A simple test can tell you whether you're more millennial or Gen Z
TikTok: @ludknee, Ludny, @rbuckinghamwestbrook
- A test that could help determine which generation a person is from has blown up on TikTok.
- A millennial and Gen Zer showed their different gestures to mime various actions.
- The creators say it's a generational divide, though not everyone agrees.
TikTokers think they've discovered a fool-proof way to figure out which generation people belong to, in the form of a charades-style test.
On November 27, a TikToker who goes by Ludny posted a video that showed a woman sitting at a table, while a person behind the camera could be heard instructing them to perform a series of gestures. The on-screen caption said they were testing to see if they were a millennial or Gen Z.
@ludknee Testing my bestfriend to see if she’s a Millennial or Gen Z ???? #capcut #fy #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral????tiktok #blktiktok #blkgirltiktok #trendingsong #trendingvideo #templatecapcut #millennial #millennialsoftiktok #millennials #millennialstyle #genz #genzhumor #millennialhumor #genzvsmillenial #millennialvsgenz #genzstyle #genzlife #genzie #bestfriends #bestie #besties #bestiegoals #bestiesforever #bestiesfortheresties #bestfriendscheck #bestfriendchallenge
♬ Beautiful - SHYY BEATS
The tests involved miming the following actions:
Taking a photo
Answering and hanging up a phone
Opening a car window
The idea is that these actions have an analog version which millennials are more likely to relate to, such as holding an imaginary camera with two hands and using an index finger to take the snap, miming using a landline phone for answering or hanging up, and using a manual car window winder.
At the end of the video, Ludny showed how a Gen Zer reacted to the same instructions: performing each action by pressing a button, indicating they had grown up more familiar with smartphones and updated tech.
The women were given two other tests too: displaying the style of their jeans (classic skinny for millennials, looser fitting for Gen Z) and forming a heart with their hands. Both will use their index fingers to create the top of the heart, but millennials will make the bottom out of their thumbs, while Gen Zers use their middle fingers, according to the creator.
The upload blew up with 3.6 million views and over 1,200 comments, some of which came from viewers who couldn't quite believe the older gestures were being left behind. Multiple commenters wrote they couldn't keep up with the new references, even if they wanted to.
"My fingers physically cannot do the gen z heart," one viewer wrote in the most popular comment which received over 14,500 likes.
Another viewer suggested this may be more of an indication that someone was a younger Gen Z or Gen Alpha, as they wrote they were born in 2000 and still used the millennial gestures.
It's not the first time the idea that these kinds of signals are determined by generation has gone viral.
In August, a similar TikTok went viral. It showed a millennial and a Gen Zer acting out some of the same gestures simultaneously while separated by a door so they couldn't see each other — and using the two different versions of each action that corresponded with their generation.
@rbuckinghamwestbrook Who knew there’s more than one way to make a ♥️ using your hands! Lol #genzvsmillenial #genz #millennial #fyp #viralvideo
♬ original sound - rondawestbrook
Over 400 comments responded to the video, some of which came from self-described Gen Zers who wrote the system didn't feel totally accurate as they still used some of the Gen Z motions too.
Generational differences are a popular — but also divisive — topic on TikTok.
Many creators have delved into the humor and fashion that can set the age groups apart, especially when it comes to millennials and Gen Z. But others have called for the two groups to focus on what they have in common instead.