That little silence before someone starts talking in a video has a name: the millennial pause. It's the beat at the start of a short-form clip where the person waits before speaking, named in a TikTok video in November 2021 and jokingly pinned on millennials.
Who named it
Wikipedia credits the term to TikTok user nisipisa, in a video posted on 26 November 2021 about a celebrity pausing at the start of a clip. Kate Lindsay of The Atlantic then wrote about it, saying it had become more noticeable as short-form video spread. In her newsletter, Embedded, Lindsay quotes the original video and notes that the term hadn't caught on as a thing at the time. The name has stuck since, much like other viral slang such as 6 7.
Why people do it: two theories
There are two explanations, and both are hypotheses, not research findings.
- Checking the recording. The person waits a moment to make sure the phone or camera is recording before they start, so their first words don't get cut off.
- An old habit. Older recorders, such as cassette players or VHS camcorders, took a split second to get going, and people who grew up with them learned to wait.
The second theory fits the name, since it ties the habit to the recorders millennials grew up with.
Is it only millennials?
No. Wikipedia says it's generally ascribed to millennials and seen as a sign of a digital generation gap, but other people have been described as doing it too. There's even a counterpart: the Gen Z shake, a name for videos that wobble at the end as the phone is put down, which was posted about on 18 January 2023.
Millennial pause, answered
Who coined the millennial pause?
TikTok user nisipisa, in a video on 26 November 2021, according to Wikipedia.
Why do people pause before talking?
Two hypotheses: they're checking the device is recording, or it's a habit from older recorders that took a moment to start.
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Is the millennial pause age specific?
Not strictly. It's ascribed to millennials, but other people have been described as doing it too.
What is the Gen Z shake?
A related name for videos that shake at the end as the phone is set down, posted about in January 2023.
So, should you pause?
Only if you need to. If the start of your sentences keeps getting clipped, a beat before you speak fixes it. If it doesn't, just start talking. I won't tell you the pause costs you views, because I haven't seen evidence either way, and anyone who says otherwise is guessing. What makes a video work is what you say once you start; there's more on that in our guide to making a social video spread, and if you're stuck for an opening line, try these ChatGPT prompts for TikTok videos.
