‘Gen Z Shake’ is the younger version of the ‘millennial pause’ and we can’t tell which is worse

There's nothing Gen Z loves more than dragging millennials.

From the skinny jean debate and 'cancelling' crop tops to dating lingo and even smoking habits, if a millennial's wearing, saying and/or doing it, you can almost guarantee Gen Z has something to say because, while mere days separate the two generations, they can feel worlds apart.

One big tell in figuring out which generation a person belongs to is the 'millennial pause'.

What is the 'millennial pause'?

This refers to the one-second silence between when a person presses record on their phone and when they begin speaking in short-form video content like TikTok videos and Instagram Reels.

Famous examples of people who fall into the millennial pause trap are Taylor Swift, who is the face of the term's Wikipedia page, and even Kim Kardashian.

But millennials need not worry about their supposedly embarrassing social media behaviour as Gen Z have their own similar mannerism.

Enter the 'Gen Z shake'.

What is the 'Gen Z shake'?

Unlike millennials, who will likely wait until they've found the perfect lighting and angle before pressing record, it appears Gen Z cannot wait to get going, setting the camera off and starting yapping before they've even found a stable surface to put their phone on.

This results in a signature shake at the start of the video and once you've spotted it, you'll never be able to unsee it.

Take a look at this example below:

Like the millennial pause, the Gen Z shake reveals a lot about this generation's relationship with social media content.

But, while the millennial pause is completely unintentional, likely stemming from a time when cameras didn't start recording instantly, some Gen Z creators say they do the shake on purpose to come across as spontaneous and authentic to their viewers, explaining that it gives a low-effort and candid appearance to a video like they simply couldn't wait to share their thoughts.

"The Gen Z Shake comes across more authentic," TikTok user The Talent Lab stated. "Even if they're doing it on purpose."

While one comment noted: "I just saw a video that said the shake was intentional so they seem like they just decided to grab their phone and start recording when in actuality they probably spent 30 minutes rehearsing and checking for the perfect lighting and angles."

And, creator Gina Galeoto said in a video: "The Gen Z Shake captures attention, conversely the millennial pause makes people want to scroll before you've even said anything."