Don’t Call Me a Millenial
Written By: Hannah Lewis
Stop saying I’m a millennial.
(Disclaimer: I will be talking in large generalities about generations, but this isn’t to say everyone in a generation is exactly as described. Recent generations are made from year cutoffs, not changes in birth rates, so there is an average among people born at the same time, but it is just a generalization.)
Often, I see (in basic terms) Gen Z described as a slightly different Gen Y, but at the root of everything, this is not the case.
First, let us define who is a millennial and who is not. Pew Research Center has defined it as “anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward is part of a new generation” (Dimock). Most cultural divides between these age ranges are how different world events affected them. For millennials and Gen Z, most of the shaping events are the same, but how people experienced them are different. However, “unlike the Boomers, there are no comparably definitive thresholds by which later generational boundaries are defined” (Dimock). This generational divide is only based on words for research centers and censuses. The cut off can be described by cultural differences, but the edges between generations are melded together.
Millennials grew up in the 90s, a time of economic stability. Then, when most were teens, 9/11 occurred, we entered the Iraq war, and there was a recession. Most of Gen Z can’t remember a time without these things. Millennials saw these events and were changed by them. Gen Z was shaped by them. Millennials saw this turmoil and were more conscious of it, but most know of a time before. For Gen Z, their first memories are during this time, or their world was created from this time. This isn’t to say which experience made better people, it’s to say what’s different.
There is another thing that has made Gen Y and Gen Z who they are: the internet and social media. Again, as the events discussed earlier, Millennials lived through the digital revolution, but it is a part of Gen Z. In fact, “95% of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one. These mobile connections are in turn fueling more-persistent online activities: 45% of teens now say they are online on a near-constant basis (Anderson). While this activity may be the same to Millennials now, not every one of them could have been like this as teens. The older part of Gen Z may remember when online access was more limited, but most cannot imagine a world without constant internet access and social media, for better or worse. This may contribute to how anxiety and depression are on the rise among America’s youth and, whether they personally suffer from these conditions or not, seven-in-ten teens today see them as major problems among their peers (Horowitz). However, mental health issues are also a rising problem because of the amount of pressure put on kids nowadays to do well. Also, because we were little kids when our world was rocky. Social media and increased internet access show Millennials and Gen Z as similar if we ask ourselves “What?”, but if we ask ourselves “How?” or “Why?”, differences start to show themselves.
All of this leads to different Generational DNA. According to Amy Lynch, a generations expert, generations cycle. The order goes as follows: passionate, cynical, practical, and pragmatic. In recent terms, there is the pragmatic Silent Generation, passionate Baby Boomers, the cynical Gen X, practical Millennials, and repeating the cycle, the pragmatic Gen Z (Lynch). This cycle occurs because we learn from our predecessors, but how to be different from them in a repetitive cycle. This also means that Gen Z is much more like the Silent Generation than Millennials, in terms of their values, because of what was happening when we were kids and who taught us how to live. These things taught both generations to, among other characteristics, save more, be closer to family, and be more optimistic than previous generations (Lynch). Gen Z’s childhood shaped them to play it safe and be more realistic but also showed them that we can get out of hard times. This also means Millennials are most like the Greatest Generation, so have a field day with that one.
As for political beliefs, “it’s too early to say with certainty how the views of this new generation will evolve. Most have yet to reach voting age, and their outlook could be altered considerably by changing national conditions, world events or technological innovations” (Parker). Additionally, this study only includes 8 years of potential Gen Zers. However, from what we can see right now, Gen Z’s views seem similar to Millennials, but more liberal/progressive. This is the same for any generation and the predecessor in this survey on most, if not all issues (Parker). Although similarities between the Silent Generation and Gen Z were just discussed, their political views vary greatly, as expected with the many years between them. In this survey, it seems Gen Z could be called “Millennials but a little different”, however, again, it only includes 8 years, and because Gen Z is so young, their views are susceptible to vast change.
Finally, this article wasn’t written to advocate for generational divide and hate. Even though some of this article does contradict that, we shouldn’t automatically dislike a person just because of the time they grew up in. Naturally, there will be more distaste because we like people that are just like us, and different generations have different values, so we can see each other as lesser. However, we need to avoid this mentality. This was written to show that Gen Z has its own worth. It was written not to slander Millennials’ name, but to show that Gen Z is different than Millennial 2.0.
Sources Used:
Anderson, Monica, and Jingjing Jiang. “Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 30 Nov. 2018, www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/.
Dimock, Michael. “Defining Generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 17 Jan. 2019, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/.
Horowitz, Juliana Menasce, and Nikki Graf. “Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends, Pew Research Center, 20 Feb. 2019, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/02/20/most-u-s-teens-see-anxiety-and-depression-as-a-major-problem-among-their-peers/.
Lynch, Amy. “Gen Z Kids Are Like Their Great-Grandparents. Here’s Why.” Generational Edge, 8 July 2015, www.generationaledge.com/blog/posts/genz-like-grandparents.
Parker, Kim, et al. “Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends, Pew Research Center, 18 Jan. 2019, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/01/17/generation-z-looks-a-lot-like-millennials-on-key-social-and-political-issues/.
