Prepare for Generation Alpha! After Growing Up With The Internet, They’re Making Their Own Memes And Even Gen Z Feeling ‘Old And Stupid’

While many of us may be familiar with Millennials and Gen Z, what happens when you’re 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 completely ticking the boxes for each – and your birthday falls somewhere between the 1990s and 2000s – then you’re probably a ‘Zillenial’ .

According to Urban Dictionary, Zillenials are defined as “too young to relate to core millennials, but too old to relate to core Generation Z. They were kids of 2000 and transitioned from teens to adults in the 2010s ‘.

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

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

Putting lyrics in your MSN name, letting your parents take care of your Tamagotchi and owning a Jane Norman bag will sound familiar to Zillenials, while repeating bands like Green Day, Fall out Boy and Black Eyed Peas in the mid-2000s norm.

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

But unlike true millennials, who have also experienced all of these pop culture phenomena, Zillenials have missed the early iterations of the mobile phone and are more closely tied to Gen Z when it comes to technology.

Their first phone was probably a flip-or-slide phone, before the Blackberry and BBM pins became a regular part of the day, while those in the Gen Z category have fond memories of brick phones with infinite antennas.

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

Another key difference is that Zillenials, who most likely owned an MP3 player compared to Gen Zer’s iPhone or Millennials’ CD player, grew up using Tumbler rather than TikTok or Instagram.

A Zillenial may 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.

Zillenials are also said to have experienced the popularity of Vloggers on YouTube – like Zoella, for example – before influencers stole the spotlight on new social media platforms.

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

The term “Zillenials” on social media has cleared up a lot of confusion among those born into that “microgeneration” (pictured)

Most millennials can remember 9/11 with some clarity, while Zillenials (now aged 23 to 28) will have only vague memories of the tragedy. Generation Z kids are too young to remember – or weren’t even born yet.

While millennials, generally defined as born between 1981-1996, are old enough to fully remember the tragic events of the day and Gen Z – born from 1997 – are unlikely to be alive, Zillenials are likely to have vague memories – with the incident take place around the time they started school.

Are YOU a Zillenial? Read these statements to find out

Trying to find out if you are a Zillenial? Aside from the year you were born, these statements should also help you figure it out. If you answer yes to most of the questions, chances are you are a Zillenial.

1. You had an iPad Nano, but you also had to burn CDs
2. You missed Lizzie McGuire and That’s So Raven on the Disney Channel, but watched Hannah Montana and the Wizards of Waverly Place
3. You went to Blockbuster before it ended
4. The release of Fearless by Taylor Swift 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 start high school
7. You remember portable DVD players from long family trips
8. Instagram became popular when you were about to take your final exams
9. You were on Bebo but missed MySpace
10. You remember Zoella and other YouTubers before they became “influencers.”