In a few days, I’ll turn 30. The topic of entering a new decade, strongly associated with the concept of “having it together” (whatever that means) can yield its own sort of hackneyed analysis and think pieces. I’m sure writers in past generations have written superior pieces, squeezing the novelty and intrigue from better than I can muster. So I’ll spare you that article.
What I do want to address is something I’ve seen algorithms push on me due to my birth year (don’t we love the internet age?): I’ve seen quite a few Instagram reels refer to us – that is,. ’96 babies – as The Last of the Millennials. Cue the Cynthia Erivo “I didn’t know that was happening” meme…
I didn’t know I was the last of my generation., Like many others born in ‘96, I didn’t know where I fell on the generational divide before seeing these posts. I was too young to fully remember the analog age, but too old to really identify with the Gen Z crowd. Like other cuspers, you might consider me the “middle child” of generations.
Well, as a middle child, I’m proud to be included at the cool kid’s table with the millennials. This confirmation comes, of course, from more than a few online content creators.
The Pew Research Center has dedicated itself to “generationology” for over two decades . So, their research expands to more than just establishing and categorizing the markers of each respective generation but how that informs us socially, politically, and the like. Many have also talked about the superficial differences and “warring” between the generations. The “cheugy” allegations of Gen Z towards millennials, and the appropriation of AAVE deemed “internet speak’ by Gen Z. And who can forget the “Thanks Boomer” girl?
And yeah…I don’t really want to expand on that. I think it’s weak sauce, overdone discourse.
Instead, I want to eulogize us fellow cuspers – people who don’t quite fit into one generation but straddle them both. I think fellow, zillennials, cuspers (whatever you may call us) – are a uniquely dying breed. People who have lived the best (and worst) of both worlds. In a world that preaches extremes, balance is key to me.
Of course, we will never have that blend of analog and online. Everything is advancing, overconsumption and information overload bombard us on a daily basis, and the kids recycle trends without the ethos of the communities that bind them. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to go back to my generation, when things felt simpler.
But, occasionally, I’ll feel at peace with the present. I’ll meet a really cool Gen Z or Gen Alpha kid, a Gen Z or Gen Alpha, we’ll trade stories, and have a good time. Then, I’ll realize the gap isn’t as big as I suspected. This new generation, the new world we’re living in, isn’t nearly as scary as it seems.
Who knows? Maybe analog/throwback trends will become the new 2k… at least until the next generation reaches the age I’m at now. But at the end of the day, we’re all people and have more in common than we think, regardless of what generation we belong to.
I find myself wanting to go back sometimes, but occasionally, I feel at peace with the present.
Featured image via Mor Shani on Unsplash
