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Gen Z guy hilariously tries schooling his mom on using the exclamation point emoji 'correctly'

It turns out most people are with the mom.

Photo credit: Canva

No, this is not a case of old folks not being "with it."

Different generations rarely see eye to eye on many things, but no topic seems to be so heavily debated as how to properly communicate via texting.

In the one camp, you’ve got the youngins who grew up with texting specifically—Gen Alphas, Gen Zers, and even millennials to a certain extent. In the other camp, you’ve got boomers, Gen Xers, and again, millennials who might not have texted all their lives, but certainly have more working knowledge of basic grammar and written communication.

So who’s the real authority? Ask a million different people, and you’ll get a million different answers. This is certainly the situation we find ourselves in with this story.

Recently, Jason Saperstone, a 22-year-old publicist in New York City, whose content consists mainly of cheeky, satirical PowerPoint presentations, created one centered on educating his parents on proper texting etiquette. Yes. He was attempting to educate them.

The primary learning point? The “exclamation” or “emphasis” reaction, aka “tapback” that you can attach to a message. According to Saperstone, his parents were using it wrong.

"Mom and Dad, I love you, but you need to get better at texting," he said at the beginning of his lesson. "So the thing we’re going to be working on today is how to use the emphasis."

According to Saperstone, you react with an emphasis when:

  • You agree with the sender.
  • You find yourself in the same situation.
  • Someone is ignoring you and you want their attention.

Is this news to you? Are you wondering if Gen Z actually understands what the original meaning behind an exclamation point even is? Or any punctuation, for that matter? You’re not alone.

texting, gen z, communication, generational humor, parenting, texting etiquette, powerpoint, kids We can't even agree on basic grammar?! media0.giphy.com

Saperstone’s parents (rightfully…sorry, my bias is showing) thought it should be used to show excitement or enthusiasm. For example, when he let them know that he happened to be in the bar that Alex Cooper, host of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, was at, his mother used the emphasis tapback because she was “excited” for him.

“That would mean that you’re also at the bar with Alex Cooper," Saperstone argued, saying that she should have “liked” the message with a thumb’s up. Which, may I add, was previously labeled as "passive aggressive” by Gen Z…so why are we giving them carte blanche on all things text communications?

Luckily for Saperstone’s parents, folks rallied in the comment section either by agreeing with his mom’s interpretation…

“DISAGREE with the presenter and AGREE with mom. The emphasis on the Alex Cooper text conveys ‘holy sh**! That’s awesome!’”

“I kind of agree with Mom here! I use it like ‘omg, whaaat?’ Like in response to someone telling me something wild or exciting.”

“Not us all agreeing with Mom 💀 if you send me a thumbs up when I send you exciting news imma cry.”

…or by declaring that Gen Zers don’t hold ultimate authority on this topic.

texting, gen z, communication, generational humor, parenting, texting etiquette, powerpoint, kids When it comes to texting…the kids are NOT alright. media4.giphy.com

“Taking communication advice from Gen Z is like taking financial advice from Boomers.”

“Ok emphasis is an exclamation point and in grammar (which hasn’t changed its rules) it expresses excitement or surprise. So the older generation uses it as intended and the younger generation is making up their own rules.”

“What cracks me up is the fact that he thinks his generation gets to decide the meaning of ‘!!’ or any other emoji. Just because that’s what you have decided that’s what it means doesn’t mean you’re correct, or that another meaning of it is necessarily wrong. It means different things to different generations, and that’s actually perfectly ok. 😊”

And honestly, it’s the latter point that really hits home here. When it comes to texting, we can all agree to disagree with certain nuances. But in no way, shape, or form does Gen Z get to enforce its own made-up linguistic rules upon the rest of the world. Sorry. You can reclaim low rise jeans if you want, but we’re keeping basic grammar.

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Teachers

Teacher issues wholesome warning to colleagues: 'Be careful what you leave on your desk'

The kids are definitely alright.

Canva Photos

A teacher issued a tongue-in-cheek warning to her colleagues about leaving things on their desk.

If you believe the headlines, "kids these days" are the worst. Teachers are quitting in droves in part because the Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids are disrespectful, lazy, and downright unteachable. And that's to say nothing of systemic issues in curriculums, school budgets, politics in the classroom, and more.

But the kids, apparently, aren't making it any easier.

