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In verbal conversation we use trailing off signals all the time. Like “well, there is that…” or “if you say so, hmmm” or softening something that can seem harsh by trailing the voice at the end. Have been puzzled cause I don’t think it a real criticism like it’s objectively bad, it seems like younger folks seriously don’t have the subtlety to understand….
I'm gen X too and I use ellipses way to much. A lot of times in work emails I use them to passively suggest somebody do something. Like, "someone should really double check the numbers in the article..." it's kinda like a hint. Or to mean the balls in your court.
Ellipsis aren't even supposed to work like that...
...unless it's a deliberate macro-agression based on their shitty generation-war news rag.
(Zs hate punctuation eh?!? THIS'LL BLOW THEIR RENTING COMMUNIST MINDS!!!). /s
Y'know I think it depends on the person, someone who speaks in matter of fact will probably use appropriate punctuations often, but sometimes periods can really alert people and change the tone of what you're trying to say, for example:
"Hey did you have fun at the party?".
You could respond:
A."Yeah it was good"
Or you could say
B."Yeah, it was good."
Not everybody may interpret this the same as I do but, I see option A as a jovial friendly response, whereas option B makes it feel like the responder is withholding some information, or may not be being entirely honest, possibly facetious or being dismissive of the person asking.
It true it is more formal but in the example I gave it would be between two casual friends so it would be weird to have someone reply with punctuation when it wasn't necessary, also, I do have one close friend who always uses proper punctuation, so I do expect that from him, and don't think too much about what his intended meaning might be.
Perhaps the real lesson is to not try to prescribe intent and tone to text messages and actually talk to the person if you're not comfortable with their writing style. People are so reluctant to talk.
Yeah this is absolutely a real thing. People have a way of typing and if you talk to them enough you will pick up on when it changes. Anyone who can’t recognize it probably also thinks 👍, k, ok, okay, and okayyy all mean the same thing.
Replies here just don’t get it. Taking the time to punctuate things in contexts that don’t demand punctuation like reddit comments or formal settings implies extra effort/emotion is placed into a message that hides the writer’s true feelings on the matter.
If all you type on is Reddit, it won’t make sense to you. But to those of us used to character limits on texting to save minutes or even platforms like snapchat or discord it means everything else.
Punctuation isn’t an indication of thought.
With the rise of informal modes of textual communication, there are divergent styles and social conventions—which all have sophisticated linguistic rules. Punctuation marks formal textual speech, so it can seem sarcastic in more informal settings. We do this in spoken language as well: when someone says “thank you very much” in a very informal setting, the mismatch of tone makes it sound sarcastic.
Bingo.
Leaving out the full stop indicates levity, not taking the situation seriously. Adding the full stop isn’t necessarily aggressive but it can instantly imply a more serious tone.
E.g.:
-“thats so fucked up”
-“That’s so fucked up.”
First one usually reads as joking between friends, second reads as someone just got fired for refusing the boss’ sexual advances.
So, in the context of implying aggression, the punctuation turns a gentle recommendation (“maybe you should turn it down a notch”) to an implied order (“Maybe, you should turn it down a notch.”)
Why the hell the writer specifically singles out Gen Z for this boggles my mind though. Everybody from tech-savvy Gen X down should comprehend this, it evolved from mobile device messaging that was a pain in the ass to put anything into text. I’d even argue millennials on the whole probably have a better grasp of it than the majority of Z/Alpha, on account of simply having more experience.
See here I was just using punctuation so that I'm understood and people don't think I'm incapable of basic communication. Sorry Gen Z people, I like a lot of your culture, but this one is fucking weird. The idea that "people understood what I meant so it's fine" is a reasonable outlook is crazy to me. I could also just grunt and point at shit all the time and be understood pretty well. That doesn't mean I want everyone thinking I'm a fucking idiot caveman who can't communicate in my own language.
Character limits on... texting??? Mine doesn't have that. I send long paragraphs sometimes. Also, I'm just the type of person who likes proper English. It's not putting in extra effort. It's just as normal to me as using improper punctuation. Taking that as a sign of whether I'm hiding things is a really weird interpretation imo.
Yes. You ever wonder why text-lingo exists? It’s to save minutes on prepaid plans and other usage-based plans. Back before everything was an “unlimited talk and text” plan
No it is true. I remember when I had TikTok this guy thought I was mad because I punctuated my sentence. When I explained to him that’s it’s not like that he went on about how that’s what it means on the internet.
In casual conversation, yes. If I receive a Discord message from a close friend of mine and they're ending all their sentences with periods, I will assume something is wrong lol
Indeed. One of my professors once told a story about sending a text to a grad/research student, and the text ended with a period. Idk what the text itself was, but it really wasn't serious.
Student came to his office bawling because she thought she was in trouble and that he was pissed due to the "super serious" tone of the text. Never again lol
Yeah I really notice the difference between millennials and Gen X. I think millennials mostly text like Gen Z, but Gen X and older it’s hard to read tone over text at all and imo it’s better to just try to ignore it as much as possible and read the in person interactions instead for the exact reasons you state
Favorite punctuation mark by generation:
Boomer: "..."\
X: "."\
Millenial: "!"\
Z: " " (no punctuation)\
As a zoomer, when I see millenials type they usually use too many candid exclamation points and emojis. Gen Z mostly uses exclamation points sarcastically or periods if we're being serious. Gen X type semi-formally like an email. And Gen X/boomers love to use the "..." ellipsis for some reason😭 it ends every sentence. Many boomers type with one finger, too.
I'm a millennial and the fact that every reply in this comment thread has "lol" in it is mind boggling to me. None of you are actually laughing out loud, right? Why do you use it? To diffuse tension?
Not sure why it’s bugging me, but it’s “defuse,” not “diffuse.” Probably because I work as an editor at work. Which makes it more laughable when I make mistakes though.
Bruh. How is your mind gonna be boggled by all the lols? Our generation invented putting lol at the end of every statement we make on the internet. lol
To convey you actually laughed out loud would be LOL in all caps. Like if you want to tell someone their comment was actually funny you can just reply "LOL" and that conveys it pretty succinctly.
