5 differences between how Millennials and Gen Z text

It’s finally time to unpack a question that’s quietly puzzled many: Why does Gen Z’s texting style feel like decoding a secret language? While Millennials were known for shortening sentences and embracing emojis, Gen Z has taken digital communication to a whole new level and it has left some older texters scratching their heads. 

Here are 5 differences between how millennials and Gen Zs text

Let’s talk about the trickiest part of texting today — the acronyms! Sure, every generation uses them, but decoding Gen Z’s alphabet is a whole different challenge. While Millennials are fluent in classics like LOL (Laughing Out Loud) and ROFL (Rolling on the Floor Laughing), Gen Z's acronyms are somewhat just random letters waiting to be decoded. Think: RN (Right Now), IKR (I Know, Right?), and the ever-mysterious IFYKYK (If You Know, You Know). Some of them are easy to catch on while others feel like we need a Gen Z-to-English translator.

The tone matters the most when texting, and it gets a bit tough when blunt sentences tend to come off as sarcastic, doesn’t it? While Millennials often text exactly what they want to say in a straightforward tone, like if they’re angry, their rudeness might show, even if it’s worded professionally, Gen Zs have different ways of making the tone visible through text. If the message comes in full uppercase, then my friend, the person is very angry and probably yelling at you. Lowercase symbolizes a calm and casual tone, whereas random keyboard smashing might just be the sign for you to run for your life!

While punctuation plays a big role in Millennials’ texting style, as it should be, Gen Zs don’t really have it in their dictionary. A period at the end of a sentence? Totally normal for Millennials. But if Gen Zs happen to use one, it might come off as passive-aggressive or just a little too serious.

Apart from the acronyms, the length of the message might just give away whether you’re a Millennial or a Gen Z. Millennials often prefer to write full sentences, even paragraphs in texts. Whereas Gen Zs follow the rule of one thought equals one text and to make it more relatable, memes do the talking on most of the days!

Leaving someone on read or not responding to a text for a long time might just be too rude for Millennials so before they get engrossed in some other work, they often text Be Right Back or Talk to you Later. But with Gen Zs, well, Ghosting is an art. It is all part of the game and if someone reacts to that or questions them, they might get offended as well!

So, have you mastered the art of Millennial texting, or are you still out here trying to decode Gen Z lingo one emoji at a time?