In a time of emotional distress, the last thing that most people would want is a camera in their faces documenting their uncontrollable sobbing. However, this is a tactic commonly used on social media by young, wannabe-influencers to garner attention – and older people can’t stand it.
The generational divide often reveals itself in amusing and sometimes baffling ways, but it appears that youth’s penchant for content creation and social media antics is where the gap between young and old is at its widest.
A popular Reddit thread has shed light on some of the things younger people do that leave older generations scratching their heads—or shaking them in disapproval. Here’s a lighthearted look at some of the most common answers:
1. Filming Themselves Crying
Reddit User AtraposJM couldn’t believe it when they saw a girl setting up a tripod to record herself crying over her dead pet snake. “It’s kind of gross when you think about it,” they commented, pointing out the bizarre priority of capturing the moment over the actual emotional experience.
2. Public TikTok Dancing
User MiseryLovesMisery voiced their embarrassment over seeing people perform TikTok dances in public places like grocery store aisles. The second-hand embarrassment is real, folks!
3. Filming Strangers
There’s a certain disdain for the trend of filming random strangers without consent just for the sake of internet fame. Redditor Aggravating_Boy3873 finds it particularly troubling that unwitting strangers often play a big part in other people’s social media videos. Often as the but of a joke and sometimes even as a victim of crime.
4. Sharing Everything on Social Media
The incessant need of some young people to share every detail of their lives is a big gripe for a lot of older people. “The unending need to share everything on social media including their meals, their children, their partners, everything,” one commenter lamented. Is there anything too mundane for the social media feed?
5. The TikTok Voice
A significant number of older people find the robotic, automated voice used in many TikTok videos to be irritating. The monotonous narration style has become a grating background noise in their lives.
6. Prank Videos
Prank videos, especially those staged in public, are another sore point. These orchestrated videos usually come at the expense of an unknowing member of the public, or they are a complete setup that use actors posing as unsuspecting members of the general public. These videos often stage acts of kindness or upsetting scenarios to illicit an extreme response from viewers.
7. Digital Overload
The sheer volume of online content being produced and consumed leaves many older folks wondering where the time goes. MsGhoulWrangler marvelled at “the amount of online content so many people create.”How do they have time for this?”
8. FaceTiming in Public
For some, like User BuscemiLuvr, the preference for FaceTiming over traditional phone calls is bewildering. “Unless you have to show me something, I prefer not to show my face on a screen,” they said.
9. Acting Dumb for Attention
One teacher expressed frustration with students who take pride in acting ignorant. “Over the last two weeks, I had a kid claiming not to know how to use a ruler, and one who claimed to never have used scissors,” they shared. It’s a trend that leaves educators concerned about the future.
10. Life Hack Videos
The proliferation of so-called “life hack” videos that offer solutions to non-problems is another annoyance. “Try out this crazy life hack for perfectly cut bagels, EVERY TIME!” quipped OneCrew2044. Spoiler alert: it involves a bagel cutter.
11. Oversized Eyelashes
The trend of wearing exaggerated, spider-like fake eyelashes is another point of contention. User OneCrew2044 finds them particularly over-the-top and unnecessary.
12. Snapchat and Location Sharing
The constant connectivity enabled by apps like Snapchat, where users can share their exact location, is seen as overly invasive by User jeremyjack3333. “It’s so vain. Humans are not meant to be that connected,” they opined.
13. Unboxing Videos
Finally, the phenomenon of unboxing videos, where people film themselves opening packages, puzzles many older viewers. The excitement over watching someone else unveil a product is something they just can’t wrap their heads around.
It’s important to remember that everyone is different, and every generation has its quirks.
Today’s older generation was once young too, and undoubtedly, there were older people back then who didn’t understand their antics.
By fostering open conversations and a sense of community, we can bridge the gaps between generations. This dialogue allows for mutual learning and appreciation, helping us see the value in each other’s experiences and perspectives.
After all, what may seem strange or annoying to one generation can be an expression of creativity and identity to another. Embracing these differences enriches our collective understanding and strengthens the bonds that tie us together.
