15+ Things Gen Z Do That We Just Don't Understand

You’d be hard pressed to find a Gen Zer who isn’t constantly glued to their phone. They use their phones for literally everything, from ordering drinks at bars to taking notes in class. While previous generations have grown up with separate media devices (PCs, iPods, real-life newspapers and magazines!), Gen Z has everything conveniently stored on one device – the phone.

Did we ever think it would be uncool to pull out a wallet at the dinner table? Turns out many Gen Zers don’t have any need for a wallet at all. They don’t carry cash – they simply use their phones to pay for everything. And forget having to carry around things like ticket stubs or receipts – it’s all online.

Is it even possible to attend a social event nowadays without someone taking photos? Gen Z are intent on taking photographic evidence of their social lives (which they later share on social media). They’ll take photos of everything, from food, to coffee cups, to even themselves crying.

Gen Z are notorious for taking certain words and phrases and using them so much that they become buzzwords. It’s great that they’re learning about the narcissism and toxicity at such a young age, but it seems that these words are now used in an almost blasé way in everyday conversation. They perhaps undervalue how complex the meanings of these words are.

According to Gen Z, wearing ankle socks is embarrassing. Who knew? Longer socks that are pulled up higher are considered a cooler complement to sneakers nowadays. We have no idea why it’s suddenly out of fashion to show bare ankle, but it’s a trend that we can probably get on board with when Winter comes around.

Gen Z is well-known for doing the bare minimum when it comes to work. Well, maybe that’s a harsh way of wording it. Let’s just say that they have a very different outlook on work-life balance and simply don’t believe in the traditional five day, nine to five work week.

Magazines, books, coursework – it’s all digital nowadays. It boggles the mind to think that Gen Zers can sit at a desk and get all their work done with zero paper. They rarely get paper mail posted to them. They’ll never have a beloved collection of used ticket stubs. It’s better for the environment, but still takes older generations some getting used to.

Voice notes are another mystery to us. It seems so strange to talk into a phone without it being a back and forth, two-way conversation. But exchanging voice notes with each other is becoming ever more popular with Gen Z, with some messages becoming increasingly lengthy. How are you supposed to remember and respond to everything when recording a reply?

The real mystery of Gen Z is how they all managed to skip the awkward phase that comes with puberty. It’s like all Gen Zers magically grew up knowing how to style their outfits, do their makeup, and act confidently. Though social media tracks everything, there doesn’t seem to be a single cringeworthy photo in sight.

Perms and mullet hairstyles were huge in the 70s and 80s, but we’d personally rather not relive the memories. We can’t help but wince every time we see a Gen Zer nonchalantly sporting a mullet haircut. And perms are back, but this time, it’s for the boys...

Phone scrolling used to be something we did alone to kill time in periods of boredom. However, it seems more and more common for teens to get together in groups and scroll as a collective. Rather than engaging in non-stop conversation, they seem to browse their phones individually, occasionally stopping only to announce what they’ve just read or watched.

A popular category of video on TikTok is the morning or evening routine. This is where a vlogger or influencer films themselves going about their usual daily activity. Often, these video creators are complete strangers to those who are watching. It’s unclear what the appeal is here – to get ideas for your own routine or to feel envy? Someone, please explain!

This one’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it can’t be said for previous generations! Many Gen Zers don’t drink alcohol at all and have no interest in going on wild nights out at clubs. Instead, they might prefer to stay indoors and crochet with their friends. We could only dream of being so demure at that age.

A trait that’s specific to Gen Z is their innate sense of justice (just look at Greta Thunberg!) At such young ages, they’re on the pulse with global news and politics. They don’t hesitate to demand social corporate responsibility from businesses they interact with, and don’t think twice about participating in social justice campaigns. Teens of past generations couldn’t even comprehend the knowledge that Gen Z has at their fingertips.

You might think you’re still young, but have a conversation with anyone Gen Z and you’ll be woefully put in your place. Gen Z seems to have an entire new language of their own. Just a few mystifying words and phrases that don’t mean what we think they mean: “cap/no cap,” “drip,” and “bet.”

Previous generations were taught to climb the work ladder and be as financially successful as possible. Gen Z is completely different. They see past the façade of middle management positions. They see being a manager as extra stress that’s not quite worth the slightly higher salary. Previous generations would never have dreamed that turning down a promotion was a possibility.

Gen Z seems to have no hesitation in documenting their entire lives online (perhaps because they don’t drink too much?). Some have even made a career of it. This is a world away from previous generations, who either grew up without social media, or who were more cautious and wary of new technology.

Gen Z doesn’t mess around when it comes to skincare. They’re willing to spend hundreds of dollars on trending products and brands - that’s more than can be said for teens of past generations! But are they going too far? Harsh active ingredients like retinol aren’t necessary on their already dolphin-smooth skin.

We probably had the exact same thoughts when we were younger, but of course, now that we’re older we realize how incredibly offensive it is! We might be over a certain age, but we still feel like we’re in our 20s. We’re quickly put in our place after speaking to anyone who is Gen Z.

How do they get so much done on such a tiny screen? Gen Z are known for being mobile-first when it comes to electronic devices. That means that they use their phone to carry out important tasks that were once reserved for a desktop computer – booking flight tickets, online shopping, you name it.