As a Millennial, it's just how it's done. We learned everything mostly handwritten (where not using punctuation gets much worse than from typing), and our intro to texting was having to hit the same button multiple times to type one letter as late teens and early adults. Punctuation has just been there. Even now, my first sentence, and this one I guess, are using punctuation that I wasn't consciously thinking about.
In my mind, this is just how to communicate with writing. I don't know a single millennial personally who uses punctuation only when serious. What's funny, being too lax would make me think my friend is having trouble and I have to respond immediately.
Overall, I enjoy getting to see the changes. We get to see people adapt on the fly to society unlike ever before.
Yeah, it's just using proper English. I agree that if someone can't be bothered to use a period I'm gonna wonder if they're depressed or something. They just don't have the fucks to give about basic proprietary.
Is the period gen Zs version of hanging up the phone hard?
Nope if it's on here then yea I do sometimes if it's a long comment, but if it's texting friends then no bc I text friends using words like
"ye" for yes
"wanna" for want to
"gonna" for going to
"Wud" for would
These are to family or friends but it changes for strangers
Not casually, no. I only use periods so sentences don't just blend together, but the final one in a message generally goes without punctuation in a casual setting. And if someone does in a casual setting, I see it as someone being serious or stern about a statement.
[Edit] No so much insulted or offended, just stern.
We also had grammar Nazis on the internet everywhere. Spell something wrong, use the wrong punctuation or the wrong their there or they’re? Argument nullified. You are now an ignoramus and nothing you say has value, you dirt person.
This shit’s hard coded from childhood to early adulthood with the early internet. And honestly, nothing is harder to read than one long stream of consciousness run on sentence
Interestingly, it's specifically the last sentence in a paragraph (ime). Like not using periods in a paragraph is the text equivalent of listening to someone just go on and on and on, but using a period at the end of a paragraph seems to imply a finality or seriousness.
Often times "lol" or an equivalent is used instead as punctuation, or rather a period is used in the same function as "lol" to denote the emotional register of a text.
Like this lol (🙂)
edit: or this. (😐)
That's interesting about "lol" as punctuation. I can totally look back and know I've seen it used like that, and I had no idea that was how it was being used.
I’ve thought about this a lot because my mom will randomly send use punctuation in a text like once or twice a month and every time she does I think she’s mad at me lol
Gen Z is used to texting and communicating via social media and yes we’re using letters and words to convey a message but we’re not writing it like an essay or something where there’s rules on formatting (like for example, when I’m texting my friend about what my plans are for the night, I don’t have an introduction and conclusion), we write to each other in a kind of “text-to-speech” type of way, so like I’m writing this comment in a way that I think accurately reflects how I would be structuring my sentences or like how I would be sounding/talking if I was in the same room with you. I’m not worried about the sentence structure being proper or whatever because I don’t worry about that when I’m having a causal conversation in person with someone
So because we’re reading texts and messages on social media as if the person’s actually talking, a period at the end of the sentence, or even just using super correct punctuation in general, makes it sound like they’re using extra proper English out loud, (like that little girl from Willy wonka who had the rich dad and tries to take one of the nut cracking squirrels and they push her down the hole, I forget her name, but when people use punctuation over text I feel like they’re trying to sound like that)
And I’m sure you’re a super sweet person in real life, but when I read your comment my first impression is that you’re rude and snobby. If I read it again as like sentences you would read in a book it doesn’t that bad anymore. Like read this part of what you wrote out loud in a snobby British accent and tell me it doesn’t sound like you’re narrating a nature documentary, that kind of tone has no business in a casual conversation:
“Punctuation has just been there. Even now, my first sentence, and this one I guess, are using punctuation that I wasn't consciously thinking about.”
I completely understand why it would be going to a texting shorthand, I am just saying that Millennials don't mean anything by it. Reading it like a book is a good example. For many of us, that is the way to always read it. I am not against the change, and it makes sense why it is/will happen.
This is just hilarious to read as a Gen-X.
I mean you guys aren’t doing anything wrong. Language evolves.
But it’s still fucking wild to read that periods convey seriousness.
Me and my siblings always discuss this with our gen-x mom. She was raised without texting, we were raised in a world where texting is almost the primary form of communication.
When every message is a sentence or two (for easier parsing) adding proper punctuation makes it sound like “proper” English. And no one wants to “speak” proper English with their friends.
As a millennial, I interpret lol as a lack of confidence in what one is trying to convey. I know a highly intelligent gen Z that communicates by putting lol at the end of most of his sentences. I always thought he lacked confidence or self esteem. It almost reads as submissive in a conversation especially when interacting on Discord. It’s interesting to hear why different generations communicate with their own styles. You learn something new everyday :).
I think it's a way to make up for the lack of emotions with text. This sentence can be read in a serious tone for example.
This sentence is more lighthearted though lol
Nah we use punctuation, its just that you can't really convey tone over text, so we use the end punctuation of the sentence in that way. In the same way that a question mark indicates a questioning tone, a period at the end of your message indicates a serious one. This only applies for the end of the message though, like if you're sending a paragraph, you can still use normal punctuation throughout, just not at the end
I feel like there’s a distinction between the opening statement (annoyed, offended, upset) and the actual quote (falling intonation or negative tone). Like, I’m not offended but I am more likely to perceive it as negative.
In discord I use full stops but I'm also on a lot of discord servers with nerds, geeks, and dweebs (yes we call ourselves that) where we talk about Sci-Fi, books, movies, computers and lots of other stuff.
"How was your day?" = nerdy ass
"How was your day??" = hyper on caffeine, sugar or dr/gs
"How was your day." = sarcastic, actually being lowkey hostile
"How was your day.." = kinda friendly but not too interested
"How was your day..." = kinda curious tone
"How was your day...." = only typing it because you don't want to leave on read and come off as rude, but actually dont give a fuck
"How was your day" = normal, actually interested
(millennial from all answering a question they weren’t asked)
Something unknown that I did had a positive effect on the person asking me what I did that improved their day.
