The other day I came across the meme that reminded me that I am becoming older and I no longer have any idea who sings the songs that are in the Top 40 countdowns and I'm not obsessed with Snapchat.
Before I go any further, I want to point out that Millennials were born between the years of 1982-1996 and Gen Z was born between the years of 1996-2012. I am not a younger Millennial, but I am not an old Millennial either. At this point I classify myself as an older Millennial at the age of 27. As a member of the Millennial generation, I remember we had our trends that older generations didn't understand.
Here is the meme in question:
Who the fuck IS Bebe Rehxa or Lil Tay?The Dad, Facebook
Now I understand the confusion and frustration that my parents had when I was a child/teenager and would blast Britney Spears/Lil Jon/Good Charlotte while my mom had no idea who these people were and didn't care.
Here are 5 things that older Millennials such as myself just don't get about Younger Millennials and Gen Z:
The Music
I only recently learned about Bebe Rexha at my new job working with children ages 8-17. Okay, I seriously have no idea who she is or who Lil Tay, Post Malone or Cardi B are. I mean, I heard Bebe Rexha's song with Florida Georgia Line and it wasn't too bad, but that's all I know about her.
The obsession with Snapchat
I too am a user of Snapchat, but I'm not obsessed with it and don't use it to chronicle every moment of my life. I guess Snapchat is Gen Z's version of Facebook and that's cool, I just don't use it as much as I use Facebook and Instagram. In fact, Gen Zs are moving away from Facebook in favor of using Snapchat.
Living their life by the world of YouTube
According to NPR, YouTubers influence Gen Z's fashion tastes. One popular form of videos called "Haul videos" consist of people trying on different clothes and talking about them, which influences some Gen Z members' choice of style. Not only does YouTube have an influence on Gen Z's fashion choices, but they seem to be major followers of channels such as a channel called "3 AM Videos". A few popular YouTube creators include Amanda Steele, Connor Franta and King Bach. I have no idea who these people are.
The ability to constantly be on their smartphones
Since Gen Z grew up in a time where the Internet was always around and Millennials remember a time where Internet was limited in the form of Dial-Up or if you lived in a rural area, you had no Internet. Since Gen Z/ younger millennials grew up in a digitized word, it seems they can't imagine a life without the Internet or Smartphone. Now, this isn't simply a Gen Z/Millennial issue, many people regardless of their age can become addicted to using their smartphones. I'm guilty of using my phone a lot at times, but sometimes I just need to turn it off and take a break from the world.
Their slang
Younger millennials and Gen Z tend to use slang terms such as "Tea", which is slang for gossiping (Um, okay?), "Suh" for "what's up?", "Milk" for indicating that someone needs help (I'm so confused, I don't get these kids) and of course the all known "Lit", which means something was amazing, neat or crazy.
I feel so old right now.
