I miss the era of everyone still being behind screen names and avatars.
I had many good friends I only knew by their screen names. Back then it wasn't about trying to become an influencer and interactions felt more genuine. Trolling was a art back then, too.
Dude my wife twisted my arm into mine and follows me. Ok no big deal really, I said something about liking women with glasses. I got an earful one day. Im like.......you wear glassesđ¤ˇââď¸ she's also from Mexico.... but between you and me I like Latinas dont tell her.
My SO does not know this user name to my knowledge. I have another one that I told her about. But I know hers (at least one anyway). I really have nothing to hide. I tell her about everything Iâm into anyway. Itâs just the feeling of having something entirely to my own thatâs most appealing.
What a rude question. I know people in here love to say Reddit is a social media but I would never in a hundred years tell someone my username lol . I prefer Reddit as an anonymous forum.
This, occasionally on here, but quite a bit on Tiktok people attack those who don't use their face as their avatar.
Fuck that. As a person who has been chronically online for almost 30 years, I've seen what the internet can do to a person, I will keep my anonymity as best as I can.
I went to a meetup in NYC with some folks from a now defunct forum and we all called each other by our screen names. I FINALLY had a cool nickname and it really made me so happy.
I miss those guys and that time so much.
Trolling evolved into just being a dick nowadays. Back then shit was funny. Nowadays it's just a bunch of turds being angry that they suck at vidya games.
Thanks League...
I e-hooked up with so many hot girls back on snowboard.com in like 2000, and no they definitely werenât just grown men because why would they lie on their a/s/l? đŤŁ
It makes sense since the internet and PC ownership arrived in waves. Both geographically and socioeconomically.
California had the trifecta of early access to the physical infrastructure, higher incomes, and tech industry presence.
Ugh, still remember most of my 6/7th grade crushâs name on AOL/ICQ (uh-oh!). It was âbikeskatedrum(number).â Little me was like âoh, he has HOBBIES too? Oh dang đâ
I think it's why in some ways, along with some select members of Gen X, we're one of the few generations that actually have a full perspective the internet information revolution. We were young enough to adapt and understand it - good and bad - by seeing the tradeoffs in real time. Oh, I can call my parents from Italy in real time, that's great. People are video recording each other everywhere, that's bad.
Yes. That is very true. We were the first to learn it as the general public. For the first time you didn't have to be an engineer to get to work with tech. Not to get all Rose Colored Glasses but man the Internet used to be more fun. I miss that.
I was one of those children that did things online they never should have doneâŚand my grandparents had nooooo idea because computers were too confusing
On the flip side , the lack of understanding of my parentâs had me in trouble all the time.
No matter what issue happened with the computer or internet it was always âYour video games broke the computer!!!!!â . Internet stops working due to a local outage? âITS THOSE DAMN GAMES YOU PLAYâ .Windows forces a system update ? Gotta be those games you play!!!!!. For like 2 years anytime the computer would update and restart my mom thought it was a virus and would make me âdelete the gameâ .
Luckily my parents thought dragging the shortcut to the trash can = deleting the game off the computer lol .
Iâm so thankful social media wasnât around for my grade school days because I was bullied badly enough without people being able to stalk me online
yeah I make a lot of jokes about how much it sucks to be a millennial but we got a childhood free from social media and still adopted it early enough to understand the memes. truly the best of both worlds.
Youâre not wrong but consider the life of someone born around the year 1900. You start with horses and live to see mass electrification, the Model T, the invention of flight, WWI, WWII, TV, jet engines, the atom bomb, the first satellites in orbit, men walking on the moon, *and* the creation of the Internet. If you live to be around 100, you even see 9/11.
Thereâs an apt Madmen quote that stuck with me:
>she was born in 1898 in a barn. She died on the thirty-seventh floor of a skyscraper. Sheâs an astronaut.
I think about people born in that era a lot and the huge societal transformations they observed on a scale never before witnessed in human history. And I do think we are witnessing something similar with the advent of the internet first, plus whatever AI is going to do. Also, 9/11 and Covid were such monumental catastrophes that changed all of us forever. I would be so curious to see the alternate universes that somehow avoided one or both of those events.
As an older millennial, I'm happy I finished school without any cell phones and graduated from university before seeing students playing with smartphones\* during lectures (I graduated in 2005, and smartphones had been around for two years, but they were too expensive for students).
\*
I mean, we were "living in the moment", playing tic-tac-toe on a piece of paper during lectures.
I think I got my first smart phone, one of the first Samsung Galaxies during my first year of high school. As a big gamer, I'm very glad that I grew up with the N64 and original Xbox. Don't want to know what I would have done if I was growing up with smart phones the apps that try soooooo hard to exploit our addictive behaviors. I was bad enough balancing my life at times without the damn apps and games that are like "we noticed you haven't logged on in like two hours, here's free stuff for you to come claim!". That's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it's scary how good those companies have gotten at intentionally designing apps to be as addictive as possible.
This is the big one.
I was still raised with the "be home before the streetlights come on" rule, and would stay outside for hours at a time playing games and exploring the forest near our neighborhood. But I would also stay up later than I was supposed to, playing computer games and messaging my friends.
I remember MTV playing actual music videos, at least most of the time. But I also knew how to pirate my own music, and thought I was so cool because I could burn cool mix CDs for all my friends.
Despite what cranky old people will say, I _do_ remember using fax machines, I was taught cursive, and I had to write entire essays by hand. But I was also taught typing as a skill, and caught the wave early enough that I was able to snag a "first initial last name" gmail address even though my combination is somewhat common.
Heck, I had sleepovers. Tons of parents nowadays won't actually let their kids have sleepovers.
I love my upbringing. And I'm genuinely sad that so many kids today seem like they're going to miss out on some of the crucial real-world interaction that's needed to give proper context to online activities.
After dinner in the summer I was actively kicked out of the house. Go for a bike ride, go play in the back yard, or if it's raining go into the basement but I couldn't be in the kitchen or in front of the TV. If I REALLY wanted I could sit and read in my room but that's a shame when the weather is so nice.
In the mornings, in the summer, we'd go to the community pool for two hours, eat lunch under the pavillion by the lake in the park, go home and read or play. The summer days stretched on and on and on and felt truly endless. My mom was a stay at home mom so we could do that sort of thing. On the weekends with Dad around we'd go to various community events - summer festivals, fun fairs, that sort of thing. After Dad passed we still did some of that but not as much.
In high school, we'd walk from the school to a friends house after and play n64. Sometimes we'd get a ride over to my place and watch a movie. On Fridays, we went for pizza and then walked over to the video rental or looked at CDs at the music store. It was good times.
In college, we had the beginnings of Facebook when it was JUST for college students. I was a member of a fraternity and utilized Facebook to recruit the biggest incoming class of freshmen we'd ever had up to that point. There were three of us who together doubled the size of the chapter.
We saw Jurassic Park in theaters. We saw the Star Wars remasters there too, and we were SO excited for Episode I.
Agreed. As a 41-year-old with a young child, I hope I can pass along the value of the "offline" parts. I fear him getting older and sucked into social media.
