Uppercase letters are also a thing of the past. Gen Z now feels that capitalization is just aggressive. They’ve become sensitized to it, and when people use uppercase letters at the start of sentences, it creates a stricter and raised tone of voice. Because of it, some are even setting their keyboards in automatic lowercase mode. Capitalization can be used, but only when expressing excitement or surprise (e.g., “SCREAMING”). You are also allowed to employ them if you misspell a word, like “LAUGKLHING” to convey that you’re laughing hysterically and it becomes too difficult to spell it properly.
Lastly, probably the most important rule in Gen Z texting etiquette is that if you’ve seen it, reply to it! The act of "seen-ing" can mean a lot of things, but usually none of them are positive. There are many interpretations of a text that’s left hanging, like the person is rude, busy with something more important, or doesn’t have respect, which can then spiral into “Did I say something offensive or insulting?” anxiety
Overall, the way Gen Z communicates is no less better or worse than how older generations used to; it’s just different. Sure, Millennials, Boomers, or Gen X might get confused by their texts or get misinterpreted by their wrong use of emojis and full stops, but that’s just part of an ever-changing society.