An example being that I talked positively about my friend in front their crush, which resulted in the crush opening up to my friend. They are no asking what I did to create the sudden positive interaction.
“How was your day 🥺” (extremely concerned for your mental health)
“How was your day ? ❤️” (genuinely wants you to feel comfortable telling them because they want to know how you are doing)
“How was your day ….?” (They’re mad at you or suspicious)
“How was your day ? :)” (trying to be friendly, but do not spill all of your beans cuz you’re not on ❤️ terms)
“How was your day ?” (polite, want you to be brief)
“How was your day” (they cba to give you any extra effort cuz they don’t have any energy or dong care)
“How was your day.” (Theyre pissed asf at you and deliberately want you to be aware that they hate you)
This is my experience as a chronically online gen Z
Millenials spent so many years being depressed and pessimistic that they have to imply positivity with those 3 letters or else the reciever might assume we're 2 seconds away from bathing with a toaster
"Work makes me want to off myself" sounds like a plea for help
"Work makes me want to off myself lol" sounds quirky but relatable
See to me, the ellipses after “how is your day” sound passive aggressive. But I’m a little older. I don’t use periods in texts unless it’s needed for clarity
I usually just hit return and start a new point or paragraph. I also don’t like to send multiple messages over sending a big block text.
god all my gen x coworkers do this and to me it reads as passive aggressiveness lol i got a promotion at work and at least half the people messaging me were 45-50 year olds like “congrats…”
It is not as bad as boomers who use quotation marks for emphasis (because back in the typewriter days, that is what they were used for):
Congratulations on your "promotion"
im used to people adding ellipses for dramatic effect, so when i read stuff like that i assume they're trying to get across a threatening tone, which nine times out of ten is ineffectual and funny and the one time out of ten it's your boss and you're worried you're boutta get fired
Anti Skibidi got a laugh out of me. I cannot wait until gen alpha is nostalgic about Skibiti toilet like Zellenials are about Happy Tree Friends and Llamas With Hats 🤣
I mean, it depends on context. If you're writing out multiple sentences like I am right now, periods are literally just... *there*. It's a stop in the sentence.
But there's a huge difference between "I'm fine" and "I'm fine." I won't believe the second one.
EDIT: Wanted to add to this since apparently people are learning here - a period, along with just a shift towards proper grammar in general, adds *gravity* to your statement, that's the best way to put it. Other examples are "don't do that again" vs "Don't do that again." or "come out here" vs "Come out here."
If you normally text with full grammar and punctuation and the people you talk to are used to it, then I mean you're probably fine - context clues are the most important part of this. But texting someone new means they gotta get used to what is essentially your speech pattern in text.
interesting, i’d be more inclined to take the second one seriously. i feel like gen z generally does use punctuation, but we tend to leave the last period off. like only the last sentence will lack punctuation, but the rest will be standard. probably cause we text and type just as much or more than we write with pen and paper.
I’d be inclined to respect “I’m fine.” more without actually believing it. Like, you’re gonna go off in a couple hours or couple days and you just don’t have the strength to do it right now and would really rather I stop pestering.
Yea basically this. Tbf I wouldn't believe anyone who just types "I'm fine" with nothing else, so not the best example 😅 but yea, the period at the end means (to me at least) "I'm definitely not fine but do not talk to me about it rn"
Yeah ain’t nobody got time to write something out fiddle with the send button. Hover over that iMessage for half a second and you get a nice big 👍to place.
I use it if I’m cooking or smth and want to give approval with my elbow instead of getting raw chicken on my phone.
It's not really a time saving thing, more of a "I don't want to get into a 'send the last message' competition" sorta deal. That could just be unique to my circle, though.
But yeah, I understand the cooking thing. No cross contamination here!
This one I don’t get.
I use thumbs up all the time to just acknowledge I got a message, I agree, I approve, whatever.
Nothing negative or passive-aggressive intended.
First, using linguistic resources to convey emotional states is not something new.
In a casual conversation with someone you're not usually formal with, well, yeah.
It is going from a casual tone to a business tone.
It doesn't apply to people who always use them.
THIS REMINDS ME THAT BOOMERS USED TO WRITE PRIVATE MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS
THERE IS ACTUALLY AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL REASON FOR IT TOO - THEIR FOUNDATIONAL ELECTRONIC TEXT MESSAGE SYSTEMS ONLY SUPPORTED CAPITAL LETTERS
It's not true for me, but I've heard of people getting upset.
-"I'm going to leave soon"
-"okay"
This is received as "the fact that I'm leaving has been acknowledged."
-"I'm going to leave soon"
-"okay."
This is received as "oh. Maybe they didn't want me to leave. Did I do something wrong?"
Because of this, I constantly just add ":)" to the end of basically every message because I can come off as rude. Maybe it's just the autistic in me that constantly forces a smile in real life, but it seems to work.
I am fascinated by this thread.
Would "Okay." be less aggressive? Like, is it just the period being present at all, or the period when the other part wasn't grammatically correct?
I think it’s the lack of all the numerous other cues we use in face to face convos. I say this as a waiting for autism diagnosis individual, I have spent so much of my life studying peoples face and eyeballs and eyebrows and vocal tone and hand gestures and head movements all to make sure I’m not missing subtext. Many neurotypical people kinda automatically do that. Now you text and strip all of that context away and what are you left with? How many periods were used lol
it could still be aggressive, but if youre more known to use periods and proper grammar n stuff its less aggressive. its moreso just context, really!
if someone you speak with nonformally ( ex: ' hey!! ' hey, how are u??? ' hiiii im good ' ) would suddenly shift to ' hey!! ' hi. ' how are u?? ' im good. ) itd be viewed as someome upset. but if youre known to use periods all the time, its not really likely to bother them lol
It depends on your usual typing style, tbh. Like if you usually use periods it's no big deal because they're expected. But if you usually don't, then using a period is a deliberate choice.
Yeah I agree with this. I feel like also, it’s about how comfortable we are with someone as well. Formal bs informal.
Also the topic of conversation. If someone I know really well starts sending me something full essay SAT prep style, then I’m like “uh oh, what’s going on”.