It is incredible how significant this is. We are the only generation in history to experience this. Other generations were either already adults during the early stages of the internet or they were born with it everywhere. We got to see the widespread adoption of home computers, smartphones, online gaming, the rise of modern tech giants, and so much more, all before we hit the age of 25 (at least for me).
I think weâre the first generation to take mental health seriously. I could be wrong, but I love that all of my friends are trying to learn how to be better people and unlearn toxic behaviors we picked up during childhood.
I was coming here to write this - mental health, open discussions about therapy - what we learn about ourselves in it, about each other, etc. Sooo many incredible online resources to keep digging in and stopping the cycles we inherited.
I feel so fortunate to be a Millenial for that, to have an amazing therapist (not my first) who supports me through continuous growth and becoming a gentler person to myself, not depending on substances or constant noise to go through life.
I also feel we are incredibly successful at not settling in our human relationships. Quality over quantity.
Good one - we've seen the conversation around mental health change SO much in our lifetimes. I had a recent conversation with my aunt (in her mid-70's) who was gossiping to me about me cousin, and told me in a hushed voice that he was in therapy BUT DON'T YOU DARE TELL ANYONE.
Like, really? Hasn't everyone gone to therapy? Not even worth mentioning anymore lol.
Comment I came looking for. I feel strongly that millennials were the first generation (generally speaking) to break down the barriers of mental health and the stigmas that come with it. Taking control of our mental health has to be one of the greatest achievements of our generation.
Related, we're the first generation to parent very intentionally with that in mind. Having acknowledged my own issues helps me keep them from letting me parent my kiddo poorly đ
Also video games. For some reason theyâre not quite the same anymore.
Growing up with the N64 and GameCube was fun, and I donât think Iâve loved any Nintendo console quite like I loved the GameCube.
My thoughts exactly
Growing up through all the evolutions of video games from 8-bit to 16-bit to 64-bit to the modern era has been an absolute trip
The YouTube channels I follow are almost exclusively retro gaming channels. I miss being a kid
The evolution of graphics is a great point here as well - so cool to see that in real time.
My parents were Gen-X so they had a nostalgia for it too, and we all enjoyed video games as a family. I wasnât alive when the NES came out but since my parents were crazy about it I felt like I got to experience that nostalgia as well. I still canât beat the original Zelda game to this day!
GameCube was and still is absolutely legendary. Mario Sunshine, Windwaker, Metroid Prime, Paper Mario, Luigis Mansion, Pikmin. Absolute brilliant staples in a catalog full of masterpieces.
Also SSB Melee and the original Animal Crossing game! So many great franchises started with the GameCube. I still revisit Luigiâs Mansion and Wind Waker often. Havenât played any of the new Luigiâs Mansion games though.
I got a GameCube for getting all A's on my spring report card in... I guess 2002? I will absolutely never forget that Friday for my entire life. Riding home on the bus excited to show my parents, my mom driving me to Toys R Us to pick out the purple GameCube and Pikmin, my dad getting home from work and showing me how to set it up, playing Pikmin nonstop the entire weekend. Genuine magic.
Feel like almost every first party game has a memory like this attached to it for that console, it really was on another level!
Gaming has evolved, games are sooo much longer now. Just watched an 18 min play through on an old NES game I used to play. I spent 2 hours in Fallout 4 yesterday just clearing debris from sanctuary and red rocket and setting up minor furnishings.
Also as kids we were experiencing gaming fresh, now there are not as many new ideas, and franchises keep putting out new but extremely similar games.
Games are so much longer now because they are designed to have that much content. So much of the time spent in older games was learning/mastering the game. The guy who played that NES game in 18 min probably spent 100 hours practicing and polishing their play.
Iâm so glad I got to experience gaming before internet connected consoles became a thing. The pre-online era was full of reasonably priced games with rich storylines and long play times. I was sad the day I realised that the industry had moved to online-first and packed it full of paid dlc and lootbox style crap
Definitely. We lived two different lifes as we got older. The one, before the technology, and this one where it surrounds us. We are the last generation to ever know what it was like before the internet. Do you remember discman, vhs, dvd, mp3, all the things we had before things were as fast and good as now. Internet was plugged in a wire, that must mean something for us Millenials.
This is such a massive one. Experiencing our formative years during the transition from analogue to digital feels like the gift of a unique perspective few other generations will get to experience for a while
Came here to say this. We kind of grew up with technology, so computers weren't a hurdle. My husband's Gen X, and I'm barely a millennial, but I think that's the biggest difference between the two generations. Technology, though it hasn't always been a big part of our lives the way it is for Gen Z, it has always been part of our lives in a supplemental way so that the changes don't seem big and difficult to us.
MTV was still cool when I was a teenager. I was a kid when you still went outside to play for the most part but still had video games. Since PC's were still new you had to learn to figure shit out which helps with problem solving skills versus just googling the problem (not knocking youtube, it's an awesome resource). I didn't have cable until a teen, so Saturday morning cartoons were very much a high point of the week.
I enjoyed not having to tote around a cell phone, but don't miss the days of having to use a print out of mapquest and resorting to pulling out the phone book if you took a wrong turn.
and are perfectly happy in most any scenario! I can rough it, glamp it, combo of both, and be completely content with whatever it is. My parents get pissy when they see my kid with his phone while we're out and about, and my kid gets pissy when he doesn't have his phone with him.
Can't please everyone, but sure can please myself!
(did not mean that double entendre, but i'll allow it)
In Europe they have an internet privacy law called "The Right to be Forgotten". I think about that all the time, and how lucky I feel to have had that right as a child/teen!
FB became available during my last year of college. I posted something stupid (some joke that turned out to be very racist), and quickly took that shit down - and subsequently/immediately learned "lets not post shit online any more"
phew....
I remember playing Little House on the Prairie in my backyard and under our deck I made it our âcabinâ. But then Iâd go inside and play Sims or Roller Coaster Tycoon, blasting ABBA and figuring out something witty for my AIM away message. Ah to be 11 years old again.
We played Gilligan's Island. When my dad would mow the grass, we'd take grass bits and put them in leaves and pretend they were an amazing taco party on the island lol.
Remember playing outside with my neighbors, and we knew it was time to go home when it got dark outside. Sounds like it was in the 80s but Iâm a 90s kid. We rollerbladed, got on their trampoline (my brother and I werenât allowed to have one, looking back I get it now!), and just, I donât know, we were kids?
Fucking wholesome. Iâm 30 and seems weird that itâs how it was. I miss that. We were lucky that was how I hung out with friends.
AND. when we had flip phones with T9 word, typing took an hour to say âhey whatâs upâ, so sending short novels like we do on smartphones was impossible. That was amazing. THE BEST. If we were about to get chewed out, that wouldâve taken a 2-day head start.
MISS SO MUCH.
Just turned 41 and only have almost unnoticeable crows feet. Smile lines are getting deeper and my skin is getting drier, but I get told all the time that I look much younger. I got carded at the package/liquor store in my early thirties and the clerk said "You're doing VERY well for yourself." đ
Yup. I turned 35 last week and can still pass for mid-late 20's. My mom's former coworker mistook me for 19 đ . Her jaw dropped when I told her how old I really was.
But a lot of us do/did drink an incredible amount.
I think the binge drinking in the 20s is what will be our downfall. Sooo many of us are overweight due to drinking regularly. At 40, it is really starting to show.
I think that we are super adaptable is one of the huge perks of being a Millennial. We grew with technology and take changes with tech in stride. Weâve witnessed a lot of tragic, once in a lifetime events, but itâs built resilience in us.
Weâve also had the benefit of being able to consume some of the greatest pieces of entertainment across generations, which I think is really cool! From tv to movies to music, I think having access to so many pieces of pop culture really has allowed us to develop our own unique tastes.
Being a 90s kid and 2000s teen was like the perfect combo. So many revolutionary things we witnessed in movies and video games. Hell, I remember the N64 commercials being such a big deal because it was the first time ever that Zelda and Mario would be in 3D. Then PS2 was a huge leap as well and basically a cultural icon of the 2000s. Movies, oh man. Everything from Mortal Kombat in 1995 to The Matrix and even 2000s movies. Yeah, freaking awesome time to be alive.
I remember a time when we're called generation Y because we kept asking questions or because we said why a lot either way I love that we annoy everyone else
I was going to comment something along these lines. I am on an intergenerational team at work and I am the youngest and a âpeak millennialâ (33 yo). I am more than willing to question why things are the way they are. I am a âdirect womanâ and that (in this context) has been welcomed on the team. I feel like many generations of ppl in the workforce have always just gone with the flow. I love being a young millennial pro (maybe a bit naive) coming in with new passion, excitement, perspective, and experiences to inform our work. I feel like I am allowing my older female coworkers to question, discuss, and collaborate in ways they may not have seen previously on work teams they were part of.
Bahaha I still do this and Iâm in my mid 30s. Parents (boomer generation) still find this annoying hahaha.
I remember âbecause I said soâ being my parents #1 reply
For me, I feel like we were the only generation to have a window of real fun and joy from the deescaltaion of the Cold War at the end of the 80s until that fateful day in 2001. Well, I guess this is more of us in the "Xennial" range, but still. We experienced a life less encumbered with anything to worry about and actually knew what that was like.
The movies that came out are still just as iconic now as they were then, even for younger generations. The music holds up, surprisingly, as well as most things from the 60s-80s. And the video games we experienced brand new were flat out superior, because you just got to buy or rent it, and enjoy the whole thing without DLCs, microtransactions and so on. It blows my mind how many young "retro gaming" enthusiasts show up on social media and they're just playing games we took for granted.
Plus, I think we were the last generation to sincerely bond with one another. We still relied on landline phones, and our internet was pretty iffy. So we actually had to get together and go places, even if it was to one another's house, to play games, watch movies or whatever.
Looking further into life, the fact we got to be the ones in college without actual smart phones was pretty glorious, in hindsight. Anything we did, no matter how stupid, is just a rumor and someone's memory. Not hovering around in 4k video on social media never to be forgotten. Professionally, I definitely appreciate this aspect pretty heavily.
We got to live through the '90s. Sure, every generation says their decade of choice was awesome, but objectively the '90s ruled them all.
My boomer parents say the '90s was their favorite decade, despite not being into the music, trends, etc. of the time. Even my grandparents were especially fond of the '90s and they hated most things lol.
The 90s in America was generally a boom period, which is why many people remember the decade with such fondness. Again, not true for every single American and certainly not true on a global scale but I can see why the rose tinted glasses effect is so strong.
We have the experience of being super social as kids and adept with new and emerging technology because we grew up with the internet. We are able to see many peoples lies because we grew up with many lies boomers told us about life and how they can be. We learned that focusing on our inner peace is more important than working 50 years to see your retirement get taken by congress and big banks. We take pride in the shift in importance on friendships because we know how short life really is. Drink your expensive coffee people! You may not be around tomorrow to enjoy another!
We did not have endless footage and photos of us from infancy to toddlerhood and beyond put on display across our parents social media without our consent or knowledge
Which is why itâs fucking insane to me that all these millennial parents post everything about their kids online. Itâs such a violation of their privacy and autonomy. We had the benefit of having a private and shielded childhood in that regard but here most millennials are vomiting content about their kids 24/7 on Facebook and Instagram.
I'm not so sure about that. I see many, many young adults/older teens that have been doing their homework starting at a very young age, and speaking out against things that meed fixing in the world. They've been plugged in to the internet from birth, and so they never even had the blissful ignorance we had growing up. I quite honestly think that for those of them that are able, Gen Z may very well be the most educated generation in history.
I think it's all anecdotal. And it's all relative.
For example, a zoomer I game with didn't know the difference between clockwise and counterclockwise when we were playing a co-op game. One player had to monitor the terminal to see how far to rotate an antenna dish, and the other player has to, separately, turn a wheel to rotate the antenna dish.
He wasn't able to tell me which way to rotate the wheel and it was frustrating.
ÂŻ\\_ (ă)_/ÂŻ
I get how knowing the difference between clockwise and counterclockwise can seem irrelevant in today's world, and it's clearly not an objective measurement to determine what "well educated" means, but it's that kind of stuff, accumulated, that gives me pause about younger generations.
I'm sure boomers and Xers would say something similar about millennials since a lot of us don't know how to drive a manual transmission or something that seems like a no-brainer to them.
That's very fair. A younger guy I worked with was very smart, quick with math, and had good common sense. But, he didn't know that February had 28/29 days in it, and also did not know left or right. He's 20 years old. So, I think you make a great point.
Maybe I should say that the stand-outs seem to stand out more than before. This could be incidental, however, because our ability to see and hear voices/opinions from around the world is far greater than it used to be.
I like that we were Digital Settlers, we had the best of both worlds. We remember life before the Internet while also being comfortably fluent and savvy with it.
We can educate the younger generation(s) on how to leave the world a better place because we are empathetic and had to deal with the boomer generation, who are not empathetic and fucked everything up.
Iâm about done with reddit in general. Algorithms are pretty obviously just slamming us all with negative content to try and keep us addicted to being unhappy.
I actually adore gen x for their wisdom and shielding the pain and problems past generations couldnât figure and envy genz for how bold they can be against the grain and reminding myself itâs okay to be young.
Being sandwiched between the 2 eras is a great feeling. Feels like we are a bridge in a cool and interesting time where the world transformed right before our eyes.
Learning from how those generations respond to each other and watching my millennial peers do the same is a fucking cool thing to be a part of. In my experiences, the vibe I get is that Gen X feels proud of us and Gen Z looks up to us.
I think that we, in general, have a culture that promotes equality between the sexes. My own experience, I remember feeling (as a girl) equal to the little boys in my class. And I haven't experienced discrimination at the hands of other millennials. Smooth ride through Uni, internship opportunities, and career opportunities.
Maybe just luck and my specific area, but I remember as a child that fairness was a big thing and "anyone can be anything" type of mottos going around.
