{"id":138,"date":"2025-09-17T19:25:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T19:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/good-worldwide.go-vip.net\/upworthy\/2025\/09\/17\/spotting-gen-x-texter\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T19:25:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T19:25:00","slug":"spotting-gen-x-texter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/2025\/09\/17\/spotting-gen-x-texter\/","title":{"rendered":"Man shares the tell-tale texting style that immediately identified him as classic Gen X"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every generation has different texting habits. For example, Boomers<\/a> insist on using ellipses when they text, according to a Harvard linguist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And Gen X <\/a>has its own texting style, too. In the Reddit forum r\/GenX<\/a>, one man shared a funny interaction he had with one of his Millennial students that “gave away” his Gen X identity.<\/p>\n

“Grammar is my ‘tell.’ Who knew?” he wrote, before sharing a text exchange he had with one of his students from the younger generation. The thread read:<\/p>\n

\n

\"texting,
Text Phone GIF by Life at Lower Giphy<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Millennial:<\/strong> “Are you gen x?”<\/p>\n

Gen X:<\/strong> “Some day, I’ll stop asking questions I’m afraid to know the answers to, but today is not that day. Why? And yes, Gen X.”<\/p>\n

Millennial:<\/strong> “You text not like a millennial and I realized you use punctuation but no emojis and no ellipses or ‘lols’ in your communication.” <\/p>\n

\n

\"gen
Gen Xer shares text convo with Millennial. Image via Reddit\/Kestrel_Iolani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

The lighthearted conversation tickled the Gen Xer. “NOTE: This is not a complaint about ‘kids these days.’ And I know full well that language changes over time. I’m an English major by training, a tech writer by day, and a ‘fun’ writer on nights and weekends,” he explained. “All that said, I had this text exchange with one of my actors today and promptly crumbled into dust. Be fore-warned, my compatriots! Grammar and punctuation will pierce our clever disguises. LOL.”<\/p>\n

Many Gen Xers resonated with the text exchange. “I was late to the game with texting by several years, and to this day cannot compose nor send a text unless it’s written the exact same way that I would write to anybody through any other media (that is to say, proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.). I’ve caught a ton of shit for it since I don’t use textspeak in any form. Not my problem,” one wrote. “I\u2019ve switched to one space after a period.”<\/p>\n

Other Gen Xers shared more about the use of “lol.” “Lol fellow kids,” one commented. Another added, “I would just like to point out that Gen X had a hand in inventing<\/em> ‘lol’. And emojis. You’re welcome. lol.” Another quipped, “We called them emoticons.”<\/p>\n

\n

\"fellow
steve buscemi youth GIF Giphy<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Fellow Gen Xers also discussed their emoji use. “I use tons of emojis and ellipses, as well as punctuation. But I hate ‘lol’. Dunno why, I just can’t bring myself to use it,” one Gen Xer commented. Another Gen Xer noted, “I thought Gen X was known<\/em> for using ellipses, and it annoys younger people. I like them. But I like M dashes better. … Just don’t write like Thomas Chatterton…”<\/p>\n

The conversation about Gen X texting habits also led to an aside on Gen X GIF use. “On this topic: would anyone care to comment on GIF usage? If anything, I am a heavy GIF user only because it allows me to convey a response in such a way that it potentially could end the conversation. I am Gen X because I\u2019m really not interested in texting a lot,” one explained. Another added, “My GenX friend group mostly communicates in Discord via GIFs and movie quotes. It’s our own generational lexicon. Shaka, when the walls fell.”<\/p>\n

One Gen Xer concluded: “And we know you aren’t a boomer because you DON’T WRITE IN ALL CAPS.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Grammar and punctuation will pierce our clever disguises.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":187721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alternative_headline":"","alternative_description":"","alternative_featured_image":0,"rkv_announcement":{"visible":true},"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"partner_boost":false,"hide_partner_badge":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191,177,146],"tags":[135,1617,1618,358,1619,1547,1620,428,1621,307,1622,1623,1624,1625,1626,1627],"sponsor":[],"rkv-people-shadow":[238],"class_list":["post-138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-joy","category-popular","tag-popular_source-pageview","tag-funny-text","tag-funny-texts","tag-gen-x","tag-gen-x-identity","tag-gen-xers","tag-generation-habits","tag-generation-x","tag-generation-x-texting-style","tag-generational-differences","tag-text-conversation","tag-text-convo","tag-text-exchange","tag-texting","tag-texting-style","tag-texts"],"edit_link":null,"apple_news_notices":[],"rkv_author":{"id":238,"name":"Mandy Coles","display_name":"Mandy Coles","first_name":"","last_name":"","nickname":"","url":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/author\/mandy-coles\/","link":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/author\/mandy-coles\/","description":"Mandy Coles is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics and co-director of the Child and Adolescent Trans\/Gender Center for Health at Boston University.","slug":"mandy-coles","avatar_urls":[],"email":false},"yoast_head":"\nMan shares the tell-tale texting style that immediately identified him as classic Gen X - 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