There is a lot of controversies when it comes to the start and end dates of generations. Doing some brief research, it seems as though no one can agree on a definite end year of the Millennial generation or a definite start year of Generation Z. This has led to a sort of existential crisis amongst those of us (or at least me) who are in that gray area where people can't come to a conclusion if we're Millennials or a part of Gen Z.
To make it easier for all of us, I will name the few of us in these indefinite years I'm talking about (1996 - 2000) the "Gray Area."
My case in point.
I consider myself an old soul. It's no secret - most of my friends would tell you I'm the "grandma" of the group. My age and physical body may be young, but my soul and mind are much older. I like going to bed at 10 p.m., staying in and reading "Gone With the Wind" or watching black and white movies, and cuddling with my three cats. My idea of fun isn't necessarily what the kids these days would consider exciting. Because of this, I've always been drawn to people who are older than me since I can better relate to them than people my own age or younger.
So I get offended and, I'll admit, defensive when someone groups me with Gen Z because I don't identify with that generation at all. Most of the time I barely understand what they're saying with terms like "yeet," "woke," "chill," "lit," "turnt," and "big mood" (someone had to explain each of these words to me recently).
Why would I want to be thrown into the pile of Gen Z if I don't identify with the generation?
Gen Z is typically associated with growing up in the technological era where smartphones were used as early as middle school years. I didn't grow up with cell phones and especially not smartphones. Sure, I played an Elmo disc on a boxy Dell at my public library, but I didn't use the Internet until I was much older. I remember wall phones, wrapping my fingers around the plastic cord, and memorizing phone numbers because caller ID wasn't usually available. I remember mailing letters to my extended family thanking them for my birthday presents. I remember when my parents first got a cable and Internet package (such a big deal). I remember my parents getting cell phones for the first time. I also remember the Great Recession when we had to sell our van and really watch our budget. Aren't all of these memories more in line with the Millennial generation?
A lot of people have told me that I don't have a choice. I need to say I'm Gen Z because I was born in the Gray Area. Others say that I'm a Millennial because I was born in the '90s. Well, which one am I? No one can really make a decision, so does that mean I get to choose which generation I'm in? Because I'm all for that! The bottom line is for us Gray Area people, it just depends on how we were raised, what we remember, and which generation we truly feel we identify with.
I'm one of the last-born Millennials, and I'm proud of it!