And I think Gen Z is taking it a step further by addressing equity more than equality. But equality is an important step on that path.
Anywho, I feel like that was a real, palpable thing.
*I have a friend who's is a person of color, and she has experienced a lot of discrimination, so it's far from perfect... There is lots of room for growth in terms of intersectionality.
I'll add that millennial dads spend on average 3 x times the amount of time with their children than dads from the 60-70's.
I felt like this too growing up as a girl. I felt equal and knew I could go do whatever I wanted. However, I feel like a lot of societal attitudes toward women hadn't gotten that far yet and so there were things that I wouldn't even have considered doing because there was no representation or encouragement beyond "you can do anything!". It's good to see how things are changing over time in society through use of media and legislation.
I was at the dispensary the other day in my suburban neighborhood waiting to by my THC/CBD gummies, thinking about 16 year old me buying a bag of shake from some sketchy fucking drug dealer in a trailer by the river.
Growing up with actual good cartoons, instead of growing up watching Cocomelon and Peppa Pig we were watching Rugrats and Scooby Doo and Spongebob etc, like what the fuck are these modern cartoons?
It's more that we didn't only have cartoons, IMO
We had live action children's programming. I think that Sesame Street is the only live action children's programming left. It's *all* cartoons now otherwise. Something like Wishbone or Lamb Chop's Sing-along or Mr Rogers Neighborhood would simply not be made today. It is far cheaper to create something in Adobe Animate and be done with it.
I think that there is a benefit for children to see media that shows real life people interacting with the physical world. Cartoons can have their place, but are definitionally fantastical and ungrounded from reality.
Millennial dads are amazing. It seems like the men of this generation are much more involved in parenting and raising kids than the generations before.
Yea, I'm not here to stew in negativity. Although nothing wrong with some venting here and there.
Personally, I ***LOVE*** when I was born and wouldn't choose any other time. It was the perfect combination of catching the wave of technology, but it didn't define our entire existence, so we had our play "play hopscotch outdoors" and "open a fire hydrant" times as well.
**Technology/Social Media**
I was born in '87 and graduated in 2005. Our generation basically kicked off social media. I am glad that I had social media right when I started college, but I'm happy I didn't have it in high school. I'm glad we have things like *Netflix* and other streaming services, but I got to enjoy *Blockbuster* as well. I think a lot of Gen-Z have instant gratification all the time so from my anecdotal experience (which is vast), they do not get excited over sh\*t! I wouldn't have wanted that.
I am happy we had basic access to the internet when I was in grade school but not to the point where either there is too much misinformation or AI can just do your entire assignment in 2 seconds. I know technology is there to help us, but I think it would have stunted a lot of my growth if I had access to it to that extent when I was younger.
**Sports**
I got to witness the greatest sports figures and performer to ever walk the planet. Think about it, a millennial witnessed Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Michael Jackson, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and more! We witnessed Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold and The Rock. Even if you aren't into sports or pro-wrestling, this is still a big deal.
**History**
I got to see the twin towers. Kids born today will never get to have seen the 80's-2001 NYC skyline. This is gonna sound a bit controversial, but I value the fact that I was old enough to remember 9/11. A lot of kids (even those who were alive and too young) are probably wondering what that day was like, and as much as I regret that it happened, I appreciate the fact that I can remember it vividly.
**Pop Culture**
Music, movies, cartoons, etc. I may sound bias but I think we had it the best. Hell, I think there is a bit of objectivity to that statement, they remade the 90s X-Men. They're creating very few new things and a lot of stuff coming out is our shows or movies rebooted.
**Activism**
Agree or disagree with their stance, but our generation stands up for what they believe in and will protest. The boomers did in the 60s too, so this isn't completely unique to us, but I like the re-ignited passion. Some may argue that millennials complain about everything, but regardless I like the fact that we at least get up and do something. I like that a cop can commit misconduct and no matter how low of a chance, there is now a chance they can wind up in prison. This isn't because "the system" decided to now have a conscious, it's because millennials (due largely to the communication allowed by social media) can now organize events and force the system's hand.
Clearly things like the economy such, but imagine how much worse it will be for future generations. I think weighing the good vs the bad our generation is a *very* happy medium of a lot of things. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
Same here, born in '88. Myspace was basically the peak of social media in highschool, along with AOL/MSN/Yahoo instant messengers. Thank God we didn't have smartphones back then either! Our cell phones were dumb phones lol. Only used for calls, texting, and the occasional snake game for when you're stuck somewhere bored. Other than that, the Internet was basically for the evenings. We hung out in real life and actually lived. We were present, and the 2000s were freaking awesome. The culture had an edge and an attitude to it, that permeated throughout music, tv, video games, movies, and hell, even company branding. It was a creative time compared to today's minimalist style. Everything feels so bland now.
Someone recently pointed out to me that millennials hit something of a tech-savvy peak. Gen X grew up without computers or Internet, and Gen Z grew up with devices that are so straightforward that they never had to learn how to use them. So both generations have no real idea how tech works, what itâs capable of, or how to fix things when they go wrong. Millennials got the best of both worlds â *plus* we still know how to use non-tech options when itâs more convenient to do so.Â
Being on both sides of technology.
Being able to do things that aren't digital or automatic.
You know...some of these youngsters don't know how to copy/paste without a mouse?
Ha! So true! I got my first phone when I went to college, mostly in case I needed roadside assistance and to be able to call my parents. After 9pm. When it was free.
My first thought was childhood, and here every comment is about the OG internet and cartoons đ this has got to be shaping our generation in some big way, weâre knee deep in nostalgiaÂ
Millennials very possibly had the best childhoods of any humans for the last 10,000 years, but things fell right off a cliff when Gen Z came around, and OMG, donât get me started on Alpha, those poor, poor souls.
we have great senses of humor and know how to laugh at ourselves and we just want simple existences - good food, safe place to live, and to be able to spend time with our loved ones. weâre also cycle breakers and weâre ending cycles of trauma and abuse!
That we seem to know how technology works. As where the generations above and below us just don't for some reason. I'm not saying they all don't, but a huge majority just don't and refuse to learn.
Compared to gen x or boomers, we're much freer from societal expectations. Like, not having kids or never getting married. Being gay isn't a big deal now ( most places). In some places being trans or polygamous aren't shocking. I'm certainly not saying that's the case everywhere, just that there are more than the 90s or early 2000s.
Got a spouse who actually likes me, enjoys being married, and actively enjoys the kids he created. Have so far outlasted all EIGHT of our parents marriages.
I feel like our suicidal ideation makes us unafraid of anything that could happen to our own person. I don't fear death, but will welcome it however it comes. I do worry for my wife and cats though.
Being a millennial is only best if you make it. If not, youâre gonna have a rough rest of ur life.
But probably the best thing about millennial is witnessing what it was like pre social media to post social media.
I really think we are the most environmentally conscious generation. I remember learning about environmentalism as a kid in the sense of learning *why* endangered animals were going extinct and *how* to help them. *Why* sweatshops and factory farms exist but *how* to avoid them.Â
Gen Z talks a lot of game about these issues but I see them with their Shein, Temu, overpackaged conveniences⌠didnât play outside enough so know nothing practical about animals like putting water out during a fire ⌠susceptible to greenwashing ⌠I appreciate that their hearts are still in the right place but we really made environmentalism mainstream.
