Millennials don’t get these Gen Z social media trends – here’s why
Words by Ella Calland
Photos: Getty
Millennials and Gen Z grew up on wildly different versions of the internet. Born between 1982 and 1996, Millennials experienced the web’s evolution from dial-up to smartphones, whereas Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, came of age with the internet at their fingertips. While Millennials used to type g2g (got to go), Gen Z never logged off – the boundary between offline and online dissolved.
As the internet evolved, it didn’t just lose its off switch; it also lost its innocence. Viral moments in the 2010s – Double Rainbow, Ridiculously Photogenic Guy, Grumpy Cat – now seem painfully earnest and charmingly cringe. In hindsight, this era is remembered as a more “hopeful time” online, fuelling nostalgia for wholesome trends like “The Mannequin Challenge”.
Today, a chronically online Gen Z is both fluent in and disillusioned by social media. The result is a constant churn of throwaway trends built on meta-irony, hyper-self-awareness and deliberate absurdity – a tone that often alienates Millennials raised on sincerity, even at their most cringe. From slime videos to vague posting, these are the social media trends leaving the over-30s behind.
1. Silent reaction videos
TikTok’s “duet” feature took reaction videos to a whole new level, allowing creators to commentate effortlessly via split-screen. While it made the platform feel more dynamic, it has also ushered in a wave of non-verbal commentary that tips the format into the absurd. Some creators use silence for slapstick effect – think Mr Bean and Charlie Chaplin-style expressions – but many silent duets simply regurgitate the original video, functioning as little more than a content-farming tactic.
2. De-Influencing
Millennials watched YouTube stars morph into full-blown influencers – with beauty bloggers like Zoella turning everyday vlogs into lucrative brand deals. Gen Z, however, is pushing back. Tired of excessive targeted ads and influencer promotions, creators are now “de-influencing”. This involves actively discouraging followers from buying unnecessary items and urging them to consume more consciously. Zoella’s £50 Boots advent calendar wouldn’t pass the vibe check today.
3. Posting photos on TikTok
Going ‘photo mode’ on TikTok may feel counterintuitive, but Gen Z is fully embracing the format. Just as Instagram introduced Reels to chase the success of short-form video, TikTok launched static carousel posts to compete with Meta. Creators can now post up to 35 photos, from text-message screenshots to day-in-the-life photo dumps. For Gen-Z, the action happens in the comments. Curated content and impressions are being left behind, replaced by deliberately low-effort posts that spark debate. Think static images with mildly controversial captions like ‘pineapple belongs on pizza’ – this is the new era of TikTok.
4. Vague posting
The cryptic Facebook status has found new life on TikTok in the form of vague posting. What was once an attention-seeking use of deep song lyrics has evolved into something else entirely. Ever scrolled past a video that made little to no sense? Think: a plastic bag blowing in the wind, captioned: ‘this is me for real’. You head to the comments for more context, only to find a chorus of ‘so real’ and ‘IYKYK’. This style of vague-posting caters to hyper-niche audiences, leaning on inside jokes that deliberately exclude the masses – miss that specific moment online, and you’re officially out of the loop.
5. AI voice over
In the first generation of YouTubers, personality was everything. Creators like PewDiePie and Jenna Marbles built massive audiences through charisma, humour and relatability, making subscribers feel like they knew them personally. Today, Gen Z creators don’t need to put themselves on camera to rack up the views. The rise of AI-generated content has ushered in a wave of impersonal videos narrated by computer-generated voiceovers. Stripped of nuance and individuality, these clips prioritise virality over personality. Online fame no longer requires you to find your own unique voice.
6. Slime videos
Slime content has become staple viewing for Gen Z – a satisfying yet strange phenomenon that sees the younger generation hypnotised by a simple concept: hands playing with gooey slime. The trend mirrors ASMR in how it soothes and comforts through sensory focus. By triggering the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) – a tingling sensation that can travel from the scalp down the neck and spine – these videos can stop an ever-scrolling generation in their tracks, bringing them back into their bodies after disassociating on the feed.
7. Catching up on Snapchat
Launched in 2011, Snapchat’s initial concept was simple: disappearing photos designed to encourage fleeting, more natural online interactions. If you’re a millennial, you’ll remember Snapchat as a playful space to share quick snaps and flirty messages with no paper trail. For Gen Z, however, Snapchat has become their primary form of online communication. From messaging and voice notes to voice calls and group chats, the platform has embedded itself into everyday social life.
8. TikTok comments
Millennials have never felt older than when they’re attempting to decipher a TikTok comment thread. Gen-Z lingo is ever evolving and can often leave older users scratching their heads. Millennial dialect is a thing of the past; no one is saying “that’s so noughties” anymore – it’s “noughties-core”. Gen Z even have a term for these outdated behaviours: cheugy, often used to describe peak 2010s millennial trends. So, if you were born in the mid-80s to early 90s and find yourself decoding comments like: “I fear this ate” or “I’m cooked”, just think of them as the modern equivalents of “slay” and “fml”.
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