Credit: Composite; @janeaustencentre / @fyfieldmanor / @northumberlandzoo / TikTok

A viral sensation has taken over TikTok, with Gen Z employees scripting their company's social marketing videos. One such video, featuring a white-haired employee at Northumberland Zoo, has racked up nearly 8 million views and over 1 million likes. The employee creates a "Gen Z hand heart" alongside his colleague, uttering the phrase "Northumberland Zoo hits different."

These videos often feature older employees reciting scripts peppered with internet slang like "it's giving," "very demure," and "brat summer." This trend has sparked debate about perceived Gen Z naivety and Gen X / Boomer gullibility. As computerstechnicians.com notes, this phenomenon represents the latest iteration of businesses leveraging their Gen Z employees' internet savvy for online attention and engagement.

Previous iterations of this trend included "Gen Z interns" editing their employer's videos in quirky, unprofessional ways, as well as "guess who is Gen Z" TikToks made in the workplace. The latest spin relies on "Gen Z vocabulary" or online slang, which often misattributes African American Vernacular English.

While capitalizing on invented generational differences can be tiresome, some videos in this trend retain a certain charm. For instance, a video featuring a woman strolling around Fyfield Manor, an 880-year-old bed and breakfast, has received over 11.4 million views and 2.2 million likes. Another video, showcasing actors dressed in Regency-era attire at the Jane Austen Centre, has garnered over 125,000 views and 22,000 likes.

Zoos, in particular, have a knack for creating viral social media content. Their unique blend of entertainment and education makes them a natural fit for online platforms.