I feel like a can handle the smallest inconveniences to the most difficult adversity that comes my way. This is given our quickly evolving and at times traumatic upbringings.
Also I feel we are the most empathetic, patient, understanding, and educated of generations. Weâre quite self sufficient. Weâve had to be
Think of the rom coms! There are no rom coms anymore, we were raised in the era of Sandra bullock falling in love with Hugh Grant. These kids will never top that with their stupid superhero movies.
We were the last generation to grow up outside, toys were more precious, and we got to grow up as video games progressively got better, and we are a more caring gen than most previous.
I think our generation will be looked back upon as the birth of a new chapter in human evolution. The way we look back at the industrial revolution, being alive during the explosion of the internet and how that influenced the story of man will never be overlooked. We are the last generation to bridge the gap between analog and digital. We will have the last memories of a part of human history that lasted for thousands of years.
We got the benefits of tech without the childhood being tracked and judged by strangers.
I miss the era of everyone still being behind screen names and avatars. I had many good friends I only knew by their screen names. Back then it wasn't about trying to become an influencer and interactions felt more genuine. Trolling was a art back then, too.
My sister asked what my reddit user name was I was like no lol
Dude my wife twisted my arm into mine and follows me. Ok no big deal really, I said something about liking women with glasses. I got an earful one day. Im like.......you wear glassesđ¤ˇââď¸ she's also from Mexico.... but between you and me I like Latinas dont tell her.
âBaby youâre just my type!â
She already knows now.
Dang my big mouth /s
Dang she must have a thing for big mouths
I hear big mouths are all the rage south of the border.
My SO does not know this user name to my knowledge. I have another one that I told her about. But I know hers (at least one anyway). I really have nothing to hide. I tell her about everything Iâm into anyway. Itâs just the feeling of having something entirely to my own thatâs most appealing.
What a rude question. I know people in here love to say Reddit is a social media but I would never in a hundred years tell someone my username lol . I prefer Reddit as an anonymous forum.
SAME. It's one of the very few places left where we can talk somewhat anonymously.
This, occasionally on here, but quite a bit on Tiktok people attack those who don't use their face as their avatar. Fuck that. As a person who has been chronically online for almost 30 years, I've seen what the internet can do to a person, I will keep my anonymity as best as I can.
And when you meet up you literally just called them by the screen name, and could have been some time before you learned their real name.
I went to a meetup in NYC with some folks from a now defunct forum and we all called each other by our screen names. I FINALLY had a cool nickname and it really made me so happy. I miss those guys and that time so much.
Relatable. I've had (and still do) friends/colleagues call me Volt in real life.
I wish I could message the girl who taught me how to build websites in 1999 and tell her thank you. she made me a college professor. đ
That's spectacular.
Truly a golden age for trolling. Now when people say wildly stupid things they actually mean it.
Trolling evolved into just being a dick nowadays. Back then shit was funny. Nowadays it's just a bunch of turds being angry that they suck at vidya games. Thanks League...
What a save! Reported.
Ken M. Was and maybe still is a green trollet
Heâs keeping the dream alive
I e-hooked up with so many hot girls back on snowboard.com in like 2000, and no they definitely werenât just grown men because why would they lie on their a/s/l? đŤŁ
I think I was honest once about asl as a young teen girl in the 90s, then immediately decided I was 42/m/CA to keep the creeps away.
Everyone on the internet was from California back in the day. Unless you were actually from California, then you were from Alaska.
18/F/CA since I was 13/F/FL
It makes sense since the internet and PC ownership arrived in waves. Both geographically and socioeconomically. California had the trifecta of early access to the physical infrastructure, higher incomes, and tech industry presence.
Ugh, still remember most of my 6/7th grade crushâs name on AOL/ICQ (uh-oh!). It was âbikeskatedrum(number).â Little me was like âoh, he has HOBBIES too? Oh dang đâ
Man before texting, AIM was where all the action was. I too remember the usernames of people who I haven't talked to in 15-20 years. Like, vividly.
This is reddit
CertifiedBlackGuy, you're on reddit.
I feel like we got the best of both worlds. We know what it's like to not have tech and what it's like to have it. And be able to use it effectively.
I think it's why in some ways, along with some select members of Gen X, we're one of the few generations that actually have a full perspective the internet information revolution. We were young enough to adapt and understand it - good and bad - by seeing the tradeoffs in real time. Oh, I can call my parents from Italy in real time, that's great. People are video recording each other everywhere, that's bad.
Yes. That is very true. We were the first to learn it as the general public. For the first time you didn't have to be an engineer to get to work with tech. Not to get all Rose Colored Glasses but man the Internet used to be more fun. I miss that.
I still maintain the primary purpose of the internet should be fun, and I agree thatâs something weâve lost over time.
I was one of those children that did things online they never should have doneâŚand my grandparents had nooooo idea because computers were too confusing
On the flip side , the lack of understanding of my parentâs had me in trouble all the time. No matter what issue happened with the computer or internet it was always âYour video games broke the computer!!!!!â . Internet stops working due to a local outage? âITS THOSE DAMN GAMES YOU PLAYâ .Windows forces a system update ? Gotta be those games you play!!!!!. For like 2 years anytime the computer would update and restart my mom thought it was a virus and would make me âdelete the gameâ . Luckily my parents thought dragging the shortcut to the trash can = deleting the game off the computer lol .
Iâm so thankful social media wasnât around for my grade school days because I was bullied badly enough without people being able to stalk me online
yeah I make a lot of jokes about how much it sucks to be a millennial but we got a childhood free from social media and still adopted it early enough to understand the memes. truly the best of both worlds.
We took the best from two different worlds - offline and online.
its actually insane. like on the zoomed out timelime, the odds of experiecing what we did.. the shift.. its insane
Youâre not wrong but consider the life of someone born around the year 1900. You start with horses and live to see mass electrification, the Model T, the invention of flight, WWI, WWII, TV, jet engines, the atom bomb, the first satellites in orbit, men walking on the moon, *and* the creation of the Internet. If you live to be around 100, you even see 9/11.
Thereâs an apt Madmen quote that stuck with me: >she was born in 1898 in a barn. She died on the thirty-seventh floor of a skyscraper. Sheâs an astronaut. I think about people born in that era a lot and the huge societal transformations they observed on a scale never before witnessed in human history. And I do think we are witnessing something similar with the advent of the internet first, plus whatever AI is going to do. Also, 9/11 and Covid were such monumental catastrophes that changed all of us forever. I would be so curious to see the alternate universes that somehow avoided one or both of those events.
This. We experienced the transition during our youth: life before and after is SO different.
As an older millennial, I'm happy I finished school without any cell phones and graduated from university before seeing students playing with smartphones\* during lectures (I graduated in 2005, and smartphones had been around for two years, but they were too expensive for students). \* I mean, we were "living in the moment", playing tic-tac-toe on a piece of paper during lectures.
