There are simple things you can do that give away your age, and Gen Z is laughing at them.
Think about it: if you were to buy a plane ticket, a product over $500, or even a large appliance like a refrigerator, would you buy it on your phone or on your computer?
Millennials are the ones who make big-ticket purchases on their laptops, while Gen Zers are happy to buy anything on their iPhones.
Jesse Frazell, CEO of software company Zoo and a user of over 100,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), has been in the news recently for bringing this phenomenon to public attention.
“Apparently Gen Z is mocking older generations for always using desktops instead of making big-ticket purchases on their phones,” she tweeted.
“I've never felt so attacked in my life for something I didn't realize I was doing unconsciously.”
The tweet has been viewed more than 5 million times and sparked a flurry of reactions, with millennials feeling defensive about it.
“How do you open multiple tabs and carefully compare offers?” one person asked.
“Have you ever tried to plan a vacation on your phone? It's impossible,” claimed another.
“Checking out on mobile feels wrong, it feels clunky and you can't see everything you need to think about your life choices. Buying on desktop gives me the purest feelings of purchase regret,” shared another.
“They grew up wearing grandpa socks and with iPads. I don't care what they say,” another joked.
This debate is also rageing in Australia.
Bachelor alumni Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley host the popular podcast “Life Uncut.”
Their producer, Keyshia Pettit, recently admitted on the podcast that they have a lot of what they consider to be “laptop-specific purchases.”
“Accommodation reservations could only be made on a laptop,” she said.
Interestingly, Byrne, a millennial, hit back, saying, “I want to literally book my funeral over the phone. I'll do anything.”
Pettit said she couldn't understand that way of life, admitting, “I never knew people like you existed.”
Byrne explained that while you can book almost anything on your mobile phone, including holidays, there's one thing you can't do on an iPhone.
“I'm not going to pay taxes,” she revealed.
Pettit acknowledged that even with her laptop, she sometimes doesn't feel safe enough to make big purchases.
“I'm thinking about getting a desktop because a laptop makes some things feel too casual for me. I need a stable environment to book risky things,” she asserted.
“I can't imagine paying over $300 for a phone. It seems too frivolous, too fairy-tale-like, too casual to me.”
Byrne argued that Pettit's millennial habits reflect a “lack of trust in oneself” to make big purchases on one's phone.
The video has been viewed more than 100,000 times on TikTok.
Once again, the comment section was filled with millennials justifying why they use laptops when buying expensive items.
“Yes, there are some tasks that can only be done on a laptop, that's true,” one person wrote.
Another user said, “I need tabs and options and a big screen to read them all without the burden of scrolling on a small phone screen.”
“I agree. Plane tickets, big financial decisions, job hunting, taxes,” one person wrote.
“I feel like I'm being scammed when I try to buy something using my phone,” one user said.
“Some emails are too important to read on a phone, I have to read them on my laptop,” another user pointed out.
