’t understand how all of them are so cute and dressed well.
"We all looked like s**t back in the day but I’m also incredibly thankful that I didn’t care about 'aesthetic' and being on point at all times at 13-14 years old."
One person reasoned: "Because to learn about style before you had to have parents to buy you magazines or your own money to buy the magazines and then also needed the money to buy the clothes and the transportation to the mall.
"Now style videos are easy to find and clothes can be delivered home and I think parents are less judgy about what their kids wear."
Others reckon Gen Z forget millennials still use social media that was popular when they were younger.
One Redditor answered: "Why some of them act like they pioneered the social media/influencer boom or look at me surprised because I have Snapchat, etc, even though many of these came out when millennials like me were in our early 20s and the core demographic."
In a similar vein, people picked up on certain phrases Gen Zers apparently don't realize millennials are familiar with.
Someone else shared: "One of my students said, 'LMAO' in front of me yesterday and she asked me if I knew what it meant.
"I had to tell her that those kinds of acronyms are at least 20 years old and my generation popularized them. She was shocked."
The younger generation's shift in attitude towards alcohol has also been noticed.
It's been reported that Gen Z is drinking significantly less than previous generations, with a 20 percent decrease compared to millennials.
One user witnessed first-hand at a college football game that a lot of Gen Zers 'don't drink alcohol,' adding: "I was really surprised by what I saw... Back in the 2000s/2010s you would see what seem liked everyone getting HAMMERED in the AM."
Another millennial Reddit user explained how as a high schooler, they 'hated being labeled' but added: "Now it seems people want their labels on display - whether it’s sexuality or learning differences, etc (ace, neurodivergent, etc)."
They added: "I respect it, I just remember not wanting to be boxed into labels."
What followed was a rather wholesome discussion, as one person concluded: "I think it has something to do with finding our own identities and finding reasons for why we are the way we are. It's a way for us to find community and safety among peers I think.
"You wanting to be free from labels and us wanting to find the correct labels most likely stem from the same place."
Some Redditors noted how much more open the Gen Zers can be about their mental health, but others pointed out that some trends they willingly partake in still make fun of particular traits.
As one person put it: "With all this 'everyone is fighting their own battles' and 'it's okay to not be okay' rhetoric. Y'all REALLY like pointing out particular traits of mental illness and making fun of others for it.
"Like, 'living in your head rent free,' 'you really a [x] doing [y]? Yikes,' etc."
One person weighed in: "[Some] Gen Z use it as a way to bring mental illness into the conversation to reduce stigma and maybe help people seek the help they need.
"Some are genuine asshats who love to make fun of others..."