Another thing we don’t understand about Gen Z is their ability to act completely authentically. Gone are the days of polite small talk at work. They don’t filter themselves on social media to try appear perfect. They’re open about mental health issues. They don’t seem to care about online privacy and freely interact with online ads. Previous generations were much more concerned about the repercussions of being so vulnerable.

We’ll admit it – booking Ubers just confuses us. Gen Z is so used to having everything at the tips of their fingers, and transport is no exception. Whatever happened to good old fashioned public transport? Even calling for a cab seems to be going out of style.

Social media has allowed many Gen Zers to become entrepreneurs. But interestingly, many of them aren’t selling a specific product or service. They are the brand. The mere act of being themselves and living their lives is enough to influence others and make money. We just don’t get it, but more power to them for being able to pull it off.

Gen Z aren’t only obsessed with taking photos – recording videos is just as (if not more) popular with this age group. They’ll film literally anything – concerts, vacations, parties. Creating video content just seems to come naturally to them, whereas previous generations were much more camera shy.

Gen Z is very specific when it comes to their clothing. The current trend is the seasonal color analysis. This is where they learn which colors best suit their skin tone and stick to wearing only these colors, religiously. We’re not sure if this is super restrictive or whether it makes life a lot easier?

With the overwhelmingly vast amount of content and entertainment available to them, Gen Z is susceptible to a short attention span. We can never understand what it must be like to grow up in such a world where there are too many available options to focus on.

Back in the day, meeting up in person was one of the only ways to communicate meaningfully with someone. Now, though, Gen Z has many more ways of socializing. This means that they seem to spend less time together in person and more time hanging out via their phones. This isn’t only true for one-one-one interactions, but for group chats too.

In such an interconnected world, all of Gen Z seems to know about the same movies, books, trends, podcasts, and celebrities, and they can easily talk about these at length. It’s like an exclusive club. Anyone else who tries to get involved is going to struggle to keep up!

Vaping is considered a new concept to older generations. Tobacco cigarettes were all the rage back in the 50s, whereas vaping really took off from around 2020. It still surprises us when we walk past teenagers who are casually surrounded by sickly sweet clouds of vapor.

When did lip syncing become more popular than singing out loud? Gen Z is known for recording videos of themselves lip syncing to songs while dancing or doing their makeup. And it’s not only limited to music – they often lip sync to sound bites from movies and TV shows.

Gen Z is notorious for being picky with their food. There seems to be more vegans now than ever before, and this is reflected in restaurant and café menus. Multiple plant-based milks are commonplace now, whereas we were lucky if we could even get our hands on soy milk back in the day.  

Gen Z is obsessed with self-care – their mental health is top priority. This can be difficult for other generations to understand. If anything seems more hassle than its worth, they have no hesitation in turning it down or walking away from it. Gen Z is also very open about investing in therapy, more than any other age group.

Today's youth loves 00s nostalgia, though for everyone else, the 00s seem like just yesterday. Flares, butterfly clips, low-rise jeans, and chunky sneakers were all cool in the past before Gen Z were even born. We know fashion trends always come full circle but almost all of us are still traumatized when those jeans were cool the first-time round.

We don’t know how Gen Z does it. They have an incredible sense of self for being so young. It can also be a delicate balance though. If people disagree with what they’re doing or saying, Gen Z is quick to dismiss them as haters. They don’t consider that sometimes people might be genuinely concerned about their actions.

It doesn’t matter if a celebrity or public figure creates the most life-changing product in the world, if Gen Z doesn’t agree with their views or actions, they want nothing to do with it. You have to applaud their principles, but this age of the internet means that it’s hard for people to ever move on from the past.

Many Gen Zers openly state that they don’t want kids - not because they don’t want to be parents, but because they don’t want to bring new life into such a chaotic world. While they don’t take things lying down, they realize that whining doesn’t affect change. They’d rather speak through actions than words. Again, this isn’t a bad thing, but it’s a bold concept for older generations.

Polygamy, throuples, demisexuals, open relationships – these terms are sure to mystify anyone who’s not Gen Z. Gen Z is no doubt the most diverse and accepting generation to exist. They believe that gender is on a spectrum. They can see past sex when it comes to romantic relationships. This isn’t a bad thing, but it takes time for other generations to get to grips with these novel concepts.

Back in the day when social media first took off, perfectly staged shots at great angles were what drew in the likes. Even in the days of film cameras, there was nothing more disappointing than finding an out-of-focus shot among your pile of developed pictures. Nowadays though, Gen Z seems to have deemed intentionally blurry candid snaps as cool.

Many people view TikTok as nothing more than a frivolous Gen Z app that initiates ridiculous trends. But anyone over the age of 27 would probably seriously struggle to get the hang of using it anyway. How do these digital skills appear so innate for Gen Zers?! They're able to learn new platforms, tips, and tricks seemingly effortlessly.

We’ve only just gotten on board with sending fun GIFs in our messages, and now Gen Z has deemed them embarrassing and uncool. We don’t get it! GIFs are a hilarious addition to online communication and often perfectly summarize our emotions when words fail us.