A story from author, mom, and educator Megan Davidhizar, shows that not everyone's having a bad experience with the younger generations. Her story begins with a tongue-in-cheek warning for her fellow teachers.

A veteran educator who teaches high school, Davidhizar shares on TikTok all about her journey as a teacher. She has a great sense of humor and seems to really understand today's students and trends. And so when she set out to warn her colleagues about a potential issue, people listened up.

"When I went to school to become a teacher, no one ever told me that I needed to be so careful about what I put out on my desk," she says in one recent video.

Davidhizar knows what the narratives are. She knows what's expected of kids today, and she knows the people watching her TikTok video are going to brace themselves for a story about kids stealing from her or ruthlessly pranking her. She plays on those expectations beautifully here.

"Some students who, after I recently got married, gave me these two cute little rubber ducks," she says, holding them up to the camera. The ducks were meant to represent Davidhizar and her husband. "So I put them out on my desk. You wanna know what my room looks like 16 years later?"

Watch to the end for the surprise ending:

@megan.davidhizar

Wait til the end. What teacher at your school has a room filled with hundreds of the same thing? (Also, I love every one I’ve been given. I write the names of who gave them to me on the bottoms) #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife #teacherwarning #rubberducks #newteacher #veteranteacher #teacheradvice

Yes, after keenly observing that Mrs. Davidhizar likes rubber ducks, her students began bombarding her with more and more ducks. Her classroom is now full of them, including a drawer that contains all the ones she doesn't have room for on her desk and shelves.

All in all, it has to be hundreds of ducks and hundreds of little gifts from the students she's crossed paths with over the years.

It's adorable and absolutely incredible. The video racked up 5.7 million views and commenters couldn't help but chime in with their admiration for Davidhizar's dedication. Clearly, it said a lot about her as a teacher to receive so much love from her students.

"that says your a good teacher that your students saw that and then saw a duck for sale and thought of you and wanted to get that for you" one commenter said.

Many people had similar stories of the same phenomenon happening to teachers over the years.

"My history teacher had a flamingo, he now has thousands"

"The same thing happened to my English teacher ... Someone bought him a little owl ornament for his desk... Then it became a thing & EVERYONE bought him owls"

"I taught kindergarten and wore an apron over my clothes. through the years, moms & grandmas noticed and would make aprons for me. I have such an apron collection"

"Those kids LOVE you," one person wrote. "I love them too," Davidhizar responded.

There's no denying that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are different. Maybe not all teachers are set up to succeed in this new and challenging environment where they have to compete with social media, phones, parents who coddle, and overwhelming workloads.


@megan.davidhizar

Why else would someone become an English teacher? #elateacher #highschool #middleschool #teacherlife

Those teachers need better support: healthier budgets, better pay, and more support from the administration.

But you still have to hand it to teachers like Mrs. Davidhizar who have found a way to make it work. They've come up with creative and engaging ways to cut through the noise and connect with their students. Even though it's arguably harder than ever, teachers like Davidhizar are showing us that it's still possible to connect with the right approach.

They say teaching doesn't pay, but of course, they must not be counting all the free ducks.

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'Guys with alpaca hair' and 14 other Gen Z fashion trends people hope disappear ASAP

Why does every teenage boy has a mullet and a mustache?

via The White House/Wikimedia Commons and The Earthy Jay / Pexels
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a woman with a nose ring.

Online culture has had an incredible effect on fashion trends. It used to take a trend about 20 years to complete a cycle: introduction, rise, peak, decline, and obsolescence. However, in 2025, this cycle has been sped up incredibly due to several factors. Trends can be quickly introduced and adopted due to social media, online shopping and quick turnaround through fast-fashion distribution. The speed of adaptation also means they can fizzle out just as fast.

This means a fashion trends we’d usually see stick around for years can come and go in months. It’s an expensive pill to swallow for anyone trying to keep up with the latest (Gen Z, we’re looking at you), but it’s a blessing for those of us who have a problem with some of today’s polarizing looks.

The bad news is you may not like broccoli cuts. The good news is that they will be gone and forgotten before you know it.

A great conversation recently broke out on Reddit, where commenters weighed in on all the fashion trends they couldn’t wait to go away.

It seems that some of the most controversial styles are the work of Gen Z. Whether it’s the nose ring that looks like it belongs on a bell cow or big pillowy eyelashes, Gen Z has championed some looks that will probably look a little silly in a few years.

