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Gen Z and Millennials have revealing chat about how differently they've experienced the 2000s

"Millennials had dial up internet. And a life before that internet was created."

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Gen Z discusses the biggest cultural differences between them and Millennials.

Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) and Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) only have a handful of years between them. But if you ask them, they were raised worlds apart.

In an online forum discussing generational differences, a member named @No_Title_615 posed the question: "Why are Gen Z so much different to Millennials?" They went on to share, "So I grew up during the 2000’s and 2010’s and as a society I felt like we were honestly in a really good place culturally. However as we entered the 2020’s I felt a big shift in society."

The shift? A noticed change in overall optimism to pessimism. "Suddenly there was so much more doomerism. The optimism of the 2010’s pretty much went away," they wrote.

The post prompted many Gen Zers and Millennials to add their thoughts and opinions about their differences growing up--and they did not hold back. From societal norms to technology and more, here are the most interesting responses from Gen Z and Millennials.

"Millennials grew up and learned the internet and technology as it was happening whereas GenZ will utter phrases like “wtf do you mean, no internet?” at some point in their lives." —@Quiet-Donut2192

"I feel like the optimism of the 2010s was more an Obama 2nd term thing than an all of the 2010s thing." —@Someperson727

"Millennials had dial up internet. And a life before that internet was created." —@grom513

dial up, dial up internet, internet, aol, internet memeDial Up The Struggle GIFGiphy

"The way that I see it, is that the 2010’s were right after the housing crash, and ppl became more optimistic, going to clubs more and such. However, post-COVID, I feel after that crisis, music I particular seems to be getting better. After a social crisis, the music seems to reflect the feelings that everyone is feeling. Then afterwards, a couple of years or so, the music becomes more uplifting and even reflective. This is the period that we’re in, imo. Hope this makes sense." —@Maxi-Lux

"9/11 and COVID were large reasons that separate Gen Z and Millennials. Millennials had an understanding of what life was like before 9/11, not Gen Z. Millennials had a taste of the workforce before COVID, not Gen Z. Gen Z grew up and faced adulthood in the midst of crisises, Millennials had the taste of the normal life before it got taken away." —@XConejoMaloX

scrolling, smart phone, iphone, scrolling mindlessly, scrolling gifAdd Hasan Minhaj GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"Smartphones changed everything. My upbringing was largely the same as millenials, but when smartphones started getting popular, everyone I knew got busy, cold, and distant. I'd try having conversations with people and they'd just stare at their phones the whole time. I think constant internet access has left people fragmented, with our heads in the clouds. You could live right next to each other but have nothing in common, because everything is online now." —@OnTheRadio3

"I say this all the time and frequently get a lot of flack for it but the doomerism is a byproduct of inexperience. People who spend most of their time online or in videogames or otherwise rotting away alone at home aren’t gaining much in the way of life experience but they don’t want to come off to others (or themselves) as naive, sheltered, etc. so they adopt this kind of idiotic cynicism to stand in for the wisdom of experience. Others see this and basically copy it because if you don’t know better then it sounds very worldly and jaded. Gen Z exhibits this due to the isolation and terminally online nature of their upbringing." —@Woodit

party rock, millennials, party rock dance, dancing, shufflingdance party everyday im shufflin GIFGiphy

"Gen Z refused to Party Rock." —@One_Huckleberry_

"Millennials had access to the world’s information without it being algorithmically weaponized against them during their formative years." —@Messiah_Thomas

"We know what it’s like to not have the internet or phones on us 24/7. Also we know what it’s like to play outside and be bored to our core." —User Unknown

play outside, outside, outdoors, playing, boredPlay Go GIFGiphy

"I mean bruh, 2020 literally started off with a pandemic, it’s not the best reference point to go off of plus we are only halfway through our current decade. I think nostalgia for happier/youthful times is playing a part in warping your perspective. There’s a lot of factors though, Gen Z as a whole has been disenfranchised by a feeling of lack of purpose and bad financial prospects. It’s not something I’d arbitrarily chalk down to our generation as a whole, but rather the material conditions of our modern day environment and things happening beyond our control. For most of us, we were hit by the Covid lockdowns right after or during high school so key years of our youth got utterly fucked and what came after was bitter sweet. Things got a hell of a lot more expensive in the last few years and wages aren’t sufficiently rising to keep up with inflation. so that plays a huge part. More youth are realizing the contradictions and flaws within our economic system and yearn for change. Tough times can create a lot of animosity and frustration in people." —@Triscuitsandbiscuits

