The Great Enthusiasm Flip: Why Gen Z Saves Their Real Excitement for Netflix Shows Over Marriage Announcements

Introduction

If you’ve spent even a few minutes on TikTok in 2025, you’ve probably scrolled past a predictable little ritual: someone posts a video reacting to a wedding announcement or a pregnancy with the flat, deadpan line “that’s awesome, congratulations,” then immediately cuts to another clip where they explode with sincere, childlike hype over a new Netflix show. The July 2025 “That’s awesome, congratulations” trend didn’t invent this contrast — it simply named and amplified it. The format, usually a lip sync or reaction montage with text overlays, has become a cultural mirror: Gen Z ascribes more visible, explosive enthusiasm to entertainment drops than to many traditional life milestones.

This phenomenon raises a lot of questions. Is Gen Z really less interested in marriage and babies? Or are they reassigning emotional energy to easier, more reliable sources of joy? What does it mean for relationships, brands, and how marketers talk about “big life moments”? In this post we’ll unpack the trend analytically, using platform data and cultural context to explain why Gen Z often saves their real excitement for streaming releases, how social media amplifies that pattern, and what the implications are for creators and companies trying to reach this generation.

We’ll walk through the trend’s anatomy (yes, the TikTok meme specifics), the economic and psychological drivers behind the enthusiasm flip, measurable platform behaviors that make this pattern visible, practical strategies for marketers and creators, the pitfalls and ethical questions it raises, and what the next few years might look like as streaming, gaming, and other entertainment ecosystems continue to dominate social life for younger audiences.

If you want the TL;DR: TikTok makes it easy to signal what actually thrills you. For many Gen Zers, that thrill is predictable and affordable entertainment rather than traditional milestones that carry financial, emotional, or social baggage. Read on for the deeper why, the how, and the what next.

Understanding the Enthusiasm Flip

At its simplest, the enthusiasm flip describes a behavioral pattern: publicly subdued reactions to traditional life milestones (marriage proposals, wedding announcements, pregnancies, promotions) paired with outsized, authentic excitement for entertainment experiences (new seasons, limited series, film drops, major streaming events). The July 2025 TikTok trend labeled “That’s awesome, congratulations” encapsulates this perfectly. Creators stage two-part reactions in which they respond with a muted “that’s awesome, congratulations” to big life news, and then — when a friend or follower mentions starting a new Netflix show — they erupt with real enthusiasm: “You’re in for the greatest journey of your life!”

Why this inversion? There are several overlapping reasons that make sense both empirically and culturally.

All of these factors are amplified by data and platform behaviors. TikTok’s global footprint and engagement metrics mean trends like this don’t just happen in a vacuum — they ripple. The platform reached 1.59 billion monthly active users in early 2025 and its advertising tools can address roughly that many people, representing about 19.4% of the world’s population. Demographics skew young: men aged 25–34 make up 20.7% of users, 18–24-year-old men 16.6%; women 25–34 are 14.6% and women 18–24 about 14.1%. Users spend around 58 minutes a day on the app. Those numbers explain how a simple reaction format can become a cultural shorthand.

Engagement matters too. TikTok’s average engagement rate sits near 2.5% per post — about five times higher than Instagram’s typical rates — and median engagement for business accounts can reach around 3.7%. For the media and publishing category, that engagement figure climbs: 4.7% in many cases, which favors entertainment content. Completion rates on short trend videos often surpass platform averages (which hover in a 20–30% range), and the best iterations of viral formats can achieve 50%+ completion. Those data points show why entertainment-related content — which drives comments, theories, and replays — breaks through more easily than many milestone announcements.

Put together, the enthusiasm flip is less a moral failing and more a cultural signal: Gen Z reallocates scarce emotional bandwidth toward reliably gratifying, communal, and low-risk experiences. TikTok doesn’t create this reality; it exposes and accelerates it.

Key Components and Analysis

To analyze this trend thoroughly, break it into discrete components: the meme mechanics, platform dynamics, socioeconomic drivers, psychological factors, and market consequences.

- Meme mechanics. The “That’s awesome, congratulations” trend works because it’s a contrast meme. The pattern is easily replicated: present a “big” thing (engagement, job promotion), react with muted enthusiasm, then present a “small” thing (starting a show, buying a new controller), react with ecstatic authenticity. It’s simple, editable, and emotionally precise. Text overlays make it explicit; lip syncs and audio cues make it performant. The TikTok community values replicability and remix culture, and this format fits perfectly.

