A Gen Z creator on TikTok put together what she called a “millennial bootcamp,” a short social-media etiquette primer that called out common habits of people born between 1981 and 1996 and offered corrective advice to the older generation. The clip, posted by Janelle Fuhrare, has been viewed nearly 700,000 times and prompted both agreement and sharp rebuttals in the comments.
In the video, Fuhrare named a series of behaviors she said mark users as millennial rather than Gen Z: particular Instagram fonts she called "absolute nos," posing with the peace sign, wearing ankle socks in photos, and doing the so-called "millennial pause" when recording videos. She demonstrated a sarcastic new usage of the word "slay," tapping two fingers and nodding while saying, "The new 'slay' is literally just this." She also listed several expressive reactions — "I'm dead, I'm deceased, I'm sick, I'm screaming, I'm throwing up" — that she said function as compliments in Gen Z parlance.
The post accumulated a mixture of responses. Some viewers took Fuhrare's tips at face value and adjusted their own social posts; others objected to the premise that younger users could prescribe etiquette to the generation that built the earliest social platforms. "Social media etiquette?!? Girlfriend, we are the creators of social media," one commenter wrote, while another quipped, "Gurl we’re 40 we’re too tired to care about FONTS." Another commenter criticized the focus on aesthetics in the face of broader societal issues: "The fact that Gen Z thinks we care about this kind of stuff… like Kim, there’s people dying…"
The exchange underscores an ongoing online pattern in which younger creators call out perceived "cringe" behaviors and offer corrective trends or vernacular. Social-media trends frequently move quickly across platforms, with younger users reshaping language, gestures and visual conventions that older users sometimes adopt later — a dynamic that can produce both amusement and friction.
Fuhrare's video comes amid broader conversations about how different generations approach social life and spending. A survey commissioned by Ally Financial, titled "The Friendship Tab," found that three out of five young adults said social spending affects their financial goals, yet 69% still prioritize in-person connection with friends at least weekly. The survey suggests that despite economic constraints, both Gen Z and millennials continue to value face-to-face interactions and will allocate limited resources toward them.
Experts and commentators have noted that generational language policing is not new, but social media amplifies it. Trends that begin as ironic or niche can diffuse rapidly, becoming markers of identity and, at times, sources of ridicule. Some communication analysts say that younger users often adopt rapid shifts in online etiquette as a way to signal group belonging and to differentiate themselves from older cohorts who may adopt the same markers more slowly or less self-consciously.
Reactions to Fuhrare's video illustrate how generational disputes over taste, language and presentation play out in public comment threads. While some millennials responded with humor or dismissal, others acknowledged learning minor stylistic adjustments, such as avoiding certain on-platform fonts or overused poses.
The exchange follows a pattern in which content creators of varying ages use short-form video to advise or critique other generations on habits and etiquette. Fuhrare's clip is among many that document how language, gestures and visual choices have become part of a broader cultural competition over authenticity and relevance online. View counts and comment threads suggest the conversation will continue as users across age groups test and adopt new norms on rapidly evolving platforms.