"I wonder if the fact that there was a global pandemic had anything to do with decreasing levels of optimism." —@AdMurky3039

tiktok, tiktok dance, tik tok choreo, tiktok dancing, dance tiktokJimmy Fallon Dancing GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonGiphy

"Internet, YouTube, Tik Tok. Constantly exposed to what we would have considered bad influences before." —@Electrical-Lead-3792

"We had an incredible upbringing. Music was great, the state of the world was great (besides 9/11). Pop culture was great. Everything was just getting better and better. Movies, games, phones, internet, cars getting cooler and cooler, buildings getting cooler and cooler. People getting cooler. And we learned almost everything through experiences, socializing, mentorships, taking advice, listening to our elders, asking questions, experimenting, arguing, challenging ourselves, breaking ourselves down, lifting ourselves up, and figuring what this world means to us. While the new generation, the minute they’re unsure about something they run to ChatGPT. They don’t take risks. They don’t argue anything, the right opinion is the most popular or upvoted. They’re not insightful. They don’t value perspective. And everything is as good as it gets for them. Different times. We were like the roaring twenties before 1929 happened." —@SasukesFriend321


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A Pediatrician asked terminal kids what they enjoyed about life. Here are their answers.

Beautiful life advice, no matter how old you are.

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Pediatrician Alastair McAlpine gave some of his terminal patients an assignment.

Pediatrician Alastair McAlpine gave some of his terminal patients an assignment. What they told him can inspire us all.

"Kids can be so wise, y'know," the Cape Town doctor and ultra-marathon enthusiast posted to his Twitter account. He asked the young patients, short on time, about the things that really mattered to them.

What followed was a string of life advice that'll make you want to be a better person, no matter how old you are.

First, it's worth looking at what wasn't important to these kids.

"NONE said they wished they'd watched more TV. NONE said they should've spent more time on Facebook. NONE said they enjoyed fighting with others. NONE enjoyed [the] hospital," tweeted McAlpine.

Many talked about the people and animals who would miss them when they were gone.

"I love Rufus," one child told McAlpine about their dog. "His funny bark makes me laugh." Others worried about whether their parents would be OK.

They all loved stories, and many wish they'd spent less time and energy worrying about what others thought about them.

"ALL of them loved books or being told stories, especially by their parents," wrote McAlpine, who then shared a couple short anecdotes about Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, and literary adventures in space.

They also understood that people who treat you differently for superficial reasons, like your hair or a surgery scar, aren't worth worrying about.

What was important was having fun, being kind, and holding on to their sense of humor.

These kids loved swimming and playing on the beach, and they valued others who extended kindness to them along the way. "I like it when that kind nurse is here," one patient told McAlpine. "She's gentle. And it hurts less."

Above all, they cherished their families (and favorite toys).

"They ALL valued time with their family," said McAlpine. "Nothing was more important."

There's a lot we can learn from these kids — and it's incredibly easy to incorporate their lessons into our lives.

There are seven simple takeaways (well, eight if you count "eat ice cream"):

"Be kind. Read more books. Spend time with your family. Crack jokes. Go to the beach. Hug your dog. Tell that special person you love them."

Easy enough, right?

This article was originally published on December 12, 2022

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Teen son wins mom's $1,800 bet he couldn't stay off social media for 6 years

via Aranami/Flickr and Unsplash

The "18 for 18 challenge."

There is a lot of research that needs to be done on the effect that social media has on adolescents but the early studies suggest some reason for concern. The University of Columbia says that the more time teens spend on social media, the more likely they will experience mental health symptoms like anxiety, isolation and hopelessness.

Teens who can’t help but compare themselves to others are bound to have a difficult time with their self-image after spending hours a day scrolling through a world that’s predicated on likes, followers and comments.

Social media also makes it easy for teens to minimize their face-to-face contact with others. This can exacerbate feelings of alienation and hopelessness in those who suffer from social anxiety and depression.

via Pexels

One of the most disturbing studies out of BYU has found a correlation between time spent on social media and suicidality risk among teenage girls.

Lorna Klefsaas’ daughter had a tough time with Snapchat in her teens. "She got so obsessed with keeping up her Snapchat streaks that it was really affecting her mood. It was affecting her friendships,” the Minnesota mom told WUSA9.

The daughter is in grad school now and doing great with her social life, but Klefsaas hadn’t forgotten about her daughter's troubles when her younger son, Sivert, turned 12. She wanted to do whatever she could to keep him off social media, so she made him a bet. If he could stay off until he was 18, she would pay him $1,800. She called it the “18 for 18 challenge.”

"Being 12, I didn't really have that great of a concept of money yet. So, I was like oh sick, yeah, absolutely,” Sivert told WUSA9.