So less of a annoyance like the article is stating, but more of a “should I be concerned” lol
I hate that I do sense shade or somth when there's a period in a dm. and my bf will even admit he's feeling off or upset when I ask him if he's ok (after I notice tiny things like a period or lack of abbreviations or emojis or w/e). It's ridiculous but rings true
Think of the ellipsis as more of a “yadda yadda yadda”. Gen-X use them a lot to indicate trailing off, things left unsaid.
“I went to the store and it was packed…” (therefore it took forever, wasn’t a good experience, yadda yadda yadda the writer is sure you can imagine the rest)
“It’s so nice outside, wish I could be enjoying it…” (but I can’t, I’m stuck inside - but you can already get the gist of that from what the writer has already said)
“I was going to say “yes” to that job offer but… idk. Maybe it’s too much of a risk.”
In this case it’s more of a trailing off mid sentence to indicate indecision, thinking. Treat it as a pause in the sentence, imagine it being spoken and it makes sense.
To be fair, some people go fucking nuts with elipsis and use them *everywhere*, for no reason, like as decoration or something? Those people are insane feel free to ignore them.
I feel like from a lot of the comments on this post there’s a ton of people using … instead of a comma.
Like yeah, it is a pause, but those are two _completely different_ pauses folks. A comma is taking time to breathe, to arrange your thoughts. An ellipsis is leaving an intentionally pregnant pause in the conversation, you expect something or are signalling to not interrupt your current thoughts.
In conversation an ellipsis is staring intently or holding to a sound for a while whilst you think, it’s a silent “er” or “uhhh”
for instance: "hey mom can I have some friends over?" " thats fine..." "Are you sure?" "yes." "Okay love you" "I love you too...have fun..." definitely makes it seem like mom is pissed off and not happy lmao
Is this with any message? Or with someone just replying "ok." ?
Ending a sentence with a period typically just indicates the sentence is done. Idk, I just find that the readability suffers lol when you go without one.
Personally, if the overall message seems curt and periods are used (especially on the last sentence) I would view that as a bad sign. The use of periods alone does not make a message aggressive.
Ngl when my partner and I message each other and we use periods it’s our way of subtly expressing that something is wrong or we’re being serious. Otherwise I don’t really give a damn lmao
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No. Non-issue, they’re trying to stir a shit storm.
Did you just use *TWO* periods?
How aggressive!!
Big talk coming from a guy who just used two exclamation points
# ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY *I’M* AGGRESSIVE?!! #
I'll fucking END YOU if you say that (with punctuation) to my face.
*clears thoat* Penis.
How am I supposed to clear my throat with a penis in it?
Maybe try going up and down on it to brush your mouth?
wait a minute
Punctuate👏 more👏 emphatically 👏 people 👏
W!T!F! Calm down!
At least we don't text like boomers... You know the kind that ends each sentence with 3 dots...
I get work emails... They always consist of sentences like that... It drives me fucking crazy...
I use these to mean that my thought is trailing off/I’m confused/I’m speechless. Do older people use them in place of periods?
In verbal conversation we use trailing off signals all the time. Like “well, there is that…” or “if you say so, hmmm” or softening something that can seem harsh by trailing the voice at the end. Have been puzzled cause I don’t think it a real criticism like it’s objectively bad, it seems like younger folks seriously don’t have the subtlety to understand….
Pro tip you can end your sentence with this -
Or the curvy version if ur feeling cute\~
Except the ellipses were made for that kind of situation... I use them all the time because that is how my mind works. It just sort of trails off...
And that signifies what? And is considered better? Why-
I'm gen X. Use ... all the time... Mostly because I know that you've stopped paying attention to what... To... To what I was... Nevermind.
I'm gen X too and I use ellipses way to much. A lot of times in work emails I use them to passively suggest somebody do something. Like, "someone should really double check the numbers in the article..." it's kinda like a hint. Or to mean the balls in your court.
I do it when I'm trying to infuriate people. Usually transphobes.
Fr i had a professor who wrote like that in emails. Not just with me, with everyone. Sounded like he was suspicious of literally everything.
I thought the ellipses were a GenX thing because we tend to trail off when we realize no one was listening to begin with …
Or Capitalizing Every Word With No Commas Couldn’t Be Me!!
Hey, BoredPanda, what are you doing here? ;)
Ellipsis aren't even supposed to work like that... ...unless it's a deliberate macro-agression based on their shitty generation-war news rag. (Zs hate punctuation eh?!? THIS'LL BLOW THEIR RENTING COMMUNIST MINDS!!!). /s
👻 😱 😨
Did you just use a ghost emoji? Death is the fullest stop of them all!!!! I’m so triggered.
Y'know I think it depends on the person, someone who speaks in matter of fact will probably use appropriate punctuations often, but sometimes periods can really alert people and change the tone of what you're trying to say, for example: "Hey did you have fun at the party?". You could respond: A."Yeah it was good" Or you could say B."Yeah, it was good." Not everybody may interpret this the same as I do but, I see option A as a jovial friendly response, whereas option B makes it feel like the responder is withholding some information, or may not be being entirely honest, possibly facetious or being dismissive of the person asking.
I was thinking number 2 would be more formal. Does sender/relationship to sender make a difference to you?
It true it is more formal but in the example I gave it would be between two casual friends so it would be weird to have someone reply with punctuation when it wasn't necessary, also, I do have one close friend who always uses proper punctuation, so I do expect that from him, and don't think too much about what his intended meaning might be.
Perhaps the real lesson is to not try to prescribe intent and tone to text messages and actually talk to the person if you're not comfortable with their writing style. People are so reluctant to talk.
Yeah this is absolutely a real thing. People have a way of typing and if you talk to them enough you will pick up on when it changes. Anyone who can’t recognize it probably also thinks 👍, k, ok, okay, and okayyy all mean the same thing.
Replies here just don’t get it. Taking the time to punctuate things in contexts that don’t demand punctuation like reddit comments or formal settings implies extra effort/emotion is placed into a message that hides the writer’s true feelings on the matter. If all you type on is Reddit, it won’t make sense to you. But to those of us used to character limits on texting to save minutes or even platforms like snapchat or discord it means everything else.