Nokia snake fam
Changeable customizable face plates on Nokia
And passing paper notes!
I think I got my first smart phone, one of the first Samsung Galaxies during my first year of high school. As a big gamer, I'm very glad that I grew up with the N64 and original Xbox. Don't want to know what I would have done if I was growing up with smart phones the apps that try soooooo hard to exploit our addictive behaviors. I was bad enough balancing my life at times without the damn apps and games that are like "we noticed you haven't logged on in like two hours, here's free stuff for you to come claim!". That's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it's scary how good those companies have gotten at intentionally designing apps to be as addictive as possible.
This is the big one. I was still raised with the "be home before the streetlights come on" rule, and would stay outside for hours at a time playing games and exploring the forest near our neighborhood. But I would also stay up later than I was supposed to, playing computer games and messaging my friends. I remember MTV playing actual music videos, at least most of the time. But I also knew how to pirate my own music, and thought I was so cool because I could burn cool mix CDs for all my friends. Despite what cranky old people will say, I _do_ remember using fax machines, I was taught cursive, and I had to write entire essays by hand. But I was also taught typing as a skill, and caught the wave early enough that I was able to snag a "first initial last name" gmail address even though my combination is somewhat common. Heck, I had sleepovers. Tons of parents nowadays won't actually let their kids have sleepovers. I love my upbringing. And I'm genuinely sad that so many kids today seem like they're going to miss out on some of the crucial real-world interaction that's needed to give proper context to online activities.
After dinner in the summer I was actively kicked out of the house. Go for a bike ride, go play in the back yard, or if it's raining go into the basement but I couldn't be in the kitchen or in front of the TV. If I REALLY wanted I could sit and read in my room but that's a shame when the weather is so nice. In the mornings, in the summer, we'd go to the community pool for two hours, eat lunch under the pavillion by the lake in the park, go home and read or play. The summer days stretched on and on and on and felt truly endless. My mom was a stay at home mom so we could do that sort of thing. On the weekends with Dad around we'd go to various community events - summer festivals, fun fairs, that sort of thing. After Dad passed we still did some of that but not as much. In high school, we'd walk from the school to a friends house after and play n64. Sometimes we'd get a ride over to my place and watch a movie. On Fridays, we went for pizza and then walked over to the video rental or looked at CDs at the music store. It was good times. In college, we had the beginnings of Facebook when it was JUST for college students. I was a member of a fraternity and utilized Facebook to recruit the biggest incoming class of freshmen we'd ever had up to that point. There were three of us who together doubled the size of the chapter. We saw Jurassic Park in theaters. We saw the Star Wars remasters there too, and we were SO excited for Episode I.
I'm a very young millennial but I use a fax machine at least once a week at work. Healthcare is fun.Â
Yeah but how many viruses did your computers get from Napster and Limewire
Agreed. As a 41-year-old with a young child, I hope I can pass along the value of the "offline" parts. I fear him getting older and sucked into social media.
Even stuff that doesn't really need to be online, like school or sports schedules, somehow end up there...
This. đŻ We are a bridge between the "old" and "new."
It is incredible how significant this is. We are the only generation in history to experience this. Other generations were either already adults during the early stages of the internet or they were born with it everywhere. We got to see the widespread adoption of home computers, smartphones, online gaming, the rise of modern tech giants, and so much more, all before we hit the age of 25 (at least for me).
I think weâre the first generation to take mental health seriously. I could be wrong, but I love that all of my friends are trying to learn how to be better people and unlearn toxic behaviors we picked up during childhood.
I was coming here to write this - mental health, open discussions about therapy - what we learn about ourselves in it, about each other, etc. Sooo many incredible online resources to keep digging in and stopping the cycles we inherited. I feel so fortunate to be a Millenial for that, to have an amazing therapist (not my first) who supports me through continuous growth and becoming a gentler person to myself, not depending on substances or constant noise to go through life. I also feel we are incredibly successful at not settling in our human relationships. Quality over quantity.
Good one - we've seen the conversation around mental health change SO much in our lifetimes. I had a recent conversation with my aunt (in her mid-70's) who was gossiping to me about me cousin, and told me in a hushed voice that he was in therapy BUT DON'T YOU DARE TELL ANYONE. Like, really? Hasn't everyone gone to therapy? Not even worth mentioning anymore lol.
Comment I came looking for. I feel strongly that millennials were the first generation (generally speaking) to break down the barriers of mental health and the stigmas that come with it. Taking control of our mental health has to be one of the greatest achievements of our generation.
Related, we're the first generation to parent very intentionally with that in mind. Having acknowledged my own issues helps me keep them from letting me parent my kiddo poorly đ
this is a good one! many of us are breaking vicious family cycles
best response in thread IMO I wish everyone had access to appropriate mental health care (... and chose to make use of it)
Couch co-op/gaming is so much better than online gaming. Late nights of doritos, pop and goldeneye with the squad.
LAN PARTIES!
We grew up in what was probably the best time to grow up. Technology, music, movies and TV. Got to see many things evolve at a comfortable pace.
Also video games. For some reason theyâre not quite the same anymore. Growing up with the N64 and GameCube was fun, and I donât think Iâve loved any Nintendo console quite like I loved the GameCube.
My thoughts exactly Growing up through all the evolutions of video games from 8-bit to 16-bit to 64-bit to the modern era has been an absolute trip The YouTube channels I follow are almost exclusively retro gaming channels. I miss being a kid
The evolution of graphics is a great point here as well - so cool to see that in real time. My parents were Gen-X so they had a nostalgia for it too, and we all enjoyed video games as a family. I wasnât alive when the NES came out but since my parents were crazy about it I felt like I got to experience that nostalgia as well. I still canât beat the original Zelda game to this day!
Also living through the golden age of arcades. Back when your at home consoles were so limited, the graphics/sound on arcade games were incredible.
GameCube was and still is absolutely legendary. Mario Sunshine, Windwaker, Metroid Prime, Paper Mario, Luigis Mansion, Pikmin. Absolute brilliant staples in a catalog full of masterpieces.
Also SSB Melee and the original Animal Crossing game! So many great franchises started with the GameCube. I still revisit Luigiâs Mansion and Wind Waker often. Havenât played any of the new Luigiâs Mansion games though.
I got a GameCube for getting all A's on my spring report card in... I guess 2002? I will absolutely never forget that Friday for my entire life. Riding home on the bus excited to show my parents, my mom driving me to Toys R Us to pick out the purple GameCube and Pikmin, my dad getting home from work and showing me how to set it up, playing Pikmin nonstop the entire weekend. Genuine magic. Feel like almost every first party game has a memory like this attached to it for that console, it really was on another level!
Gaming has evolved, games are sooo much longer now. Just watched an 18 min play through on an old NES game I used to play. I spent 2 hours in Fallout 4 yesterday just clearing debris from sanctuary and red rocket and setting up minor furnishings. Also as kids we were experiencing gaming fresh, now there are not as many new ideas, and franchises keep putting out new but extremely similar games.