The student-athlete took on the challenge just like it was football or basketball. "He did really dig in. He was like ‘I'm not breaking this.’ I'm proud of him, because there were a few times where it was harder,” Klefsaas said.

"I knew for sure he was going to make it,” she added.

Klefsaas came up with the idea after hearing about another mother who issued a “16 for 16'' challenge to her daughter. She beefed up the deal by two years to hopefully carry her son into adulthood.

And it did.

Recently, when Sivert turned 18, he collected $1,800 from his family for being able to abstain from social media for six years. He celebrated the occasion by opening up an Instagram account, but he has a lot of catching up to do.

"It's hilarious. I feel like I'm like 80. I can't seem to figure out social media. It's pretty embarrassing. I'll be with my friends, and they are like, 'what are you doing?'" Sivert laughed.

Sivert is happy he took on the challenge and won because it allowed him to spend more time focusing on his academics and sports. "On the whole, I would say totally worth it. I mean, I would do it again,” Sivert says. He’s currently sifting through offers from colleges to play football next year.

Looking to help your kids develop healthy social media habits? Anne Marie Albano, Ph.D., director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said that it's best to set time aside every day where the phones are always off.

“Mealtimes are a great time to put the phones away. Another healthy habit is to set a time each night when you’ll put all the screens away to give yourself enough time to wind down and prepare the body for sleep,” she told Columbia University.

She also says that you can improve a child’s social media habits by implementing the “grandma's rule” we all abided by as kids. You’ve got to eat your veggies before you have dessert. First, kids have to exercise and do their homework before they earn their social media time.

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John Mayer had a wonderful response to a Taylor Swift fan who wished him dead

via Wikimedia Commons and Wikimedia Commons

John Mayer and Tayloe Swift

Taylor Swift gave a tour de force performance on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend of a 10-minute version of "All Too Well," which is believed to be about Jake Gyllenhaal.

The performance was to promote her new album "Red (Taylor's Version)" which is a re-recording of her classic 2012 CD. Swift is in the process of re-recording every album she made before 2019 to reclaim the rights to her music. Her older recordings are owned by Shamrock Holdings, which gets paid whenever someone streams or buys the songs.

Swift hopes that fans will opt to listen to the new versions that she owns over the older ones.

For Swift's loyal fans, known as Swifties, the "SNL" performance brought the Gyllenhaal break-up back to the forefront and some, sensing a trend, took the opportunity to address another ex, musician John Mayer.

Swift eviscerated Mayer on the song "Dear John" which appeared on her 2010 album "Red." Here's an excerpt of the lyrics:

My mother accused me of losing my mind,

But I swore I was fine, you paint me a blue sky

And go back and turn it to rain

And I lived in your chess game,

But you changed the rules every day

Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone

Tonight, well I stopped picking up, and this song is to let you know why

Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone

Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?

The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home, I should've known

One Swiftie, who goes by the name @hoeforlouaylor on TikTok, wrote an extremely mean message to Mayer on Instagram.

"Fuck yourself you ugly bitch I hope you choke on something," @hoeforlouaylor wrote. She then demanded a response adding, "answer me you bitch." To her surprise, the "Your Body Is a Wonderland" singer gave a very polite response.

Hi Alondrea, It's John. I've been getting so many messages like this the past couple of days, I decided to choose your message at random to reply to. You can feel free to screen shot, share in any way you like if you want. I'm not upset, I just tend to have a curious mind and feel compelled to ask. Do you really hope that I die?

After Mayer responded, she posted an image of the conversation on TikTok.

via @hoeforlouaylor / TikTok

The TikTok user sent a follow-up video where she said she apologized to Mayer. The video has since been set to private.

"My friend literally dared me to do that," she said in the recording, according to The Daily Dot. "She's a Taylor fan and like so am I. It was a dare. I'm sorry. I did not expect you to see."

Mayer responded by showing that he's a human being with feelings, too. "So it's a fun thing people are doing without taking into account that I might see it and be affected by it?" he asked.

The TikTok user reiterated that she didn't think he'd read the message. Then, in a wonderful display of grace, Mayer told the woman who wished him dead that it was fine by him.

"It's 100 percent okay," Mayer told her. "Go forth and live happy and healthy!"

Mayer did a great job in taking the high road with the Swiftie by explaining that even though he's a famous musician, he's just like everyone else. One of the worst things about internet culture is the idea that there aren't any real people behind the profiles on social media.

If more people saw the humanity in those they are speaking with online it would go a long way toward softening our national discourse. Mayer did a nice job by pointing that out.

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