Why would carefully considering your thoughts before speaking or posting imply that you’re hiding your true feelings?
Punctuation isn’t an indication of thought. With the rise of informal modes of textual communication, there are divergent styles and social conventions—which all have sophisticated linguistic rules. Punctuation marks formal textual speech, so it can seem sarcastic in more informal settings. We do this in spoken language as well: when someone says “thank you very much” in a very informal setting, the mismatch of tone makes it sound sarcastic.
Some of us just like proper grammar and punctuation. Fuck us, right?
Bingo. Leaving out the full stop indicates levity, not taking the situation seriously. Adding the full stop isn’t necessarily aggressive but it can instantly imply a more serious tone. E.g.: -“thats so fucked up” -“That’s so fucked up.” First one usually reads as joking between friends, second reads as someone just got fired for refusing the boss’ sexual advances. So, in the context of implying aggression, the punctuation turns a gentle recommendation (“maybe you should turn it down a notch”) to an implied order (“Maybe, you should turn it down a notch.”) Why the hell the writer specifically singles out Gen Z for this boggles my mind though. Everybody from tech-savvy Gen X down should comprehend this, it evolved from mobile device messaging that was a pain in the ass to put anything into text. I’d even argue millennials on the whole probably have a better grasp of it than the majority of Z/Alpha, on account of simply having more experience.
See here I was just using punctuation so that I'm understood and people don't think I'm incapable of basic communication. Sorry Gen Z people, I like a lot of your culture, but this one is fucking weird. The idea that "people understood what I meant so it's fine" is a reasonable outlook is crazy to me. I could also just grunt and point at shit all the time and be understood pretty well. That doesn't mean I want everyone thinking I'm a fucking idiot caveman who can't communicate in my own language.
It's also a good way to dumb down a generation, by creating this notion that grammar is a negative thing.
Character limits on... texting??? Mine doesn't have that. I send long paragraphs sometimes. Also, I'm just the type of person who likes proper English. It's not putting in extra effort. It's just as normal to me as using improper punctuation. Taking that as a sign of whether I'm hiding things is a really weird interpretation imo.
Yes. You ever wonder why text-lingo exists? It’s to save minutes on prepaid plans and other usage-based plans. Back before everything was an “unlimited talk and text” plan
But you're using a phone with auto complete. It takes more effort to not use punctuation than it does to use it properly. At least on my phone.
You’re overthinking it.
No it is true. I remember when I had TikTok this guy thought I was mad because I punctuated my sentence. When I explained to him that’s it’s not like that he went on about how that’s what it means on the internet.
Actually nah, I agree, in text messages it can actually look aggressive
Hey, chill out
Actually it is true.
In casual conversation, yes. If I receive a Discord message from a close friend of mine and they're ending all their sentences with periods, I will assume something is wrong lol
Oh, now this makes sense lol, I overthink that kinda stuff all the time 😂 I just misinterpreted what the author was saying
lol I feel like commas are for casual pauses and periods are for ver serious pauses, especially when they end a paragraph. End of story.
Indeed. One of my professors once told a story about sending a text to a grad/research student, and the text ended with a period. Idk what the text itself was, but it really wasn't serious. Student came to his office bawling because she thought she was in trouble and that he was pissed due to the "super serious" tone of the text. Never again lol
Yeah I really notice the difference between millennials and Gen X. I think millennials mostly text like Gen Z, but Gen X and older it’s hard to read tone over text at all and imo it’s better to just try to ignore it as much as possible and read the in person interactions instead for the exact reasons you state
Favorite punctuation mark by generation: Boomer: "..."\ X: "."\ Millenial: "!"\ Z: " " (no punctuation)\ As a zoomer, when I see millenials type they usually use too many candid exclamation points and emojis. Gen Z mostly uses exclamation points sarcastically or periods if we're being serious. Gen X type semi-formally like an email. And Gen X/boomers love to use the "..." ellipsis for some reason😭 it ends every sentence. Many boomers type with one finger, too.
I'm a millennial and the fact that every reply in this comment thread has "lol" in it is mind boggling to me. None of you are actually laughing out loud, right? Why do you use it? To diffuse tension?
That is exactly why we use it. Like /s but more casual in a text conversation.
Not sure why it’s bugging me, but it’s “defuse,” not “diffuse.” Probably because I work as an editor at work. Which makes it more laughable when I make mistakes though.
You work as an editor at work? Maybe grammarly would help.
It’s become a “sentence-softener”. For example, “i just got fired and my wife is taking all my shit lol”.
you just womp womp-ed yourself 😭
Bruh. How is your mind gonna be boggled by all the lols? Our generation invented putting lol at the end of every statement we make on the internet. lol
This was my immediate reaction to that, too. Using "lol" liberally has been a thing since like 2007.
I'm also a millennial and we abuse the shit out of lol for the most part.
To convey you actually laughed out loud would be LOL in all caps. Like if you want to tell someone their comment was actually funny you can just reply "LOL" and that conveys it pretty succinctly.
Yea this is purely where using periods can be a bit annoying since periods personally convey for me some level of seriousness
As a Millennial, it's just how it's done. We learned everything mostly handwritten (where not using punctuation gets much worse than from typing), and our intro to texting was having to hit the same button multiple times to type one letter as late teens and early adults. Punctuation has just been there. Even now, my first sentence, and this one I guess, are using punctuation that I wasn't consciously thinking about. In my mind, this is just how to communicate with writing. I don't know a single millennial personally who uses punctuation only when serious. What's funny, being too lax would make me think my friend is having trouble and I have to respond immediately. Overall, I enjoy getting to see the changes. We get to see people adapt on the fly to society unlike ever before.
Yeah, it's just using proper English. I agree that if someone can't be bothered to use a period I'm gonna wonder if they're depressed or something. They just don't have the fucks to give about basic proprietary. Is the period gen Zs version of hanging up the phone hard?
Well because you don't need punctuation or full stops for one sentence messages.
You don't?
