Why is Everyone Talking About the “Millennial Pause”?
Kate Lindsay’s article on The Atlantic ignited a flame and started a conversation around the term “Millennial pause” recently. Lindsay starts her article with, “The first generation to grow up with social media; Millennials are now becoming the first generation to age out of it”. However, what is meant by this “Millennial pause”, and how did it start a war between generations online?
Millennial Pause refers to the split-second Millennials wait before they start talking in their videos. If you are also a Millennial, it is customary to be unaware of it as it is most probably an unintentional pause on your part. However, this trait is absent in Gen Z’s videos considering they are the age group that is more in tune with the video format. That is also one of the reasons why they dominate social media platforms like TikTok now.
The whole conversation started last year when a 28-year-old TikToker @nisipisa coined the term “Millennial Pause” by referring to Taylor Swift’s TikTok post, which the megastar could not escape the cringy pause when she started recording.
@nisipisa’s post started a conversation around generational mannerisms on social media by also paying tribute to Taylor Swift, “I am obsessed with the fact that not even Taylor thee Swift is immune to the inevitable millennial obligatory pause before you start talking in a TikTok to make sure it’s recording, God! Will she ever stop being relatable, I love her!”
One of the ways one can observe the generational gap is through different age groups’ mannerisms on social media. While the millennials ruled the age of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, they struggle to fit into the TikTok era, which is currently shaping popular culture. Gen Z overthrows Millennials and mocks their cringe-worthy social media channels. Therefore, as the first generation that grew up with social media, Millennials also become the first generation that grows out of it.
It is also interesting how #millennialpause is trending on TikTok and how the whole term has provoked a war between two generations. While Gen Z makes fun of Millennials’ old-fashioned and, in their words, “cringy” content, Millennials upload videos that threaten Gen Z’s dominance with the upcoming age group, Gen Alpha.
For instance, while TikToker @amsbeih makes fun of the way millennials used to pose for photos, another TikToker @ratchkins that comes to the Millennials’ rescue mocks the younger generation by reminding them that they will age out of the internet and become cringy one day too when Gen Alpha joins the crowd.
Should Millennials reconstruct their social media mannerisms and try to fit into the new trends, or should they proudly create content that represents their age group’s identity? It seems like the first step is to accept that each generation has different backgrounds, attitudes and values. There should not be a debate over which era is better as Millennial TikTokers also suggest there will come a time when Gen Z becomes “cringy”.
The most important thing is that the Millennial Pause debate not only started a conversation around how Millennials have aged out of today’s internet culture, but it also drew attention to the behaviours of different generations and how a slight pause at the beginning of a video can have more meaning than we could ever imagine.
Those little gestures and behaviours are significant signs and symbols that communicate specific values, beliefs and ways of being. Therefore, figuring out these nuances and meaningful signifiers within the cultural systems becomes even more essential for brands and businesses to establish relevancy and depth in their communications.
As a cross-cultural strategic consultancy, pakt works to discover ideas, insights and meanings hidden in plain sight for your business. Reach out to us and tell us about your objectives, and we will find a meaningful space within your market’s cultural context for you.
