My Unexpected TikTok Revelations: A 40-Something’s Take on Gen Z
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| From my Point of View |
Resistance, Realities and the Algorithm
I’ll admit it: I was a late adopter. I didn't join TikTok until my mid-40s. For the longest time, I resisted opening an account simply because of its origins and all the hypes around it. But eventually, the creator side of me took over. I wanted more exposure for my YouTube Channel content, so I figured, why not cross-post to TikTok and see how it goes?
What started out as a purely practical distribution tactic turned into a fascinating social experiment. Day by day, I found myself scrolling through the endless stream of short-form videos and began uncovering some genuinely surprising, and sometimes mind-boggling things about how the younger generation thinks, speaks, and navigates the world.
Here are three (3) observations that made me stop, re-watch, and ponder.
1. "Ex-Father"? The Redefinition of Family Boundaries
The first thing that genuinely stopped me in my tracks was watching an influencer talk about her family dynamic. Her parents were divorced, and while on a conversation with her mum, she casually referred to her father as her "Ex-Father."
I was taken aback. Wait, what?
Fortunately, her mother stepped in on camera to correct her, explaining that while the man was her ex-husband, he couldn't be an "ex-father" because blood is blood. Genetic is genetic. Still, the young influencer ick about it and stuck to her phrasing.
Now I completely understand that family relationships can be deeply complex and painful, especially with a divorce. Perhaps she knew all the details of why they split, saw her mother suffer, or carried her own deep grudges. Everyone copes in their own way. But to hear someone cut off familial labels so decisively with terms like "Ex-Father" was a real cultural contrast for my generation, where family titles were traditionally treated as permanent regardless of conflict. Today, labels seem far more conditional based on personal sentiment.
2. The Art of "Yapping" (and Embracing Our Local Identity)
If there’s one defining trend of Gen Z content creation, it’s "yapping" right into the front camera. Whether it’s sharing a deeply personal story, giving unsolicited opinions on world events, or poking their nose into drama just to ride the algorithm wave, they will talk about everything under the sun if they want to or relatable to them.
On one hand, I’m genuinely impressed by their freedom of expression and confidence. They are bold, unfiltered, and great at storytelling. Some of them are naturally hilarious, and I happily watch on sometimes without hitting the "like" and "follow" buttons!
On the other hand... the forced accents can be a bit much to listen to!
Look, we are Singaporeans lah. Why act like an Ang Moh when you don't even look like one in the first place regardless of whether you’ve dyed your hair blonde or having an Ang Moh boyfriend or husband. Unless you went overseas for studies or work for years, maybe that one I can understand. Really, there’s no need to adopt a Western cadence just to sound cool online or offline. Our local identity is unique and full of character, and genuine confidence in your own skin always looks best!
3. The "Potato" Generation, China Travel and Future Career Realities
The third thing that baffles me is the linguistic dynamic. So many in the younger generation are what we locally call "potatoes": Chinese by ethnicity, but completely fluent only in English, understanding or speaking barely a word of Mandarin. I often hear colleagues and friends lamenting that their kids despise Chinese as a school subject, casually letting it slide or fail because "English is the main working language in Singapore anyway, so why bother?"
Yet, ironically, these same "potato" Singaporeans love taking holiday trips to China in recent years! I can only imagine the sheer clash of English-influenced Mandarin slang when they attempt to converse over there.
While it's easy to laugh it off, it makes me think about their long-term career prospects. What happens if they want to work for China tech powerhouses originating like Tencent, ByteDance, or Alibaba? Having just "survival-level" Mandarin might limit their potential in these corporate environments.
Of course, giving them full credit: Gen Z are incredibly fast learners. If thrown into the deep end, they have an amazing knack for adapting and picking things up on the fly. But it’s still an interesting contradiction to watch from the outside.
4. The "Yishun Meme" Obsession vs. Real-Life Common Sense
If you scroll through local TikTok long enough, you’ll definitely encounter the endless memes about Yishun. Whenever there’s news about a cat abuser, a fire, a strange neighborhood stalker, or recent traffic accidents, Gen Z creators immediately jump on it with: "Only in Yishun!" or "Yishun again!"
I just have to shake my head and chuckle. Come on lah, as someone who moved to Yishun 12 years ago, is Yishun really the only place where strange news happens? Every single neighborhood in Singapore has its fair share of odd happenings and no area is completely free of weird incidents or news cases!
I often laugh to myself thinking: Just wait until these young creators get married, apply for a BTO flat, and the housing queue lands them right here in Yishun! The irony would be hilarious.
Some of the cases from other parts of Singapore:
Fatal Tampines crash: Driver charged with fleeing scene of accident that killed 2 peopleI even saw one influencer making a whole video complaining about how Northpoint City is "so complicated and confusing" to navigate. Well... of course a huge integrated mall feels like a maze on your first few visits! When I first moved here over a decade ago, I had to explore my own hood to get familiar with it too. Isn't that just basic common sense when you're in a new neighborhood? Once you live here, you learn the layout in no time and know exactly where all your favorite food stalls and shops are.
Every new neighborhood takes a little time to master, whether it’s Yishun, Jurong, or Tampines!
Closing Thoughts
Joining TikTok in my 40s was originally just a way to grow my reach, but it ended up giving me a front-row seat to how the upcoming generation views relationships, self-expression, and language. Then again, when I was younger, I’m sure the older generation shook their heads at our trends and slang too!
They are loud, opinionated, dynamic, and sometimes a little hard to understand but undeniably fascinating.
What about you? Have you noticed these trends on your feed too? Do you feel the same like I do?