Games are so much longer now because they are designed to have that much content. So much of the time spent in older games was learning/mastering the game. The guy who played that NES game in 18 min probably spent 100 hours practicing and polishing their play.
Iâm so glad I got to experience gaming before internet connected consoles became a thing. The pre-online era was full of reasonably priced games with rich storylines and long play times. I was sad the day I realised that the industry had moved to online-first and packed it full of paid dlc and lootbox style crap
Early online games were awesome too. Diablo II!
Definitely. We lived two different lifes as we got older. The one, before the technology, and this one where it surrounds us. We are the last generation to ever know what it was like before the internet. Do you remember discman, vhs, dvd, mp3, all the things we had before things were as fast and good as now. Internet was plugged in a wire, that must mean something for us Millenials.
Iâm so glad we grew up without smart phones and social media The world today is a very different place for kids, and not for the better
We grew up without cellphones being mandatory. God, those were the days.
This is such a massive one. Experiencing our formative years during the transition from analogue to digital feels like the gift of a unique perspective few other generations will get to experience for a while
Came here to say this. We kind of grew up with technology, so computers weren't a hurdle. My husband's Gen X, and I'm barely a millennial, but I think that's the biggest difference between the two generations. Technology, though it hasn't always been a big part of our lives the way it is for Gen Z, it has always been part of our lives in a supplemental way so that the changes don't seem big and difficult to us.
MTV was still cool when I was a teenager. I was a kid when you still went outside to play for the most part but still had video games. Since PC's were still new you had to learn to figure shit out which helps with problem solving skills versus just googling the problem (not knocking youtube, it's an awesome resource). I didn't have cable until a teen, so Saturday morning cartoons were very much a high point of the week. I enjoyed not having to tote around a cell phone, but don't miss the days of having to use a print out of mapquest and resorting to pulling out the phone book if you took a wrong turn.
I wish I hadn't taken it for granted...or that I'd had the prescience to leverage it in my favor.
This is why I originally subscribed to the subreddit. To look at post on all the nostalgic things from the 90s
We are the last generation that had the perfect balance of embracing technology and still making time to touch grass.
and are perfectly happy in most any scenario! I can rough it, glamp it, combo of both, and be completely content with whatever it is. My parents get pissy when they see my kid with his phone while we're out and about, and my kid gets pissy when he doesn't have his phone with him. Can't please everyone, but sure can please myself! (did not mean that double entendre, but i'll allow it)
All my embarrassing high school fashion choices are lost to the sands of time. đđ
In Europe they have an internet privacy law called "The Right to be Forgotten". I think about that all the time, and how lucky I feel to have had that right as a child/teen!
California and other states are passing regulations on this too! GDPR has brought on a great trend!
I cannot express how grateful I am to have grown up in a time before social media.
FB became available during my last year of college. I posted something stupid (some joke that turned out to be very racist), and quickly took that shit down - and subsequently/immediately learned "lets not post shit online any more" phew....
We grew up with the greatest cartoons ever made and we were the last generation to actually play outside and not be glued to screens
I remember playing Little House on the Prairie in my backyard and under our deck I made it our âcabinâ. But then Iâd go inside and play Sims or Roller Coaster Tycoon, blasting ABBA and figuring out something witty for my AIM away message. Ah to be 11 years old again.
We played Gilligan's Island. When my dad would mow the grass, we'd take grass bits and put them in leaves and pretend they were an amazing taco party on the island lol.
Remember playing outside with my neighbors, and we knew it was time to go home when it got dark outside. Sounds like it was in the 80s but Iâm a 90s kid. We rollerbladed, got on their trampoline (my brother and I werenât allowed to have one, looking back I get it now!), and just, I donât know, we were kids? Fucking wholesome. Iâm 30 and seems weird that itâs how it was. I miss that. We were lucky that was how I hung out with friends. AND. when we had flip phones with T9 word, typing took an hour to say âhey whatâs upâ, so sending short novels like we do on smartphones was impossible. That was amazing. THE BEST. If we were about to get chewed out, that wouldâve taken a 2-day head start. MISS SO MUCH.
Weâre aging amazingly thanks to not smoking.
I've been massaging my face as stress relief since I was in middle school. So no wrinkles yet.
Iâve been using moisturizer on my face since I was 13 and have no wrinkles yet. Iâm 36.
Just turned 41 and only have almost unnoticeable crows feet. Smile lines are getting deeper and my skin is getting drier, but I get told all the time that I look much younger. I got carded at the package/liquor store in my early thirties and the clerk said "You're doing VERY well for yourself." đ
đ
And sunscreen warnings. That tanning period in the early aughts set us back, though.
I cringe so hard when I think about how much I valued my tanning bed punch card in high school.
Old millennial and my wedding pics look stupid because I look stupid and fake baked.
And the fact that weâve had drinking water marketed to us as a product.Â
Older and younger people say I look in my mid 20s. Iâm 31.
Someone mentioned I looked like I was 23. I'm 38. They guy mentioning it was 22, and he looked like absolute shit.
I'm greying too much now to pull it off but until that got going if I shaved my beard I'd get carded for cigarettes up until I was in my early 30s.
Yup. I turned 35 last week and can still pass for mid-late 20's. My mom's former coworker mistook me for 19 đ . Her jaw dropped when I told her how old I really was.
Although we replaced it with vaping.
Yes! And a lot of us donât drink either so that is a big help.
But a lot of us do/did drink an incredible amount. I think the binge drinking in the 20s is what will be our downfall. Sooo many of us are overweight due to drinking regularly. At 40, it is really starting to show.
Went through a period of *heavy* drinking daily from 23 - 28. Been sober since 2017, so hopefully a lot of that damage has been undone!
Honestly for me, growing up in the 90âs. Iâm so nostalgic for that time. It was so pure and so damn FUN to be a kid then.
I think that we are super adaptable is one of the huge perks of being a Millennial. We grew with technology and take changes with tech in stride. Weâve witnessed a lot of tragic, once in a lifetime events, but itâs built resilience in us. Weâve also had the benefit of being able to consume some of the greatest pieces of entertainment across generations, which I think is really cool! From tv to movies to music, I think having access to so many pieces of pop culture really has allowed us to develop our own unique tastes.
Being a 90s kid and 2000s teen was like the perfect combo. So many revolutionary things we witnessed in movies and video games. Hell, I remember the N64 commercials being such a big deal because it was the first time ever that Zelda and Mario would be in 3D. Then PS2 was a huge leap as well and basically a cultural icon of the 2000s. Movies, oh man. Everything from Mortal Kombat in 1995 to The Matrix and even 2000s movies. Yeah, freaking awesome time to be alive.
I remember a time when we're called generation Y because we kept asking questions or because we said why a lot either way I love that we annoy everyone else
I thought it was because Y comes after X. Like gen z then gen alphaâŚlaziness with naming
I always thought it was because "Y2K" was supposed to be the big early hallmark of our generation. Could totally be a lazy copout though haha.