Here are 15 fashion trends currently “in” that people are already over.

1. Suits with shorts

"Took my cousin to prom and saw at least 30 dudes wearing a suit with shorts."

This one is extremely hard for millennials and Gen Xers to wrap their heads around, but it is oh-too-real. It seems to be a natural evolution of the "suit with sneakers" look.

2. Anti-aging tweens

"Children (I’ve mostly seen around ages 9-13) going to Sephora for anti-aging serums and makeup. You all can hardly go to the park by yourselves, yet you’re plastered in expensive creams and makeup like you’re 20+."

"This one really bothers me. It’s pretty dark, honestly, and the parents who allow this are weird as hell."

The New Yorker says tweens are imitating influencers and popular "get ready with me" videos on social media.

3. Limp Biz-kids

"I'm a high school teacher and a surprising number of the boys dress like it's 2000 and they've got Limp Bizkit's 'Nookie' on repeat. There's one kid that looks like he's from 1977. Puka shells, feathered hair, big, open collars. I like that kid."


fashion trends, alpaca hair, nose rings, gen z, gen z fashion, gen alpha, generation differences, culture, fashion, trends Dressing like Fred Durst is in, for now. Giphy

4. Botox

"Excessive Botox in young people. I’m so tired of everyone having a frozen face. It’s not pretty. It’s just weird."

"I swear there was a coordinated effort by some industry to convince girls in their 20s that they need to start Botox now because it’s preventative. That’s the reason given when I ask these early 20s girls why they use it. “It prevents future wrinkles” like there was a peer-reviewed study showing it does or something."

Patricia Wexler, MD, of Wexler Dermatology in Manhattan, told Vogue that getting preventative Botox injections at a young age can lead to more wrinkles. “If you do too much Botox on your forehead for many, many years, the muscles will get weaker and flatter,” Wexler says. This means that surrounding muscles do more work when you make facial expressions. “If one stops using their forehead muscles, they may start squinting using their nose and have wrinkles along the side of their nose," she continued.

5. Teen boys with alpaca hair


fashion trends, alpaca hair, nose rings, gen z, gen z fashion, gen alpha, generation differences, culture, fashion, trends Famous men like Patrick Mahomes have popularized broccoli hair. Giphy

"I used to work reception at a salon and it was always fricken hilarious when these kids would come in to get a perm. They'd come sulking in behind their mommies, sit for 2 hours with curlers and stinky perm solution in their hair looking like cats being forced to take a bath, then prance out thinking they were the shit with their new poodle cuts lol."

"Some of them are definitely embracing their natural curls, which is awesome! But a good chunk of them, especially the preppy ones with rich parents, are getting straight up 80s style perms. It's great."

We can blame Patrick Mahomes for popularizing this one, but he shares the responsibility with other famous men like Jake Paul (unfortunately).

6. Laminated brows

"Eyebrows that are brushed upwards. That's the only way I can think to describe it. I can't see anything else when looking at someone who has that style brows. I just don't know why people like it."

"Almost every eyebrow trend ends up looking kinda silly. Let's just all work with the eyebrows we have. Sure, clean it up a lil bit if you feel like it."

In the 2000s, we had spiky hair. Now, we have spiky eyebrows. But don't worry, it won't last.

7. Over-the-top fake eyelashes

"The ridiculous false eyelashes. I get it. I've got no problem with the ones that at least have a semblance of being natural. But the uber thick ones that look more like fur are just...pointless.Someone I deal with at work wears them. And it's so weird, because most of the time she dresses down in sweatshirts, jeans, sneakers, etc. And doesn't pay much attention to her hair. But she's got those stupid wooly caterpillar eyelashes in. They just call attention to how un put together the rest of her is. I know that everyone should just dress for themselves, but it's just weird."


fashion trends, alpaca hair, nose rings, gen z, gen z fashion, gen alpha, generation differences, culture, fashion, trends Can we just not with the fake eyelashes? Giphy

8. Barrell jeans

"The barrel jeans have got to go. They’re the ugliest effing things I’ve ever seen. And people keep lying to these women about how they’re flattering and I’m like no! You look bowlegged!"

