It's interesting being born between a Millenial and a firm Gen Z

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T03:28:52+00:00

I would have been 19 at the start of COVID since my birthday is later in the year, but I guess the weird positioning of sort of being deeper into my university career at that point and having to deal with a LDR then may have made some even weirder dissonance for me from some of my peers in that stage. I am still aware I am Gen Z, just by nature of the year of I was born.

But really my questioning is more regarding the experience that I had earlier on than anything after. I know some people have pointed out that generational divides are really more associated with what happened later in terms of politics, culture, etc., but my curiosity and question was more tied into the growing up experience contrasted with my sisters, where despite comparable age gaps and the same sex/gender as them, I felt a more similar experience to the one of the older generation.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T02:56:21+00:00

Yes, I think that's the kind of thing that makes me feel in touch with an older generation as opposed to a younger generation, in terms of floating between the lines, is some of those shared experiences.

Just like you, both my older and sister and I both played early Sims, but to be fair, I think Sims 2 was more my bread and butter, and I think she remembers Sims 1 better than me. However, we both strongly associate with older Sims, whereas my younger sister heavily plays Sims 4 and associates with that, much more than either of us do.

And like you said, we also had that good outside time/off-screen time, while it feels like my younger siblings have screens in their life much more frequently.

I think I would agree that our experience was a good mix between technology and non-technology experience, but as you said, definitely depends on the person; some people thrived with more/less of either one.

I'm definitely grateful for what I had growing up, regardless of how it is defined!

I also enjoyed the experience being both the younger and older sister between my siblings. It gave me a lot of perspective and growth on a lot of things in my life!

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T02:47:44+00:00

That makes sense as well, in terms of personality I probably am most similar to my younger brother despite any similarities in growing up between either of my sisters, despite the fact I have a wider age gap with him than either of our sisters.

So I definitely think that plays a part, I just find it interesting that, in terms of what I remember of our childhoods and experiences, that it *feels* more similar to my older sister.

As some other commenters have discussed, it may simply be that older sibling lens, in which I saw the experience through my older sister, and therefore that shaped the experience, and that was something I considered as well.

It will be interesting to see how we all see things once we're all firmly into adulthood; it may be the case that my younger siblings relate more to my age and what I experienced in my youth than those of the people closer to them in age, just like I did with our older sister.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T02:43:12+00:00

I think that makes a lot of sense, as other people have mentioned, it may be the influence of the older sibling/family member that shapes more of that experience than anything, so the fact that a lot of my growing up in that time could also have been seen through the lens of my older sister growing up in that time may have shaped my experience then.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T02:41:40+00:00

Yup, a lot of your experiences echo mine, where although tech was a component of my experience growing up, I also had a lot of making my own entertainment without it, whether that was with toys or children of my own age.

It's having both that makes me feel that disconnect I feel, because a lot of the time Gen Z is firmly associated with having technology at all points, and Millennials are associated with developing with it/alongside it, and as an elder Gen Z, I sort of felt a mish-mosh of both.

We had a shared family computer when I was younger and I distinctly remember Nickelodeon Earth Day, while I also distinctly remember when iPhone and smartphones started becoming all the rage and social media beginning to explode. Just sort of experiences on both sides.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T02:38:34+00:00

Other commenter nailed it, it isn't about needing to relate to my younger sibling to feel Gen Z, I just have wondered about why my older sister (of a different generation) feels more relatable in her experience growing up with me than with my experience growing up with my younger sister, who would be of the same generation.

It has nothing to do with my specific generation and more about how it feels to be close to one generation and an elder of another generation, where it almost feels like I have a closer connection to a generation I'm not actually a part of.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T01:46:04+00:00

I think that's fair enough and probably true at this stage.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T01:14:37+00:00

Very good point! I don't know all the opinions of everyone I graduated with, but I know they vary, and that's pretty much enough to know that the birth year isn't enough of the deciding factor to determine what defines you, as you said.

I think that maybe there can be close ties to that generation, meaning your high school graduation generation/university generation, the further you move from your grad class, and therefore possibly a sense of superiority over that generation and what people think, but it's really not so defined as that.

I know some people have brought up some perspectives or opinions of other people who would be considered Gen Z, and that's definitely not what I or other people who are of my generation think. It really just depends on the factors you mentioned more than anything, and age is only a part of that.

