When it comes to labeling generations, the term "zillennial" has recently been coined to refer to those born between the early 1990s and the early 2000s, who fall between the millennial and Gen Z categories. These are people who are in their early to mid-20s, and they have overcome many challenges in their short lives.
They were young children during the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in the US, and their childhood was characterized by airport security screenings and rampant domestic terrorism. They have also attended college during the pandemic, which has deprived them of important social markers.
Tech has divided the generations, and the different ways each generation has grown up with and uses technology is a strong delineator in defining them. Zillennials are in a unique position where they grew up with technology their whole lives, but they were not TikTok dancers like Gen Z, nor were they on MySpace like millennials.
They are a group of young people who are discovering the world as adults and at the beginning of their careers.
In addition to a shared relationship with technology, members of a generation or birth cohort often share critical life experiences. For example, baby boomers grew up together as young adults in the tumultuous 1960s, while Gen X was born after boomers, from the early 1960s to the late 1970s.
Zillennials, on the other hand, attended college during the pandemic, missing out on proms, traditional graduations, and other major youth milestones.
However, some zillennials push back against the negative millennial headlines.
Jason Dorsey, a generations researcher and president of the Center for Generational Kinetics, a generational research firm told CNN: “We find that zillennials often push away from the negative millennial headlines that they are trying to avoid or not replicate, such as the clickbait stories on acting entitled as adults or having overly high expectations,” he said via email.
The label given to millennials often has a negative connotation and sells them short. Millennials shun this label because they believe it does not represent them accurately. Zillennials are in the same boat, as they feel like they do not belong in either the millennial or Gen Z categories. However, there is a growing recognition of zillennials, and they are now emerging as their own unique cohort.
Zillennial Zine is a mostly online site that caters to zillennials, founded by Sabrina Grimaldi, a 23-year-old. Grimaldi has a younger sibling who is Gen Z and an older sibling who is a millennial. She has been told all her life that she is a millennial or a new Gen Zer, and she relates to both but also doesn't at all.
The most popular articles on her website cover topics such as what to wear to Harry Styles and Taylor Swift concerts, the best cosy Nintendo Switch games, and recipes inspired by the Utah dirty soda trend on TikTok, which involves pouring creamer into soda.
Zillennials are a small group, but they are beginning to make their mark. Celebrities such as Zendaya and American singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter are considered part of this zillennial cohort.
Read: Social media damaging Gen Z's mental health, reveals study
As they navigate their careers, relationships, and personal lives, zillennials are becoming a unique group in their own right. They are a product of their experiences, and they will continue to redefine what it means to be a zillennial in the years to come.
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