Tech Habits: Millennials Love Emails, Gen Z Lives on DMs
Communication styles have diverged sharply. Millennials grew up on email and structured platforms, while Gen Z prefers quick, informal DMs and messaging apps. Here’s what that means for workplaces and everyday life in 2026.
1. Millennial Email Culture: Structured and Formal
Millennials adopted email as their primary communication tool in school and early careers. They're accustomed to formal sign‑offs, threaded messages, and scheduling through email or calendar invites. Email remains integral in their work routines and written communication style.
In contrast, Gen Z often experiences email with anxiety—36% report over 1,000 unread messages—and find it overly formal for daily use.
2. Gen Z Lives on DMs: Fast, Casual, Visual
Gen Z favours instant messaging and social media DMs (Instagram, Slack, WhatsApp) over email. They communicate in bite‑sized bursts, emojis, and sentence fragments—“Got it, thx” or “kk”—designed for speed and clarity.
A Webex report found over 70% of both Gen Z and Millennials prefer messaging apps for daily communication—Gen Z just does it more naturally and more often.
3. Workplace Friction: Channel Confusion
Millennials expect email or scheduled messages. For Gen Z, important info in the inbox often gets lost or ignored. Experts point out that Gen Z sometimes looks to DMs or instant messages rather than inboxes—leading to misaligned expectations and dropped communication.
Some Gen Z workers even write witty or ironic out‑of‑office emails—like “The bad news is I’m out of office” or “Knock knock. Who’s there? Not me”—a stark contrast to traditional professional tone.
4. Impact on Collaboration and Productivity
If workplaces force Gen Z into email-heavy systems, productivity may drop 30%—they disengage with slow, formal formats. Gen Zers thrive in fast feedback loops and instant replies, which they get via chat tools.
Millennials, while comfortable texting and Slack too, rely on email for longer-form communication, summaries, tone‑tracking, or when accuracy matters.
5. Generational Synergy: Bridging the Gap
Effective teams today use multichannel systems: chat for urgent or casual updates, email for documentation, official briefs, or formal replies. Organisations are encouraged to set clear norms—e.g. “use DMs for quick checks, email for deliverables or formal requests”.
Workplace training that openly addresses different preferred styles helps avoid misunderstandings and fosters collaboration across generations.
Want to improve cross-generational communication at work or in clubs? Check out our listening & feedback skills guide. For leadership communication built for Gen Z and Millennials, see our student leadership guide.
6. Real‑World Examples
A Millennial-led agency noticed Gen Z staff sending TikToks, Instagram posts, and chat-first messages instead of formal emails. Over time, their more relaxed, conversational tone helped foster a more open and creative culture—though older staff initially found it jarring.
7. Why This Matters in 2026
As remote and hybrid work accelerates, seamless communication is key. Gen Z prioritises speed, emotional tone and visual context. Millennials still value clarity and structure. Recognising these differences can help teams avoid misinterpretation, reduce frustration and accelerate collaboration.
For Gen Z readers, understanding that older colleagues may expect formal email shows maturity. And for Millennial leaders, adapting to DM‑first norms helps include Gen Z’s strengths in responsiveness and authenticity.
Looking to find your voice in hybrid teams? Explore our Supremacy of Confidence guide. Keen on reshaping workplace culture with Gen Z energy? Read stories of young changemakers here.
Conclusion
Millennials still rely on email for official, structured communication—but Gen Z prefers DMs and instant messaging for speed, informality and emotion. The most effective workplaces in 2026 balance both: email when clarity and records matter; DMs when agility and authenticity matter. When both generations recognise and respect these habits, communication becomes not a barrier, but a bridge.