For years jeans got tighter and lower until they reached an inevitable breaking point. High-waisted jeans were a sign of the pendulum swinging back in the other direction, and now young peoples' jeans look like inflated balloons.

9. '80s moustaches

"Weird '80s moustaches, I've seen good looking guys made to look like Ned Flanders. Ages them instantly, which I guess is the plan, but ages them past 20s to married with kids approaching teenage years."


fashion trends, alpaca hair, nose rings, gen z, gen z fashion, gen alpha, generation differences, culture, fashion, trends Benson Boone is the ultimate epitome of 2025 Gen Z style. Giphy

The number of young men with mullets and moustaches is absolutely staggering these days.

10. Crocs

"I thought they were hideous when they first came out almost twenty years ago, and they’ve never gone away."

"We always made fun of them and then suddenly everyone was wearing them. I don’t get it!"

How did Crocs go from the bargain bins to becoming one of the top footwear brands in the U.S.? The big reason is that comfort became more important during the pandemic than aesthetics. They were also quite a statement for people who wanted to rebel against traditional beauty standards. Add celebrity endorsements from Justin Bieber and Post Malone and Crocs came back in a big way.

fashion trends, alpaca hair, nose rings, gen z, gen z fashion, gen alpha, generation differences, culture, fashion, trends No one quite knows how Crocs have managed to stay relevant for so long. Giphy

11. Long nails

"Super long acrylic nails, they seem really impractical."

"Especially the pointed ones that all the Hollywood people wear like claws. You look trashy and high maintenance."

12. Grunt style

"Patriot clothing and beards. Grunt style, nine line... all these fools dressing like they're special forces, their entire identity tied to 1776. It's embarrassing."

If I never see a t-shirt of an American flag with an assault rifle superimposed on top, it will be too soon.

13. Hair parted in the middle

"Middle parts. You need an almost symmetrical face to be able to pull it off, which is pretty rare. Side parts all the way."

"Middle parts look so harsh and unflattering on everyone. Side parts are a million times better."

It was cool when Shawn Hunter and Jonathan Taylor Thomas did it. Let's leave this one in the '90s.

14. Nose rings

"That nose ring in the middle. Just doesn't look good to me. You do you. But just think it doesn't look good very often."

"They always make me think of cattle."


fashion trends, alpaca hair, nose rings, gen z, gen z fashion, gen alpha, generation differences, culture, fashion, trends The good thing about piercings is that they can close up once they're out of style. Giphy

15. Political clothes

"Political attire as someone's entire main wardrobe, no matter the side of the spectrum. You got more personality than that!"

"I have a bro-in-law who wears American flag t-shirts almost exclusively. He must have hundreds of them. And not the tasteful kind with like a little flag on the sleeve or chest. I’m talking about the most garish kind. The kind with a gigantic waving US flag along with a menacing bald eagle flying dramatically over snow-capped peaks. We like America too, Dan, but can you try to wear at least a polo to Grandma's funeral?"

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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Millennials didn't invent the meme. The Silent Generation did...in 1921.

Honestly, the 'first meme ever' is still pretty funny.

The Wisconsin Octopus/Public Domain

People think they've found the "first meme ever" in a cartoon from 1921.

There was once a guy affectionately known on the Internet as "Bad Lucky Brian." He was a scrawny, geeky kid caught posing awkwardly for his school photo. And shortly after his unfortunate picture first appeared on Reddit in 2012, he became the face of one of social media's earliest memes.

All millennials and Gen Xers remembers this golden era of simple memes, when every joke on Facebook and a very young Instagram looked like this:

memes, humor, funny, internet, internet culture, cartoons, generations, generational differences, silent generation, baby boomers, gen x, millennials Bad Luck Brian was one of the earliest Internet meme formats.Ranker

Bad Luck Brian was joined around the same time by Scumbag Steve, Overly Attached Girlfriend, the "Ermagherd!" girl, and the fist-pumping baby. These characters gave a face and a repeatable format for people to create an endless variety of new jokes. The humor was straightforward and predictable, simple, but still funny enough to bring a smile to your face.

At the time, it was relatable and didn't usually require any special knowledge of current events or other memes.

To me, as a 38-year-old millennial, this is about where memes began—with Bad Luck Brian and the rest of the gang. But the truth is that they started earlier—far, far earlier than I ever could have imagined.

In 2018, savvy social media sleuths uncovered an old comic from a July 1921 issue of the satirical magazine Judge. The comic is further attributed to a cartoonist named Hubert F. Townsend for The Wisconsin Octopus earlier that same year.

It reads: "How you think you look when a flashlight is taken." (A 'flashlight' being an archaic way of referring to a flash photograph.) The caption goes along with a drawing of a very dapper man, hair neatly combed, chiseled features, and a meticulous tuxedo.

To the right, it reads: "How you really look," which goes along with a sillier, dumbed-down version of the same character.

If you can look past the drawing style and some of the outdated vernacular, this little cartoon will seem extremely familiar to you.

memes, humor, funny, internet, internet culture, cartoons, generations, generational differences, silent generation, baby boomers, gen x, millennials "Expectation vs reality" meme from 1921.The Wisconsin Octopus/Public Domain

This cartoon from 1921 is a textbook example of the popular "expectation vs reality" joke format. Apparently, millennials did not invent it! The evidence actually points to the Silent Generation coming up with the template.

It seems that worrying how you look in pictures is not only a modern problem. People have been frustrated with it for over a century now, which is what makes this cartoon so resonant.

One commenter on Instagram wrote, "It's an older meme, sir, but it checks out."

"So this would be the predecessor to the 'accidentally switch the phone camera to selfie' meme," said another.

And, in fact, this piece from Townsend isn't the only example of a meme from the era.

BBC uncovered another comic from The Wisconsin Octopus which also makes use of the same joke template—though you have to look past a little outdated, sexist humor.


memes, humor, funny, internet, internet culture, cartoons, generations, generational differences, silent generation, baby boomers, gen x, millennials "arranging a date" meme from 1921The Wisconsin Octopus/Public Domain

It's a lot of fun to imagine our grandparents or even great-grandparents cracking up while reading comic strips like these, laughing at more or less the same stuff we're still making jokes about to this day.

In a sense, memes go back even further than that.

But we have to think beyond just "Internet memes" to really see the history.

Author Richard Dawkins coined the term "meme" in 1972, calling it a "unit of cultural transmission." The New York Times defined it as, "a piece of media that is repurposed to deliver a cultural, social or political expression, mainly through humor."

Imitation is the key element of a meme. Memes reproduce and spread when people take hold of them, adapt or tweak them, and share them. That's what makes them so powerful and sticky.

PBS argues that a mosaic from the year 3 B.C. could be considered one of the earliest memes. Of course, it became a lot easier for memes to be copied and transformed and imitated once the printing press came around. In fact, every generation since the days of Hubert F. Townsend has had their own memes, or repeatable media formats that allow for easy imitation.

Baby boomers lived in the heyday of jokey bumper stickers and physical chain letters. They also had the little character featured in "Kilroy Was Here" who would show up in graffiti all over major cities during World War II.

memes, humor, funny, internet, internet culture, cartoons, generations, generational differences, silent generation, baby boomers, gen x, millennials "Kilroy was here," is considered a popular meme from World War II.By Luis Rubio from Alexandria, VA, USA - Kilroy was here, CC BY 2.0

Gen X had email forwards and the Dancing Baby meme of the early Internet. If you weren't old enough to live through email forwards, a humorous version of the antiquated chain letter, well...you seriously missed out on some of the best comedy writing of the last few decades. Or maybe I just remember it that way.

(On second thought, they were pretty corny.)

memes, humor, funny, internet, internet culture, cartoons, generations, generational differences, silent generation, baby boomers, gen x, millennials Believe it or not, this simple gif once ruled the Internet. Giphy

Millennials had tons of memes to choose from, from the Chuck Norris jokes to Bad Luck Brian. Gen Z and Gen Alpha have their own specific brand of memes, usually one that requires a deep knowledge of brainrot slang and up-to-the-minute Internet lore to understand.

There's a lot of focus on the differences between the generations these days. How boomers and millennials clash, and how Gen X can't understand the Gen Alpha kids, and how Gen Z doesn't approve of their parents' fashion choices. It goes on and on and on. But the long history of memes show that we have more in common than we might think. Though the specifics have changed, we all find humor in life's little frustrations (like not looking good in a picture), and we all respond to the way memes make us feel like we're not alone in how we feel about the world.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't leave out your grandpa next time you're sending a funny meme around to all your friends. He might relate to it more than you'd think.

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