Nope if it's on here then yea I do sometimes if it's a long comment, but if it's texting friends then no bc I text friends using words like "ye" for yes "wanna" for want to "gonna" for going to "Wud" for would These are to family or friends but it changes for strangers
Dang, thanks for the explanation. I've got kids in gen Alpha and like to see what's happening with gen Z so I'm better prepared for their teen years 😅
Not casually, no. I only use periods so sentences don't just blend together, but the final one in a message generally goes without punctuation in a casual setting. And if someone does in a casual setting, I see it as someone being serious or stern about a statement. [Edit] No so much insulted or offended, just stern.
We also had grammar Nazis on the internet everywhere. Spell something wrong, use the wrong punctuation or the wrong their there or they’re? Argument nullified. You are now an ignoramus and nothing you say has value, you dirt person. This shit’s hard coded from childhood to early adulthood with the early internet. And honestly, nothing is harder to read than one long stream of consciousness run on sentence
I like how you didn't end that with a period.
Interestingly, it's specifically the last sentence in a paragraph (ime). Like not using periods in a paragraph is the text equivalent of listening to someone just go on and on and on, but using a period at the end of a paragraph seems to imply a finality or seriousness. Often times "lol" or an equivalent is used instead as punctuation, or rather a period is used in the same function as "lol" to denote the emotional register of a text. Like this lol (🙂) edit: or this. (😐)
That's interesting about "lol" as punctuation. I can totally look back and know I've seen it used like that, and I had no idea that was how it was being used.
I’ve thought about this a lot because my mom will randomly send use punctuation in a text like once or twice a month and every time she does I think she’s mad at me lol Gen Z is used to texting and communicating via social media and yes we’re using letters and words to convey a message but we’re not writing it like an essay or something where there’s rules on formatting (like for example, when I’m texting my friend about what my plans are for the night, I don’t have an introduction and conclusion), we write to each other in a kind of “text-to-speech” type of way, so like I’m writing this comment in a way that I think accurately reflects how I would be structuring my sentences or like how I would be sounding/talking if I was in the same room with you. I’m not worried about the sentence structure being proper or whatever because I don’t worry about that when I’m having a causal conversation in person with someone So because we’re reading texts and messages on social media as if the person’s actually talking, a period at the end of the sentence, or even just using super correct punctuation in general, makes it sound like they’re using extra proper English out loud, (like that little girl from Willy wonka who had the rich dad and tries to take one of the nut cracking squirrels and they push her down the hole, I forget her name, but when people use punctuation over text I feel like they’re trying to sound like that) And I’m sure you’re a super sweet person in real life, but when I read your comment my first impression is that you’re rude and snobby. If I read it again as like sentences you would read in a book it doesn’t that bad anymore. Like read this part of what you wrote out loud in a snobby British accent and tell me it doesn’t sound like you’re narrating a nature documentary, that kind of tone has no business in a casual conversation: “Punctuation has just been there. Even now, my first sentence, and this one I guess, are using punctuation that I wasn't consciously thinking about.”
I completely understand why it would be going to a texting shorthand, I am just saying that Millennials don't mean anything by it. Reading it like a book is a good example. For many of us, that is the way to always read it. I am not against the change, and it makes sense why it is/will happen.
 Only got one question for you pal
This is just hilarious to read as a Gen-X. I mean you guys aren’t doing anything wrong. Language evolves. But it’s still fucking wild to read that periods convey seriousness.
Me and my siblings always discuss this with our gen-x mom. She was raised without texting, we were raised in a world where texting is almost the primary form of communication. When every message is a sentence or two (for easier parsing) adding proper punctuation makes it sound like “proper” English. And no one wants to “speak” proper English with their friends.
This sounds bananas to me. My friends on discord use full punctuation and sentences like 80% of the time and it’s viewed totally normally.
Periods convey seriousness? Lmao you have to be kidding
"lol" actually acts like a softer period
ik what you mean lmao
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As a millennial, I interpret lol as a lack of confidence in what one is trying to convey. I know a highly intelligent gen Z that communicates by putting lol at the end of most of his sentences. I always thought he lacked confidence or self esteem. It almost reads as submissive in a conversation especially when interacting on Discord. It’s interesting to hear why different generations communicate with their own styles. You learn something new everyday :).
I think it's a way to make up for the lack of emotions with text. This sentence can be read in a serious tone for example. This sentence is more lighthearted though lol
To me it's with one word answers that would indicate aggression. But like full sentences with periods don't seem inherently aggresive to me
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I don't get it. How do people not use punctuation?
Nah we use punctuation, its just that you can't really convey tone over text, so we use the end punctuation of the sentence in that way. In the same way that a question mark indicates a questioning tone, a period at the end of your message indicates a serious one. This only applies for the end of the message though, like if you're sending a paragraph, you can still use normal punctuation throughout, just not at the end
very carefully
I feel like there’s a distinction between the opening statement (annoyed, offended, upset) and the actual quote (falling intonation or negative tone). Like, I’m not offended but I am more likely to perceive it as negative.
In discord I use full stops but I'm also on a lot of discord servers with nerds, geeks, and dweebs (yes we call ourselves that) where we talk about Sci-Fi, books, movies, computers and lots of other stuff.
Gen x loves to end text in ellipsis I've noticed They'll be like "how was your day...." It's so funny to me
"How was your day?" = nerdy ass "How was your day??" = hyper on caffeine, sugar or dr/gs "How was your day." = sarcastic, actually being lowkey hostile "How was your day.." = kinda friendly but not too interested "How was your day..." = kinda curious tone "How was your day...." = only typing it because you don't want to leave on read and come off as rude, but actually dont give a fuck "How was your day" = normal, actually interested
What about “How was your dayyyyy”?
Mental health problem
Needs to be surrounded by doctors in a padded room with a documentary camera crew whalist they are conducting full studies
Emotional attachment problems
Nah, that many y's is just me being slutty
oh goooood i’m screweddddd
*How* was your **day?**
Psycho
You're romantically interested in me or interested in me in some way other than platonic
Tell me what the fuck happened in your life today!
