Dear JAMMers,
A “zillennial” is defined as someone born between the years 1993 and 1998 - right in the middle of the millennial and gen-z generations. Having been born in 1994, I’m technically a millennial, but a lot of people assume I’m gen-z. (And often, this is said almost as an insult or a joke.) To quote Carrie Bradshaw, “I can’t help but wonder…” what am I? Is one generation better than the other?
Looking back, my experience really did span across both generations, so my childhood was filled with some unique contradictions:
I don’t remember a time before computers, but I spent most of my childhood playing outside with my friends and neighbors. (with the exception of playing Rollercoaster Tycoon, obvi.)
I know that Doug Funny had a huge crush on Patti Mayonnaise, but I couldn’t tell you much else about the show. However, I can recite every episode of Spongebob Squarepants.
I played my Usher’s “Confessions” CD every day for a solid year when I was 10 years old (why did a 10 year old have that CD???) but the very next year, I got an iPod Nano and CDs were quickly a distant memory.
I know every word to the Backstreet Boys by heart, but I also know the lore behind the making of One Direction.
Social media was just becoming popular when I was in high school, but I would only login (on the computer) maybe once a day to check my messages.
I grew up knowing that Britney Spears was the queen of pop, but the album most popular with people my age was her comeback album “Circus” in 2008. (“Womanizer” stans, rise up.)
I had a cell phone in high school, but it was a flip phone that was only used for emergency calls and the occasional text to a friend about homework.
I have the work ethic of a millennial, but I will no longer settle for a job that will take advantage of me.
Maybe a lot of my “millennial” experiences were partly because I have two older sisters who I learned from. And now, there are certain “gen-z” things that I try to teach them. Like explaining the latest TikTok trend or convincing them that Spotify Premium is worth every penny. (Ok maybe that’s not a gen-z thing, but one of my sisters still uses Pandora so…)
At the end of the day, I’ve come to think that being a zillennial is a positive thing. I got to have the best of both worlds.
…But for the record, I’m a millennial.
Everything’s fine,
Nicole
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