Gen Z is opting to text mostly because of their anxiety about phone calls. New research has shown that nine out of ten young people would rather message than talk on the phone, with some describing phone conversations as a phobia of theirs. They even admit that having an awkward conversation via phone is one of the top three things they would want to avoid in life. It turns out that talking on the phone is a skill, and we didn’t realize that because previous generations did it all the time.
Psychology professor Nick Haslam says that this shift to texting is also down to control, convenience, and multitasking—three things Gen Z values highly. Messaging allows people to communicate on their own schedule rather than having to do it on another person’s time. Additionally, you can think more thoroughly about what you want to say than on-the-spot calls and you can easily control the length of the conversation. It’s not productive or amusing to be stuck on the other end of the line with a chatterbox.
With texts dominating Gen Z communication, their way of doing it is quite different from what previous generations are used to. With young people, we see the downfall of a full stop. If someone ends their sentence with a period, chances are you’re in serious trouble. When your partner texts you, "I'll be home for dinner,” it’s cute, but if you receive "I'll be home for dinner.”, the punctuation mark suddenly becomes a hostile, warmth-lacking threat.
When a message’s author makes an extra effort to go to the second page of the keyboard just to put a dot, it invites overinterpretation. Full stops are perfectly fine in formal or email conversations. But when they're used in texts, people might get the impression that they’ve offended the other person, which makes them re-read and re-think earlier discussions. So it’s better to steer away from a period; otherwise, it can send Gen Z into a frantic spiral of anxiety.
The relationship between younger people and emojis also has its own etiquette. Messages tend to strip away emotion, which is important for interpreting meanings and smoother communication. Therefore, nowadays, you’ll rarely see a text message from Gen Z without any emojis.
Of course, their usage has been a little modified (just as seen all over this list), and the beloved thumbs-up, face with tears of joy, and slightly smiling face have different meanings than when Millennials started using them. Responding to a text with a thumbs up is now equivalent to a cold “k” to a meaningful paragraph. Unfortunately, the laughing-crying emoji has become redundant, and the lightly smiling face has turned passive-aggressive and cold.
In turn, Gen Z has replaced the skull emoji as a symbol of laughter. Faces giving kisses now mean “sounds good to me” in response to making plans, a good idea, or even a photo of something very likable. Besides, the sequence of eye, lips, and eye denotes shock or feeling stunned. The two pointed fingers show that you're feeling shy or nervous, and the clown emoji has become a universal symbol of foolishness. Feeling old yet?