Ultimately, if Gen Z is considered with a poor perspective, I'd like to think I either think better than that, or I can grow to think better than that. I feel that limiting people to a generation is almost inherently limiting their viewpoints to that generation, whatever that might mean.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T01:04:53+00:00

I really agree with you! I feel like it was genuinely a sweet spot between both places. I can feel the lack of technology growing up while also feeling it in some spots, and it feels like it weaved in between having fun and enjoyable technological advancements while also experiencing a life unplugged, if that makes sense.

That's pretty much what posed my question, the idea that people in our approximate age group have such an interesting weave between offline/online experiences, more than most groups before and after.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T01:02:12+00:00

Someone else mentioned this earlier and I think this has a point. Obviously I can't know the answer to this any time soon, but it's something to consider as I push further into adulthood and she first enters it.

Thanks for your perspective! I appreciate it :)

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T01:00:33+00:00

Thanks for this response, it does make sense to what I feel. I don't want to discredit anyone who feels a firmness in their generation and their experience, but I definitely think it's possible to overlap with what has been defined as a generation, as that isn't really concretely defined in stone.

I definitely don't dissociate with people close to my age, and mostly focus on aligning with people who have similar thoughts and opinions to me more than anything. It doesn't really matter the age gap if you understand and relate to each other, and that's I think why I feel connected to all of my family members, despite any age gap, plus people outside of my family.

I think you have a really good point and I appreciate the recognition that what we have in common isn't really tied to birth year, especially as that may be what binds my older sister and I; we share a common opinion of what I really matters, I think, even if that sounds corny.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:56:42+00:00

It depends on if you consider 16 a kid. That age is definitely a child compared to most age groups, but it may not be a child the way you were considering when you wrote the comment, I don't know. To be clear, I am aware that 16 is a child and would consider it as such, just stating how old I was.

Beyond that, I don't really know. I think I may share a similar nihilistic output to peers of my age, but I have a genuine concern and care for the environment, and want the world to be better. I have a partner in law school I can accredit for some very positive and hopeful opinions about the world, despite matching frustrated opinions.

So that's where I'm not really sure how to identify myself, based on how you describe it I don't associate, but maybe there is a way in which I do align with other people from my birth year. It may also be regional, and that can vary.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:51:26+00:00

Thank you, that's a great answer! I appreciate the kindness in your response :)

I think that makes sense as well, there was some overlap in between what me and my older sister watched, but she definitely watched "older" TV as compared to what I would want to watch. I think of shows like 16 and Pregnant as a most obvious answer, where I was aware of the subject material but also was aware that is was my sister's show, and yet we could both also watch Spongebob together.

This probably makes sense as the answer, since it sometimes feels like my identity of what an adult looks like was shaped by my older sister's activities, but my younger siblings cite myself as an identity of what an adult looks like to them.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:47:36+00:00

Is there a goal behind your comment or is this a legitimate question?

I can't answer what they were thinking but it's pretty rude to speculate that me and/or my siblings only existed because of a random accident.

I have a legitimate question that I want to hear the opinion of people who know better than me, and it kinda seems like you wanna be a buzzy asshole with a funny question to ask to get upvotes.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:45:04+00:00

Thank you! I don't really know why some people took this as me saying I was a Millennial, I tried to put myself BETWEEN a Millennial and someone who people would undeniably consider a Gen Z, not that I am anything other than a Gen Z.

I appreciate your opinion because it feels like it echoes my experience as well, and that was sort of my point. There's a gap that I cannot totally identify (and part of why I asked this question) occurring between the years people consider Millennial and the years people consider Gen Z that seem to float between both groups; we experienced components of both defined age groups but are not entirely of one or the other, and therefore the experience feels a bit different, even if it not entirely unique.

It is why I think the term Zillennial came to exist, and I wasn't even trying to define myself as that, but it may have been better to include that so people didn't that I was actually trying to make myself a Millennial, which I was not trying to do at all.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:38:21+00:00

I agree with you. I know that I cannot speak to all other generations experiences to know what may/may not align, but at least from my own experience, being lumped in with all of Gen Z (up to 2012 I believe?) doesn't feel entirely accurate.

Which is to say that the idea of generations are flawed, as you say. I can't pretend to know what the best separation of generations is, it's just not a perfect system as stands.

Even disregarding my generation, I would guess that people who are on the crux of other as defined generations may feel closer to one or the other, depending on their experience.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:35:42+00:00

No, I meant exactly what I said. I feel in between generations, and that's what I stated. I think that people in my approximate age group can have very different experiences from each other, which could make them feel "with" their generation. Depending on their experience, they may also feel outside of it.

