10 Things Gen Z Finds Completely Unappealing About The Lives Of Gen X & Boomers
Andrii Iemelianenko | ShutterstockGen Zers tend to feel indifferent toward the habits that Gen Xers and boomers have, knowing they'll never follow those same practices.
They're judging older generations, but it's such a reminder of how vastly different their behaviors are from boomers and Gen Xers. Considering most Gen Z adults don't even really identify with certain traits of their own generation, it's not too surprising that they tend to be aware of the traits of other generations.
The things Gen Z finds completely unappealing about the lives of Gen X and boomers has a lot to do with their rigidity. Gen Zers are a lot more flexible and tend to stray away from the traditional ways of doing things. They like to march to the beat of their own drum, even if that puts them at odds with their elders.
Here are 10 things Gen Z finds completely unappealing about the lives of Gen X and boomers
1. Loyalty to one employer for decades
Raushan_films | Shutterstock
There are a lot of work-related differences between Gen Z and their older counterparts. Apart from the rigid 9-to-5 schedule that Gen Z rejects, they also don't really feel like they need to stay loyal to a company.
The thought of staying in one place for 30 years sounds wildly unappealing. For them, they would much rather prioritize a company that prioritizes them. In fact, at least 83% of Gen Z consider themselves to be "job hoppers," as a report from ResumeLab revealed.
2. Reliance on in-person communication
Gen Z is more than comfortable with relying on digital communication to catch up with friends and speak with family members, even using it to find romantic connections. They much prefer their interactions to be done through a device instead of in-person.
In fact, Gen Z is considered the top generation to rely on texting. It's something they usually favor over face-to-face meetings and formal interactions. It gives them more time to actually think and respond versus being put on the spot, whereas older generations enjoy speaking with someone and getting to look them in the eye.
3. Paper receipts for every purchase
Since Gen Zers are so used to having everything be emailed and sent digitally, it means they don't really depend on paper receipts as much as Gen X and boomers do. To them, it's unnecessary clutter that they can avoid altogether by simply refusing it when they're checking out.
As a YouGov survey found, 83% of people 55 and over prefer paper receipts to digital ones, whereas only 17% of 18-to-24-year-olds not wanting a paper receipt at all. For Gen Zers, digging through old papers to get proof of their transaction doesn't seem to make sense when they can look up their purchase history in seconds on their phone.
4. Rigid 9-to-5 work schedules
Gen Z doesn't find the 9-to-5 work structure to work for them. According to a study from the Upwork Research Institute, 53% of Gen Zers are performing freelance work for at least 40 hours per week across a portfolio of different types of work, compared to working a regular 9-to-5 shift in a corporate capacity.
For them, it doesn't fit with the direction they see their lives going in. However, Gen Xers and boomers depend on the rigid and traditional working hours because that's all they know and feel comfortable doing.
5. Using checkbooks
Antonio Guillem | Shutterstock
In a survey from Chime and Talker Research, only 26% of Gen Zers have ever written a check. The gap between how Gen Z approaches checkbooks compared to older generations is just another example of how different their financial habits and goals are from their elders.
It's not that Gen Z doesn't understand how checks work, they're so used to being able to use Apply Pay and sometimes their physical credit cards that it never crosses their minds to write checks. It feels outdated for them, even though big purchases, like buying a home, require checks to be used.
6. Traditional views on success
Older generations often emphasize the importance of long-term careers and eventually settling down with marriage and kids. But for Gen Z, that's not totally on the forefront of their minds. While they do care about being successful, that tends to look a lot different to them.
Instead, Gen Z tends to prioritize feeling fulfilled doing whatever it is that makes them happy. It doesn't always look like the conventional method of doing things, but that's why it works. They aren't worried about hitting a certain milestone as they get older but just going at their own pace.
7. Less emphasis on mental health conversations
Gen Z is way more open when it comes to talking about going to therapy and the mental health struggles they may be experiencing. In fact, they're much more open to discussing their mental health compared to Gen Xers and boomers.
Older generations tend to downplay a lot of these things and refuse to talk about it because of how uncomfortable they may feel. But that's not the case for Gen Z. They've normalized speaking about mental health in such a way that it's brought about change that will have a ripple effect on future generations.
8. Photo albums
As nice as it is for Gen Zers to be able to have family photo albums and look at pictures of when they were younger, they don't tend to get them for the photos they're taking in adulthood. They usually keep photos strictly on their phones rather than actually printing them out analog-style.
With everything being automatically stored in their camera roll or through iCloud, the extra step of actually printing them out and organizing them somewhere feels unnecessary.
9. Printed directions
ShotPrime Studio | Shutterstock
Most Gen Z adults are used to navigation that they can instantly get on their phones. They aren't really staying up the night before looking up the directions and printing them out so they have them ready for a long drive.
For them, GPS is way more reliable considering it adapts to the real-life changes happening on the road. And though Gen Z can't actually navigate without an app to tell them where to go, they still prefer systems that make it less stressful. Having printed directions would only add to them feeling overwhelmed.
10. The 'paying your dues' mindset
This mindset is often something Gen Zers hear about workplace culture from older generations. They're usually told they have to spend hours doing lower-level tasks and waiting their turn to be promoted or even acknowledged.
Gen Z is the generation that has no problem questioning things, especially when it doesn't make much sense to them. In their mind, if someone is more than capable of contributing to something, they shouldn't have to wait around to be chosen because that's just how things go in the workplace.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