- Platform dynamics. TikTok’s user base and engagement metrics amplify the meme. With 1.59 billion monthly active users and average time spent around 58 minutes per day, the app is both massive and sticky. Engagement rates — 2.5% average per post and up to 3.7% for business accounts — indicate people are interacting with content more than on legacy platforms. The media and publishing category’s 4.7% engagement demonstrates that entertainment content is especially sticky. High completion rates for these contrast videos (many exceeding the platform average, top versions hitting 50%+) provide more signals to the algorithm, creating a feedback loop.

- Socioeconomic drivers. A generation grappling with economic instability prioritizes what is accessible and affordable. Weddings, babies, home purchases: these carry costs and commitments that are increasingly deferred. Streaming subscriptions and shared online experiences offer community and narrative without major financial outlay. These choices aren’t shallow; they represent conscious reallocations of limited time, money, and emotional labor.

- Psychological factors. Parasocial interaction provides reliable emotional engagement. Characters and fictional worlds deliver intense yet safe emotional involvement. Gen Zers often prefer these attachments to some real-life obligations that can be emotionally expensive or unpredictable. In addition, social-media life has conditioned younger users to optimize for shareable moments. Hyping a show produces likes, comments, and group chats — instant and low-risk social currency.

- Cultural signaling and identity. Public reactions serve identity management. Celebrating a binge-worthy show signals membership in cultural cohorts: “I’m part of this fandom,” “I watched it early,” “I have taste.” Responding mutedly to a personal life announcement can, paradoxically, be a way to resist performative happiness or shield vulnerability from obligatory responses. In short, what people publicly celebrate is frequently a curated identity choice.

- Market consequences. Brands and platforms benefit when entertainment dominates attention. Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and other entertainment companies are effectively delivering culture that substitutes for traditional social rituals. For marketers focused on weddings, baby products, or housing, the flip is a wake-up call: messaging must adapt to a climate where milestone marketing competes with binge-culture emotion. For entertainment marketers, the opportunity is clear: craft experiences that invite communal participation and social signaling.

Data supports the impact. TikTok’s demographics show a large segment squarely in the 18–34 range. With 1.59 billion users accessible via ad tools (19.4% of global population), entertainment releases can trigger mass engagement. The engagement rate differential versus Instagram means energy concentrated on shows is more likely to translate into measurable interactions. And when the most viral iterations of a trend hit 50%+ completion, they’re not just jokes — they’re signals of collective sentiment.

Practical Applications

If you’re a creator, marketer, or cultural observer who wants to leverage, respond to, or simply understand this flip, here are practical applications and tactics grounded in the pattern.

For entertainment brands and streaming platforms: - Lean into communal hooks. Create shareable first-look clips, reaction-friendly soundbites, and micro-moments designed to pair with the “I can’t believe you haven’t seen this” energy. TikTok rewards formats that beg to be lip-synced and remixed. - Encourage watch parties and co-view features. Facilitate synchronous viewing or reactive stickers that users can layer into their reaction videos to make public enthusiasm easier and more communal. - Use influencer seeding strategically. Partner with creators likely to produce authentic reaction content. Authentic early hype translates to memes and organic social proof. - Make swappable assets. Provide clip packs and meme-friendly overlays to make it simple for users to create their own ecstatic reactions.

For brands outside entertainment (weddings, home, finance): - Reframe milestone messaging. Instead of assuming sweeping public enthusiasm, position products as enablers of private joy and practical support. Promote micro-celebrations rather than megaphone announcements. - Create content that ties your product to entertainment rituals. Example: a catering service that sponsors watch-party menus; a home brand that creates “binge-worth” cozy corners. - Tap into the “soft life” and anti-hustle sensibilities. Offer low-effort, emotionally comforting ways your product makes life easier — and therefore more enjoyable in between big milestones.

For creators and influencers: - Embrace authenticity. Gen Z responds to genuine reactions more than staged hype. If you love a show, show it unscripted and explain why. That invites parasocial investment. - Use contrast formats smartly. Memes like “That’s awesome, congratulations” are hooks; add value through commentary, recaps, or theory videos to keep attention. - Track completion and rewatch metrics. If your reaction videos keep people watching, the algorithm rewards you. Aim for punchy storytelling and an emotional payoff that justifies the trend format.

For community builders and mental-health advocates: - Encourage meaningful offline rituals. Recognize that social media replaces some forms of communal celebration. Create spaces (Discord, local meetups) that allow deeper conversations about life changes. - Normalize diverse emotional responses. Not everyone will react enthusiastically to weddings or promotions. Provide context: muted local responses aren’t necessarily indifference, often they’re protective or simply reflective of priorities.