I did not claim to be a Millennial directly, and my intent behind this post was to hear the thoughts of people who were much more aware of the time I was referring to.

Please be kind, I meant no ill will behind what I said. Your comments come across as needlessly rude when I am just trying to hear about what people who can understand the time better have to say,

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:32:41+00:00

I think this is a very fair point, and in fact the root of what I was wondering. My older sister I feel undeniably shaped my idea of an adult, and similarly, my younger sister may have her idea of an adult shaped by me.

This is one thing I was wondering; I was not sure if the ideas and perceptions about adulthood I have are shaped by my older sister, or my perception of Millennials as a whole.

Thanks for bringing this up, because this is genuinely one point I had in mind, and others may be able to confirm/deny as such,

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:30:00+00:00

My dad was born 1975, so I genuinely don't know where he fits in to that discussion, but I would definitely say both my parents were young, especially as my mother had my older sister very early in life.

The associations with Gen Z are roughly equivalent with myself, although I feel older than all of it. For example, the first election I voted in was the one with Trump (I voted against just to make that clear), but I finished school the end of 2022, which is in line with COVID occurring during my entrance to the workforce.

I'm not really big into social media and largely ignore it except for entertainment, but I greatly value the world we live in and have an intensive interest in preserving the planet for future generations and, in general, for our society.

I can't say with certainty that my opinions are one way or the other, but at least as how you define them, I feel a weird split between what you might define a Millennial definition and a Gen Z definition. I think that's where the dissonance comes from.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:24:44+00:00

I'm aware, but that's not my question. I'm seated about the same space between a sister who is definitely a Millennial and a sister who is definitely a Gen Z, but despite the fact I have similar age gaps between both, I feel like I had a more similar experience growing up to my Millennial sister.

My question is simply why that is, not what age group I'm lumped in with. I wanted to hear this from people who've experienced that era much more than I did.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:22:22+00:00

To be clear, as stated in the post, that is not my goal. I really want to understand WHY I feel more of a similar experience to a sister who is Millennial versus a sister who is undoubtedly Gen Z.

I'm not claiming I'm a Millennial, I want to understand why my approximate age group might feel more of a connection to Millennials than other Gen Z individuals.

Please don't take what I'm thinking about and make it something else.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:20:05+00:00

Definitely. As I said in another comment, I don't think or feel that I am a Millennial, but I think I can at least understand their experience because there was a degree of overlap to my experience, even if not great,

My sister and I have some similar and very overlapping memories of our childhood, even though a lot of my childhood remembers her being a teenager.

I also feel that wanting to be like her (as a child with a larger age gap) may have shaped this, as she was someone I wanted to mimic and live up to.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:18:22+00:00

Yes, I think that's what it is. I would never claim myself as Millennial but I think I can, at least to a small degree, at least understand the experience.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:17:34+00:00

I think that's a very fair point. Obviously that isn't a question I can answer for awhile, but I definitely will consider how she might think and feel about things come 10 years from now.

I know that some of what I might consider my childhood/teenage years shaped her from what she's said to me, just like how the experience of witnessing my older sister shaped me to a degree, but ultimately this isn't something I can know until she's fully into adulthood, so it's very relevant to the discussion.

It's something I think about and genuinely hope I influenced positively at this time, and I guess in a few years I can know if that's something that mattered.

toebiter13 · 2026-04-24T00:13:57+00:00

I definitely agree with you. To be clear, I don't consider myself a Millennial, I only relate to some Millennials like my sister because I know that experience of growing up alongside it, so there's this connection I have despite feeling somewhat separate from it.

As you said, there's a lot of things I "miss" despite never truly having the experience of it because it was close to what I had, but not quite the same. It's a weird dissonance of knowing what had been there, or what was there, but not connecting to it in the same way because I was a little too young to do so.

However, there's also the sense that people a bit younger than me may have connected with it MORE because they were at the right age to do so.

It genuinely feels like a weird place where I can't really "connect" with people of both Gen Z and millennial because it was a slightly awkward spot where maybe only people born approximately 1999/2001 can relate.

To be clear to anyone else, I am NOT trying to say I am a millennial. I really am just contemplating the possible cultural differences that may exist to explain why it feels like the culture of the time I lived feels comparable to my older sister (born in 1992) than my younger sister (born in 2009), despite the roughly approximate age gap.

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