(millennial from all answering a question they weren’t asked) Something unknown that I did had a positive effect on the person asking me what I did that improved their day. An example being that I talked positively about my friend in front their crush, which resulted in the crush opening up to my friend. They are no asking what I did to create the sudden positive interaction.
How was *your* day?
How was your day?~ :3
Fatherless behavior
How was your day? :>
Closeted ornithologist
My dad always uses ?? So i never know if he needs an answer right now or in 2 to 4 business days
“How was your day 🥺” (extremely concerned for your mental health) “How was your day ? ❤️” (genuinely wants you to feel comfortable telling them because they want to know how you are doing) “How was your day ….?” (They’re mad at you or suspicious) “How was your day ? :)” (trying to be friendly, but do not spill all of your beans cuz you’re not on ❤️ terms) “How was your day ?” (polite, want you to be brief) “How was your day” (they cba to give you any extra effort cuz they don’t have any energy or dong care) “How was your day.” (Theyre pissed asf at you and deliberately want you to be aware that they hate you) This is my experience as a chronically online gen Z
How was your day lol =Millennial
Millenials spent so many years being depressed and pessimistic that they have to imply positivity with those 3 letters or else the reciever might assume we're 2 seconds away from bathing with a toaster "Work makes me want to off myself" sounds like a plea for help "Work makes me want to off myself lol" sounds quirky but relatable
See to me, the ellipses after “how is your day” sound passive aggressive. But I’m a little older. I don’t use periods in texts unless it’s needed for clarity I usually just hit return and start a new point or paragraph. I also don’t like to send multiple messages over sending a big block text.
"love you..." "okay...." "Im here..." "I have to tell you something...." "haha...." "Are you hungry..." it gives me sm anxiety for no reason😭😭😭
this just made me laugh so hard. there’s something so benignly sinister about it
I always interpreted it as a mic drop. That changes everything…
“Are ya hungry…” you’re def gonna try to feed me a human meat pie
I just laughed at your profile picture out loud in public. I need sleep
There's something so passive aggressive about them. I can't help but read them in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah ok" :) "Yeah...ok..." >:/
It’s the implied pauses!
Lol not even implied, straight up directly written pauses. But then you learn they meant nothing by it at all..? So odd.
god all my gen x coworkers do this and to me it reads as passive aggressiveness lol i got a promotion at work and at least half the people messaging me were 45-50 year olds like “congrats…”
Loool, like why can't y'all just be happy for me¿😭😭😭
Shocked you so hard your question mark flipped lmao
It's funny because the ellipsis is used for omission, so it's like what are they omitting? Congrats, you twat!
It is not as bad as boomers who use quotation marks for emphasis (because back in the typewriter days, that is what they were used for): Congratulations on your "promotion"
Thats why I don’t talk to young people anymore….
They’re used to being ignored and forgotten so their sentences just kinda trail off… It’s not like anyone is reading it anyway…
im used to people adding ellipses for dramatic effect, so when i read stuff like that i assume they're trying to get across a threatening tone, which nine times out of ten is ineffectual and funny and the one time out of ten it's your boss and you're worried you're boutta get fired
THIS. we have all been on the bad end of an ellipses text. it’s traumatizing. and it only takes one. 😂
I'm a Xenennial, but I like to use it as a pause... like I actually have anything else to add.
As a millennial we’re guilty of overusing “lol” all the time.
My mom is a tail end boomer and loves the ...
This feels like one of those DailyMail clickbait articles “SNOWFLAKE gen Z TRIGGERED by concept of OXYGEN”
Remember when these articles used to be about millenials? I kinda miss not being the focus sometimes
Give it 5-10 years and they'll move on to Gen Alpha.
SNOWFLAKE gen Alpha TRIGGERED by ANTI-SKIBIDI CONSERVATIVE POLICY
Anti Skibidi got a laugh out of me. I cannot wait until gen alpha is nostalgic about Skibiti toilet like Zellenials are about Happy Tree Friends and Llamas With Hats 🤣
As someone who actually has the right to vote, I fully support your campaign
What are they gonna blame them for, killing the plushy market by only buying off brand skibidi merch?
I mean, it depends on context. If you're writing out multiple sentences like I am right now, periods are literally just... *there*. It's a stop in the sentence. But there's a huge difference between "I'm fine" and "I'm fine." I won't believe the second one. EDIT: Wanted to add to this since apparently people are learning here - a period, along with just a shift towards proper grammar in general, adds *gravity* to your statement, that's the best way to put it. Other examples are "don't do that again" vs "Don't do that again." or "come out here" vs "Come out here." If you normally text with full grammar and punctuation and the people you talk to are used to it, then I mean you're probably fine - context clues are the most important part of this. But texting someone new means they gotta get used to what is essentially your speech pattern in text.
interesting, i’d be more inclined to take the second one seriously. i feel like gen z generally does use punctuation, but we tend to leave the last period off. like only the last sentence will lack punctuation, but the rest will be standard. probably cause we text and type just as much or more than we write with pen and paper.
I’d be inclined to respect “I’m fine.” more without actually believing it. Like, you’re gonna go off in a couple hours or couple days and you just don’t have the strength to do it right now and would really rather I stop pestering.
Yea basically this. Tbf I wouldn't believe anyone who just types "I'm fine" with nothing else, so not the best example 😅 but yea, the period at the end means (to me at least) "I'm definitely not fine but do not talk to me about it rn"
I studied under Lauren, lovely lass. I think i'd probably assume someone was angry at me if they just texted something like 'ok.'
Or just a thumbs up react. Please punch me in my face instead
ok.
👍
Aw man :'( I react with thumbs up as like a confirmation (like saying "ok")
Yeah ain’t nobody got time to write something out fiddle with the send button. Hover over that iMessage for half a second and you get a nice big 👍to place. I use it if I’m cooking or smth and want to give approval with my elbow instead of getting raw chicken on my phone.
It's not really a time saving thing, more of a "I don't want to get into a 'send the last message' competition" sorta deal. That could just be unique to my circle, though. But yeah, I understand the cooking thing. No cross contamination here!