Challenges and Solutions

This trend comes with ethical, social, and business challenges. Understanding them helps craft measured responses.

Challenge 1: Misreading the trend as apathy. - Problem: Outsiders may interpret the flip as generational apathy or disrespect toward traditional milestones. - Solution: Contextualize. Public decorum on social media is not identical to private feelings. Many Gen Zers still value relationships and traditional milestones but express excitement selectively. Communicators should avoid simplistic moralizing and instead ask: What’s the underlying constraint or preference?

Challenge 2: Commercial exploitation. - Problem: Brands may co-opt the authentic excitement for streaming into shallow marketing maneuvers that feel disingenuous. - Solution: Prioritize authenticity and co-creation. Work with creators who have genuine fandom. Offer tools that let communities express themselves rather than dictating the script.

Challenge 3: Emotional substitution and isolation. - Problem: Heavy reliance on parasocial attachments could reduce incentive to invest in messy but rewarding offline relationships. - Solution: Create hybrid experiences that bridge online fandom and real-world community. Encourage IRL watch parties, moderated forums for nuanced discussion, and resources for translating online connection into supportive offline behaviors.

Challenge 4: Data misinterpretation for marketers. - Problem: Engagement numbers favoring entertainment might mislead non-entertainment brands into copying formats that don’t align with their product or value. - Solution: Test and learn. Use A/B testing to see whether entertainment-style hooks convert in different verticals. Don’t assume high social engagement equals purchase intent.

Challenge 5: Pressure to perform emotional reactions. - Problem: The performative economy can pressure people to fake outrage, joy, or neutrality to fit in with memes. - Solution: Advocate for sincere content. Encourage creators to explain their reactions and to disclose when something is played for meme value. Audiences appreciate transparency.

Future Outlook

Where does the enthusiasm flip go from here? Several trajectories are likely, and they interact.

Data will continue to guide the interpretation. TikTok’s growth trajectory — from 1.59 billion monthly active users in early 2025 and ad reach representing 19.4% of the global population, with a projection of around 2.1 billion users by 2025 in some forecasts — suggests the platform will remain central. The engagement advantages (average 2.5% per post, median business account engagement around 3.7%, media category at 4.7%, high completion rates for top memes) show that when entertainment hits, it hits hard. That’s not going to vanish; it will shape how Gen Z expresses enthusiasm for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

The Great Enthusiasm Flip is less a condemnation of Gen Z than a candid reflection of contemporary constraints and preferences. For many young people, streaming shows and entertainment franchises serve as reliable sources of joy, communal identity, and emotional payoff — and social platforms like TikTok make those reactions visible, shareable, and memetic. Economic realities, parasocial dynamics, platform affordances, and identity signaling all contribute to why someone might react with model-level restraint to a wedding announcement and then explode over a Netflix drop.

For creators, brands, and cultural commentators, the trend offers both an opportunity and a caution. Entertainment is an effective lever for engagement, but authenticity is essential. Non-entertainment brands should adapt rather than imitate, creating meaningful ties to the ritualized pleasures Gen Z values. Community builders and mental-health advocates should recognize both the value and the limits of parasocial joy, encouraging hybrid experiences that bring online excitement into real relational practice.

Most importantly, don’t mistake public performativity for emotional emptiness. Gen Z’s reactions are strategic, expressive, and revealing. They tell us where limited time, financial resources, and emotional labor are being invested. Understanding that allocation is the first step toward engaging this generation with respect, relevance, and empathy — whether you’re launching a streaming campaign, marketing a home product, or simply trying to understand why your friend screamed when Stranger Season X dropped but replied “congrats” to your engagement with a shrug.

Actionable takeaways - Entertainment-first brands: build remixable, reaction-friendly assets and facilitate communal viewing. - Milestone-focused brands: reframe messaging toward micro-celebrations and tie products to entertainment rituals. - Creators: prioritize authenticity in reaction content and provide contextual commentary to convert memes into sustained engagement. - Community builders: enable hybrid online-to-offline rituals to translate parasocial excitement into real-world support. - Marketers: measure completion and engagement rates, not just likes, to understand true emotional impact.

If nothing else, the enthusiasm flip is an invitation to listen. Gen Z is telling us what gives them joy and community right now. Pay attention. Respond with creativity, integrity, and a bit of curated enthusiasm.