Social:Millennial pause

Short description: Pause at the start of some recorded videos

The millennial pause is a pause in speaking that is present at the start of some recorded videos, especially in short-form content and on social media apps like TikTok. The practice of including such a pause is generally ascribed to millennials, the generation of people born from the early-mid 1980s to mid-1990s. The phenomenon is an example of the digital generation gap between millennials and subsequent generations.

Observation

In mainstream media, millennial pauses were first noted in the videos posted by Taylor Swift (pictured), who is considered as a millennial exemplar.

The practice was first observed as early as 1 March 2021, when a TikTok user questioned "why [millennials] pause so long before speaking", and mentioned that they should "hit record and GO".

The term "millennial pause" is attributed to TikTok user nisipisa, a millennial who posted a TikTok video on 26 November 2021, pointing out that Taylor Swift, a millennial singer, includes such pauses at the start of her videos. Kathryn Lindsay of The Atlantic, a millennial herself, stated that this pause is becoming more noticeable as short-form videos are becoming more prevalent on the social network Instagram, instant messaging app Snapchat, and online video platform YouTube.

Videos by people other than millennials have also been described as exhibiting a millennial pause; Parade reported that singer JC Chasez included one in his TikTok debut video, and James Factora of Them mentioned how actress Jennifer Coolidge included one in "a perfect TikTok" during her debut.

Theory

It has been conjectured that the reason why people older than zoomers tend to include a pause at the start of their videos is to make sure that the device they are using is actually recording before beginning to say anything. In contrast, younger users either test the device before recording or trust that the devices are working correctly, and begin speaking immediately after the recording begins.

Another theory for the pause's prevalence is that the habit may have first been adopted when earlier recording devices commonly took a split second before beginning to record. Although newer devices do not exhibit the same delay, this habit has proven hard to break.

Gen Z shake

On 18 January 2023, a Gen Z user of TikTok posted a video describing how members of Generation Z often start recording their videos right before placing their cameras on a stable surface. As a result, the video shakes at the start of these recordings before the camera is set down. The user dubbed the behavior the "Gen Z shake", and called it "the Gen Z equivalent to the millennial pause".

Lindsay reported that she has also found videos that begin while the recorder is in the middle of a task, such as finishing a bite of food, so that it may take some time before the recorder actually addresses the audience. She stated that, like the Gen Z shake, doing this gives the audience the sense that the video begins in medias res. Lindsay added that the Gen Z shake is "a performance" rather than an unconscious act, and points out that although this phenomenon, like the millennial pause, could be edited out, neither is. Another social media content creator has theorized that, because zoomers have lived their entire lives with the Internet, the Gen Z shake is an act of rebellion, and is done ironically.

Awareness

Becoming aware of the phenomenon has made some millennials notice that they are "getting old". People have also noted that, once they have been made aware that their recordings include millennial pauses, they find their own habit embarrassing, yet still have trouble breaking the habit. Some people have stated that, without the pause, the start of their dialogue would be cut off. Users have also stated that, once one is aware of the phenomenon, it is difficult to ignore its presence in a video.

The phrase has been used untranslated outside of the Anglosphere, including in Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain.

See also

• Digital literacy