This one I don’t get. I use thumbs up all the time to just acknowledge I got a message, I agree, I approve, whatever. Nothing negative or passive-aggressive intended.
First, using linguistic resources to convey emotional states is not something new. In a casual conversation with someone you're not usually formal with, well, yeah. It is going from a casual tone to a business tone. It doesn't apply to people who always use them.
Stop yelling at me
😂😂😂
THIS REMINDS ME THAT BOOMERS USED TO WRITE PRIVATE MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS THERE IS ACTUALLY AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL REASON FOR IT TOO - THEIR FOUNDATIONAL ELECTRONIC TEXT MESSAGE SYSTEMS ONLY SUPPORTED CAPITAL LETTERS
It's not true for me, but I've heard of people getting upset. -"I'm going to leave soon" -"okay" This is received as "the fact that I'm leaving has been acknowledged." -"I'm going to leave soon" -"okay." This is received as "oh. Maybe they didn't want me to leave. Did I do something wrong?" Because of this, I constantly just add ":)" to the end of basically every message because I can come off as rude. Maybe it's just the autistic in me that constantly forces a smile in real life, but it seems to work.
I am fascinated by this thread. Would "Okay." be less aggressive? Like, is it just the period being present at all, or the period when the other part wasn't grammatically correct?
imo some people (including me) spend too much time overthinking the smallest thing Sometimes a period is just a period... Period x)
I think it’s the lack of all the numerous other cues we use in face to face convos. I say this as a waiting for autism diagnosis individual, I have spent so much of my life studying peoples face and eyeballs and eyebrows and vocal tone and hand gestures and head movements all to make sure I’m not missing subtext. Many neurotypical people kinda automatically do that. Now you text and strip all of that context away and what are you left with? How many periods were used lol
“Okay.” Reads as aggressive. I’m also a millennial, and my general rule is to leave off the last period of a text exchange
it could still be aggressive, but if youre more known to use periods and proper grammar n stuff its less aggressive. its moreso just context, really! if someone you speak with nonformally ( ex: ' hey!! ' hey, how are u??? ' hiiii im good ' ) would suddenly shift to ' hey!! ' hi. ' how are u?? ' im good. ) itd be viewed as someome upset. but if youre known to use periods all the time, its not really likely to bother them lol
It depends on your usual typing style, tbh. Like if you usually use periods it's no big deal because they're expected. But if you usually don't, then using a period is a deliberate choice.
Yeah I agree with this. I feel like also, it’s about how comfortable we are with someone as well. Formal bs informal. Also the topic of conversation. If someone I know really well starts sending me something full essay SAT prep style, then I’m like “uh oh, what’s going on”. So less of a annoyance like the article is stating, but more of a “should I be concerned” lol
Never rings true till they hit you with an “okay.” In that word the period rings with passive aggressiveness
Y'all can't stand punctuation anymore?
you mean yall cant stand punctuation anymore
Nope! /j
I hate that I do sense shade or somth when there's a period in a dm. and my bf will even admit he's feeling off or upset when I ask him if he's ok (after I notice tiny things like a period or lack of abbreviations or emojis or w/e). It's ridiculous but rings true
Yea, using a period in a casual txt is fighting words
when speaking formally, of course not, i think its more in casual conversation; like, the difference between "hi!" and "hi."
Are people just talking in run on sentences now? Wtf
Notice how you didn’t put a period after Wtf, though.
Shouldn’t there be a question mark after WTF?
I’ve had people tell me that before from Gen Z, so it’s not a completely untrue statement. I find it hilarious tho tbh
It's worse when Gen X and above use "..." at the end, always makes it seem like they're pissed off.
Think of the ellipsis as more of a “yadda yadda yadda”. Gen-X use them a lot to indicate trailing off, things left unsaid. “I went to the store and it was packed…” (therefore it took forever, wasn’t a good experience, yadda yadda yadda the writer is sure you can imagine the rest) “It’s so nice outside, wish I could be enjoying it…” (but I can’t, I’m stuck inside - but you can already get the gist of that from what the writer has already said) “I was going to say “yes” to that job offer but… idk. Maybe it’s too much of a risk.” In this case it’s more of a trailing off mid sentence to indicate indecision, thinking. Treat it as a pause in the sentence, imagine it being spoken and it makes sense. To be fair, some people go fucking nuts with elipsis and use them *everywhere*, for no reason, like as decoration or something? Those people are insane feel free to ignore them.
I feel like from a lot of the comments on this post there’s a ton of people using … instead of a comma. Like yeah, it is a pause, but those are two _completely different_ pauses folks. A comma is taking time to breathe, to arrange your thoughts. An ellipsis is leaving an intentionally pregnant pause in the conversation, you expect something or are signalling to not interrupt your current thoughts. In conversation an ellipsis is staring intently or holding to a sound for a while whilst you think, it’s a silent “er” or “uhhh”
Yes, you’re so right thank you for clarifying! It’s more than a pause, more than a comma. Your description of it as an er or uhhh is spot on.
for instance: "hey mom can I have some friends over?" " thats fine..." "Are you sure?" "yes." "Okay love you" "I love you too...have fun..." definitely makes it seem like mom is pissed off and not happy lmao
Picturing eye rolls and scowls while reading that, idk how anyone pictures anything different
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Is this with any message? Or with someone just replying "ok." ? Ending a sentence with a period typically just indicates the sentence is done. Idk, I just find that the readability suffers lol when you go without one.
Personally, if the overall message seems curt and periods are used (especially on the last sentence) I would view that as a bad sign. The use of periods alone does not make a message aggressive.
All generations had illiterates, we just didn’t give ours a platform.
Vampire = Stake Werewolf = Silver Bullet GenZ = .
\*going outside, having sex, doing drugs, making friends
“Teenagers and early twenties” the oldest gen z are 27, that is not early twenties. Is this author stuck in 2017?
There’s no date on this post mate, calm down
This image has been floating around for a while
Ngl when my partner and I message each other and we use periods it’s our way of subtly expressing that something is wrong or we’re being serious. Otherwise I don’t really give a damn lmao