“Is talking cringe now?”: Skit about “talking in 2025” goes viral—and the critiques are brutal

A viral TikTok skit portraying a painfully awkward conversation has set off a wave of generational debate. The clip, from creator Mandy (@guyfieriwhore), shows a young woman shutting down every attempt at small talk, offering no opinions, no reactions, and no engagement. The text overlay on her video reads, "POV you're trying to talk to people in 2025."

Viewers linked the exaggerated scene to a real-world communication breakdown among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Conversations across TikTok and Reddit debated whether younger generations have lost basic social skills, or if deeper cultural and pandemic-driven forces are at play.

The TikTok has been viewed over 1.9 million times and has 316,000 likes.

A viral skit and generational silence

The video quickly reached Reddit, where it was reposted to the r/TikTokCringe subreddit. There, users claimed the behavior reflected a real communication breakdown among Gen Z and even Gen Alpha.

One college assistant teacher said, "I can confirm half of the students I have that are 18-20 are like this to talk to." Another commenter, a body piercer, described younger customers as hiding behind "this smoke screen of stupidity and ignorance to avoid being seen as cringe." They added, "The effect is that everyone under 25 seems 8."

Notably, several people tied this communication style to the pandemic. u/crustation_nation explained, "I'm gen z and that's exactly how it was when we came back to school from covid. No one was raising their hands, everyone was just quiet." They remembered answering every teacher’s question just to break the silence. "Something about this behavior feels so deeply selfish because of the discomfort it causes others."

Teachers, managers, and service workers shared similar frustrations. A community college instructor said even simple icebreaker games failed. Students struggled to find common ground and spoke so softly that responses had to be repeated. A waitress added, "There's definitely a non-insignificant percentage of Gen Z (and going into Gen Alpha as well) that thinks barely whisper-talking while looking away from you is a great way to communicate."

@guyfieriwhore um…… #foryou #fyp #xybca #college #friends ♬ original sound - mandy

Social cues, silence, and influencer culture

These accounts painted a consistent picture: younger people often whisper, mumble, or refuse eye contact. Several adults noted that requests to "speak up" only made the issue worse. A factory worker explained they stopped talking to younger employees altogether because communication felt impossible in a loud environment.

Commenters also pointed to deeper causes. One high school teacher noticed students covered their mouths while talking, even when asked to stop. Another Redditor blamed influencer culture, saying younger generations act like they always have a personal "brand." This constant self-awareness may intensify the fear of appearing "cringe."

Poet and NYU professor Ocean Vuong explained this cultural shift in an interview with ABC News. "They perform cynicism because cynicism can be misread, as it often is, as intelligence. I think sincerity is something we deeply hunger for, particularly young people, but we are embarrassed when sincerity is in the room."

Meanwhile, older coworkers and classmates described the silence as selfish or arrogant. A millennial nontraditional student complained that group projects with Gen Z peers felt like "pulling teeth." A manager admitted they dreaded small talk with younger employees because the responses always felt forced and uncomfortable.

Taken together, the conversation suggested that what looks like rudeness may actually stem from insecurity and pandemic isolation.

@guyfieriwhore did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok DM.

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