Get ready for Generation Alpha! After growing up with the internet they’re making their own memes and even Gen Z feel ‘old and stupid’

While many of us may be familiar with Millennials and Gen Z – what happens if you were born on the cusp of both generations?

Well, if you’re not quite sure which category you fall into and can relate to both generations without fully ticking the boxes for each – and your birthday falls somewhere between the years 1990 and 2000- it’s likely you’re a ‘Zillennial.’

According to Urban Dictionary, Zillennials are defined as being ‘too young to relate to the core of millennials but too old to relate to the core of Generation Z. They were 2000’s kids and transitioned from teenagers to adults during the 2010’s.’

Millennials are defined as being born between 1981-1996 and Gen Z – born from 1997 onward.

Zillennials remember a trip to Blockbuster (pictured in stock image) but were too young for MySpace

Digs: TikTok user @ahope94 shared a video of herself briefly looking sad about her skinny jeans and side part going out of style, but then she remembered Gen Zers ‘ate Tide pods’

For Zillennials, putting song lyrics in your MSN name, making your parents look after your Tamagotchi and owning a Jane Norman bag will ring familiar, while having mid-2000 bands such as Green Day, Fall out Boy and Black Eyed Peas on repeat was the norm.

And let’s not forget no weekend would’ve been complete without a trip to Woolworths to buy a new single and a bag of ‘pick n mix’, before purchasing a new sassy outfit from Tammy Girl and Dream Matte mousse foundation from Boots.

However unlike true millennials, who also experienced all of these pop culture phenomena, Zillennials missed out on the early iterations of the mobile phone and are more closely linked with Gen Z when it comes to technology.

OMG: Gen Z have also taken issue with the tears of joy emoji and now associate the icon with ‘old’ millennials

Their first phone was likely a flip or slide phone, before the Blackberry and BBM pins became a typical fixture in the day, while those in the Gen Z category have fond memories of brick phones with never-ending antennas.

They would have grown up with the internet at school and at home, just like Gen Z and unlike the majority of millennials. Zillennials would have also had access to social media at a younger age, which shaped and defined a generation.

Another key difference is that Zillennials, who more than likely possessed an MP3 player in comparison to a Gen Zer’s iPhone or Millennial’s CD player, grew up using the likes of Tumbler rather than TikTok or Instagram.

A Zillennial might have grown up playing with a Nintendo DS Lite or Bratz Dolls and watching TV shows like Hannah Montana, Pokemon and Kim Possible like the older Gen Zers.

Zillennials would also have experienced the popularity of Vloggers on YouTube – such as the likes of Zoella – before influencers stole the limelight on new social media platforms.

Some cultural commentators believe memories of 9/11 define the divide between Millennials, Zillenials and Gen Z.

The term ‘Zillennials’ on social media has solved a lot of confusion for those who were born in that ‘micro generation’ (pictured)

The majority of millennials are able to remember 9/11 with some clarity, while Zillennials (now aged between 23 and 28) will only have vague memories of the tragedy. Gen Z children are too young to remember – or were not even born yet.

While millennials, typically defined as being born between 1981-1996, are old enough to fully recall the tragic events of the day and Gen Z – born from 1997 onward – are probably not alive, Zillennials are likely to have vague memories – with the incident taking place around the time they started school.

Are YOU a Zillennial? Read these statements to find out 

Trying to figure out if you are a Zillennial? Other than the year when you were born, these statements should also help you figure it out. If you answer ‘yes’ to the majority of them then the chances are you’re a Zillennial.

1. You had an iPad Nano but also had to burn CDs
2. You missed Lizzie McGuire and That’s So Raven on Disney Channel but watched Hannah Montana and the Wizards of Waverly Place
3. You went to Blockbuster before it closed down 
4. Taylor Swift releasing Fearless was an important moment for you musically 
5. You had a Nintendo DS and played Nintendogs
6. The Wii Came out when you were about to go into secondary school
7. You remember portable DVD players from long family road trips 
8. Instagram became popular when you were about to sit your GCSEs
9. You were on Bebo but missed MySpace 
10. You remember Zoella and other YouTubers before they became ‘influencers’

 

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk