Why Does It Seem Like Gen Zs Skipped This Life Stage Entirely?" People Are Sharing Their Greatest Confusions About Younger Generations

"As a millennial, Gen Z's confidence when it comes to this is confusing... and I admire it."

Intergenerational confusion: It's nothing new. With each generation, older people feel more and more out of touch. And naturally, they have a whole bunch of questions. So I dug through comments from the BuzzFeed Community and rounded up some things that older generations find baffling about Gen Z.

 



1. "QR codes. What's wrong with a paper menu, one I can just pick up and read without having to get out my phone, ask for the WiFi code, and download a menu."

 

2. "Why nobody carries cash around anymore. Apparently this is because it's embarrassing to pay with cash these days, not because of a hygiene issue or something. I've seen multiple people abandon their groceries because their card doesn't work at the register or the machine was broken and they didn't have cash on hand."

 

3. "Gen-Zs blasting music and having conversations on speakerphone at top volume in public. Why!? It infuriates me to an irrational degree."

 

4. "Not all food needs to be 'elevated,' 'deconstructed' or 'fusion.' When I’m ordering say a Reuben sandwich, it’s because I want a Reuben sandwich. I don’t want the chef’s artistic interpretation. Just keep it simple and do it right."

 

5. "I can't stand when someone texts or emails me asking me if I am available for a quick phone call. Just call me. Why does everything need to be scheduled?"

 

6. "Younger generations and their eReaders. I will never own an eReader. I guess I can see the convenience in having a bunch of books with you at all times, but nothing compares to a real paper book. Also, second hand books, because they’re pre-loved and you can tell someone really enjoyed the book if it’s a little beat up. It makes me want to read it more."

 

7. "Short-form video content. It's everywhere on TikTok and now YouTube. I'm barely in my 30s and I already feel like an old man that I don't understand how those 15 second clips have become so popular. I really can't see what people find so funny about watching you and your buddies singing and doing silly choreography to some crappy rap music blasting in your mom's basement."

 

8. "Using anxiety as an excuse for everything. I'm 29, and I can pretty much say that everyone under 30 believes anxiety is an excuse for not doing the things you have to do. Being a little nervous sometimes isn't a full blown anxiety disorder. That's called being a human being and having normal emotions. And truth be told, I think TikTok and social media has led to a ton of young people self-diagnosing themselves (most often, so they have an excuse to smoke more weed or simply because they want to be able to use mental health as an excuse). Mental health is important, but it's not an excuse to get you out of turning in a project on time or doing something you know to be wrong."

 

9. "I want to know why Gen-Z’s say 'on accident' instead of 'by accident.' Seriously, where did this nonsense come from? Not only is it grammatically incorrect, but It sounds moronic and makes no sense. It’s always been 'by accident' and always will be."

 

10. "What is that Gen-Z haircut? It's like a fade with some Justin Timberlake sprinkled on top. It looks like the broccoli muppet from Sesame Street."

 

11. "How much Gen Z reveals about themselves on the internet. I've seen TikToks where kids are showing videos of their street, their house, their school...pretty much everything anyone would ever need to follow you and/or potentially do bad things to you. If you want to document your life online that's fine, but be careful. People can do a whole lot with a little bit of information, and the internet can be a really dangerous place if you're not careful."

 

12. "I’m 26 so apparently I am on the cusp of Gen-Z, but what I genuinely don’t understand is the utter obsession with zodiac signs. A girl told my little sister that she was going to hate her just because she learned what my sister’s sign is. And she was being totally serious. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard...and of course it's not backed by any science."

 

13. "I’m an older Millennial, but I don't understand the way some of my counterparts are raising kids these days. I would much rather raise my kids like my Boomer parents did. Kids today are made the center of their parents’ universe, are emotionally bubbled-wrapped and kept on leashes. I keep seeing stories online of kids who are going on trips away from parents for the first time and they’re like 18 years old. It is mind blowing."

 

14. "I am always surprised at how many Gen Z'ers use Snapchat as a method of normal communication. Seriously, the actual messaging functionality seems completely terrible."

 

15. "So. Many. Apps. Not everything needs to connect to the internet or have an app attached to it. I just want my fridge to keep food cold, I don't understand why we have to bring WiFi into this situation."

 

16. "The way Gen-Z'ers send emails. What is this? I was working with a few, and instead of sending one email with the necessary information I got many separate emails full of piecemeal information and zero context. I had to remind them that email is not text message, and you should have all your ducks in a row before hitting send, for the love of god."

 

17. "Trendy fast fashion. Screw that. My clothes should be made to last. I’m not rich so it’s unavoidable, but I’m willing to spend extra on clothes that aren’t made of plastic, and I do my best to repair my damaged clothing instead of throwing it out."

 

18. "You don’t need to document everything you do and post it to your social media. Sometimes it’s better just to live in the moment and enjoy what’s happening around you."

 

19. "The digitalization of movies. I like physically owning the movies I love. I have friends who love the movie and watch it on Netflix whenever they can, and then Netflix removes it. And if it's a rare find, then you might never see it again. Owning a physical copy means you get to keep it and cherish it forever."

 

20. "What happened to the infamous awkward phase, and why does it seem like they all skipped this part of life? It’s like all Gen Z'ers came out of elementary school knowing how to coordinate outfits and drink Starbucks."

 

21. "The constant need to be video chatting. Gen-Z's are doing it constantly. If I have a video chat it needs to be pre-planned at least 72 hours ahead of time. Gen Z wakes up and video chats with a friend before they even get the sleep out of their eyes."

 

22. "Why don’t you ask older people when you don’t know something? I work with a lot of Gen Z's and I see a lot of the blind leading the blind for no reason at all. It's not so bad to seek an outside opinion."

 

23. "Gen Z's confidence and ability to wear anything is confusing and I admire that."

 

24. "Why do they get so happy when plans fall through? I hate when my plans fall through. I don't go out that often, So when I actually make plans to go out with people and enjoy my life and then those plans get canceled I get extremely depressed. On the other hand, there are all those memes popular among Gen-Zs about how happy you are when plans fall get cancelled."

 

25. "How they got so good at maintaining houseplants at such a young age. All my younger coworkers have had desks overflowing with lush plants. I couldn’t keep a houseplant alive until I turned 30."

 

26. "The fashion. It seems that Gen-Z has cherry picked a few terrible fashion trends from each decade and brought them back to life. Mullets, mom jeans (once the subject of an SNL skit highlighting how ugly they are), and Crocs are suddenly cool again. Please just tell me rat tails aren't next."

 

27. "Why do they call everything a hack? Seriously, some of the things young folks think of as 'extraordinary hacks' are things most of us have been doing for decades."

 

What is something that confuses you about another generation? Tell us in the comments.