Older Generations Wonder How To Tell Gen Z They’re ‘Not Doing Anything New’ After The ‘Silent Walking’ Trend Takes Off
We’re swapping the hot girl walk for something quieter, but not everyone is on board.
Maria Markevich | Shutterstock.com If you’re growing tired of the infamous “hot girl walk” and yearning for something a bit more demure, Gen Z has adopted a new name for a decades-old exercise: walking outside.
Dubbed “silent walking” by Gen Z, the trend is simple: People unplug from their phones and experience walking without distractions. Unsurprisingly, older generations have mocked the newfound interest in going for walks, claiming Gen Z isn't “doing anything new.” However, for a generation of chronic social media users, unplugging, going outside, and prioritizing quiet time amidst the chaos of the digital landscape is essential.
Gen Z’s interest in ‘silent walking’ for stress relief has older generations mocking the trend.
Self-proclaimed “movement creator” Mady Maio called silent walking “transformative” and urges younger generations to make space for exercise without technological distractions like YouTube videos, podcasts, or music.
“My sweet boyfriend challenged me to walk without distractions,” she said in her first video. “No AirPods, no podcasts, no music, just me, myself, and I. At first, I thought my anxiety could never.”
However, as she admitted later in the video and in several other videos on her platform, “silent walking” has completely changed her perspective on mindfulness.
“The first 2 minutes are mayhem. Your mind is racing, you're gonna have anxiety, but something happens after that," Maio explained. "Your brain just gets into a flow state.”
Silent walking emerged in response to an overwhelming sense of fatigue from technological distractions.
According to a Pew Research survey, nearly half of teens in the U.S. revealed that not having their phone within arms' reach sparks anxiety. Conversely, a whopping 72% admitted that when they’re unplugged, they feel "peaceful." The statistics aren't surprising, considering a recent Harris Poll revealed that nearly half of Gen Z wish social media would simply cease to exist.
What young people are saying is simple. They are getting burnt out from the digital landscape and the simple act of going for a walk without distractions affords them a modicum of peace. Is it novel? No! Does it matter? Definitely not.
Getting outside, reconnecting with nature, and taking a step back from scrolling is healthy. It not only promotes activity but it’s also been shown to boost your mood, relieve stress and anxiety, and increase productivity.
“This really has changed my life,” Julia Salvia shared about the silent walking trend on TikTok. “For the past year, I’ve put my headphones in [for walks] but turned nothing on. I’m so happy Mady coined a term for it… It has cured my anxiety.”
In addition to becoming a de-stressing activity and relieving her anxiety, Salvia also claimed it improved her creativity and productivity.
“Innovation is part of our world. Everything has its positives and negatives,” she added in response to a critical comment about the term. “When you welcome change, you can be more open to the positives.”
So, why is this silent walking trend so offensive to older generations who often shame Gen Z and millennials for their technological addictions?
Older generations are critical of silent walking mainly because Gen Z is trying to claim it as something new they've created.
“I have no problem with silent walking. It seems like a good practice,” a commentator from Daily Wire stitched in Maio's original video. “The problem is the ignorance that leads these TikTok influencers to believe they came up with this idea themselves…She ‘came up with the movement,’ she brags.”
Studies, like one from the Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities, written by Dr. Ney and Dr. Fischweicher, suggest that generational resentment and inherent entitlement among individuals, regardless of age, have grown immensely in recent decades, especially amidst technological growth.
There’s a clear frustration over ownership rather than the act of actually walking, which is likely fueled by the entitlement of older generations suggested in similar studies — this is something they’ve done, maybe not by choice, but by necessity, for decades.
Here's the thing everyone needs to remember: There has always been criticism between older and younger generations and there always will be. Social media, that thing everyone seems desperate to disconnect from but can't seem to only highlights the criticism and makes it more accessible. Wait a decade Gen Z, because Gen Alpha will likely have you reeling over their criticisms, too.
Despite the controversy surrounding "silent walking," the truth is that it's a good thing for everyone, and who cares what it's called?
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories