Millennials are embracing this bizarre 'no phone' spending habit that just doesn't work for Gen Z

Millennials are facing their own unique set of struggles. Often labeled the can't-afford-a-house generation and stereotyped as being obsessed with café lattes, they have become the butt of jokes from both Boomers and Gen Z. Now, a new Millennial quirk has been added to the list of stereotypes. According to a viral social media post, the 'MySpace generation' reportedly struggles to make big-ticket purchases without using a laptop. Social media users suggest that this habit is a clear giveaway of someone's age. 

Millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996 and they would be between 28 and 42 years old today.  

No phone for big money

In her viral video that has over 1.1 million views, UK-based radio host Jennie Longdon (@jennielongdon) on TikTok said that for folks over the age of 30 making big-ticket purchases on a mobile phone is disgusting and repulsive. 

“Takeaway, clothes, shoes within reason, yeah,” she says, suggesting they are okay to buy on a mobile phone. But buying a plane ticket on a phone makes the creator gag in disgust. “Bigger screens for the big things please,” her video caption reads.

She goes on to say that booking a holiday is also a laptop job, like any other big-ticket purchase. She claims that folks of her age just can't make big purchases on smaller devices and they have to get the laptop out. "You can't browse properly," she says in the video. 

Several Millennial viewers seemed to agree with Longdon. "36 and booked a holiday on the laptop recently couldn’t do it on my phone! It required a coffee, pre-toilet stop, and then be comfortably seated to allow focus," shared @taraloubyloudixon. "I have never related to something more in my life," added @eilisnith.

Some disagreed as well. "Elder Millennial I buy plane tickets on apps on my phone. Laptops are for work," @jadeamiles. "38-year-old millennial here and I've booked all my holidays on my phone! haven't opened a laptop outside of work for years!" added @findmeatlukes.

For more such videos and entertaining content, follow Jennie Longdon (@jennielongdon) on TikTok. 

Longdon isn't the only one who went viral for sharing the theory. Recently, the CEO of the software company Zoo, Jessie Frazelle, went viral on X for bringing the millennial quirk to everyone’s attention.

That single tweet amassed over 5 million views and the responses were varied. "It’s Luddite behavior," commented user @JasonPostier. 

This debate seems to be global as hosts of an Australian podcast, Life Uncut, have argued on it as well. Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley discussed it with their producer, Keeshia Pettit, who admitted that she has deemed several things as "laptop-only purchases”.

On the other hand, Byrne, a Millennial argued that she would buy her own funeral using nothing more than a phone.

Apparently, this was beyond the understanding of Pettit. Meanwhile, several users in the comments argued that laptops were in fact better for making purchases as they provide much more information on the screen than a mobile device.