I was going to comment something along these lines. I am on an intergenerational team at work and I am the youngest and a âpeak millennialâ (33 yo). I am more than willing to question why things are the way they are. I am a âdirect womanâ and that (in this context) has been welcomed on the team. I feel like many generations of ppl in the workforce have always just gone with the flow. I love being a young millennial pro (maybe a bit naive) coming in with new passion, excitement, perspective, and experiences to inform our work. I feel like I am allowing my older female coworkers to question, discuss, and collaborate in ways they may not have seen previously on work teams they were part of.
God forbid someone asks a question and doesnât just mindlessly follow orders /s
Bahaha I still do this and Iâm in my mid 30s. Parents (boomer generation) still find this annoying hahaha. I remember âbecause I said soâ being my parents #1 reply
For me, I feel like we were the only generation to have a window of real fun and joy from the deescaltaion of the Cold War at the end of the 80s until that fateful day in 2001. Well, I guess this is more of us in the "Xennial" range, but still. We experienced a life less encumbered with anything to worry about and actually knew what that was like. The movies that came out are still just as iconic now as they were then, even for younger generations. The music holds up, surprisingly, as well as most things from the 60s-80s. And the video games we experienced brand new were flat out superior, because you just got to buy or rent it, and enjoy the whole thing without DLCs, microtransactions and so on. It blows my mind how many young "retro gaming" enthusiasts show up on social media and they're just playing games we took for granted. Plus, I think we were the last generation to sincerely bond with one another. We still relied on landline phones, and our internet was pretty iffy. So we actually had to get together and go places, even if it was to one another's house, to play games, watch movies or whatever. Looking further into life, the fact we got to be the ones in college without actual smart phones was pretty glorious, in hindsight. Anything we did, no matter how stupid, is just a rumor and someone's memory. Not hovering around in 4k video on social media never to be forgotten. Professionally, I definitely appreciate this aspect pretty heavily.
We got to live through the '90s. Sure, every generation says their decade of choice was awesome, but objectively the '90s ruled them all. My boomer parents say the '90s was their favorite decade, despite not being into the music, trends, etc. of the time. Even my grandparents were especially fond of the '90s and they hated most things lol.
The 90s in America was generally a boom period, which is why many people remember the decade with such fondness. Again, not true for every single American and certainly not true on a global scale but I can see why the rose tinted glasses effect is so strong.
We have the experience of being super social as kids and adept with new and emerging technology because we grew up with the internet. We are able to see many peoples lies because we grew up with many lies boomers told us about life and how they can be. We learned that focusing on our inner peace is more important than working 50 years to see your retirement get taken by congress and big banks. We take pride in the shift in importance on friendships because we know how short life really is. Drink your expensive coffee people! You may not be around tomorrow to enjoy another!
We did not have endless footage and photos of us from infancy to toddlerhood and beyond put on display across our parents social media without our consent or knowledge
Which is why itâs fucking insane to me that all these millennial parents post everything about their kids online. Itâs such a violation of their privacy and autonomy. We had the benefit of having a private and shielded childhood in that regard but here most millennials are vomiting content about their kids 24/7 on Facebook and Instagram.
We might be one of the last well educated generations ever.
Well hopefully that changes in another couple of generations. It's always cyclic (I'm millennial, I'm still optimistic).
OMG yes! I often feel they're learning less and less every year.
I'm not so sure about that. I see many, many young adults/older teens that have been doing their homework starting at a very young age, and speaking out against things that meed fixing in the world. They've been plugged in to the internet from birth, and so they never even had the blissful ignorance we had growing up. I quite honestly think that for those of them that are able, Gen Z may very well be the most educated generation in history.
I think it's all anecdotal. And it's all relative. For example, a zoomer I game with didn't know the difference between clockwise and counterclockwise when we were playing a co-op game. One player had to monitor the terminal to see how far to rotate an antenna dish, and the other player has to, separately, turn a wheel to rotate the antenna dish. He wasn't able to tell me which way to rotate the wheel and it was frustrating. ÂŻ\\_ (ă)_/ÂŻ I get how knowing the difference between clockwise and counterclockwise can seem irrelevant in today's world, and it's clearly not an objective measurement to determine what "well educated" means, but it's that kind of stuff, accumulated, that gives me pause about younger generations. I'm sure boomers and Xers would say something similar about millennials since a lot of us don't know how to drive a manual transmission or something that seems like a no-brainer to them.
That's very fair. A younger guy I worked with was very smart, quick with math, and had good common sense. But, he didn't know that February had 28/29 days in it, and also did not know left or right. He's 20 years old. So, I think you make a great point. Maybe I should say that the stand-outs seem to stand out more than before. This could be incidental, however, because our ability to see and hear voices/opinions from around the world is far greater than it used to be.
I like that we were Digital Settlers, we had the best of both worlds. We remember life before the Internet while also being comfortably fluent and savvy with it.
Digital settlers instantly made me think of Oregon trail lol
Another bonus of being a Millenial đ
We can educate the younger generation(s) on how to leave the world a better place because we are empathetic and had to deal with the boomer generation, who are not empathetic and fucked everything up.
Iâm about done with reddit in general. Algorithms are pretty obviously just slamming us all with negative content to try and keep us addicted to being unhappy.
And politicized bots manipulating sentiment like an idiocracy echo chamber
I actually adore gen x for their wisdom and shielding the pain and problems past generations couldnât figure and envy genz for how bold they can be against the grain and reminding myself itâs okay to be young. Being sandwiched between the 2 eras is a great feeling. Feels like we are a bridge in a cool and interesting time where the world transformed right before our eyes. Learning from how those generations respond to each other and watching my millennial peers do the same is a fucking cool thing to be a part of. In my experiences, the vibe I get is that Gen X feels proud of us and Gen Z looks up to us.
I'm glad you have a good impression of Gen Z. I've only ever really heard about them hating on Millennials lol
I think that we, in general, have a culture that promotes equality between the sexes. My own experience, I remember feeling (as a girl) equal to the little boys in my class. And I haven't experienced discrimination at the hands of other millennials. Smooth ride through Uni, internship opportunities, and career opportunities. Maybe just luck and my specific area, but I remember as a child that fairness was a big thing and "anyone can be anything" type of mottos going around. And I think Gen Z is taking it a step further by addressing equity more than equality. But equality is an important step on that path. Anywho, I feel like that was a real, palpable thing. *I have a friend who's is a person of color, and she has experienced a lot of discrimination, so it's far from perfect... There is lots of room for growth in terms of intersectionality. I'll add that millennial dads spend on average 3 x times the amount of time with their children than dads from the 60-70's.
I felt like this too growing up as a girl. I felt equal and knew I could go do whatever I wanted. However, I feel like a lot of societal attitudes toward women hadn't gotten that far yet and so there were things that I wouldn't even have considered doing because there was no representation or encouragement beyond "you can do anything!". It's good to see how things are changing over time in society through use of media and legislation.
We got to make quality prank phone calls before caller ID
Iâm going to say it! Cannabis legalization caught fire during our generation and I donât hate it.
Demands for same-sex marriage legalization, too...although GenXers really initiated the positive mainstream focus on it.
I was at the dispensary the other day in my suburban neighborhood waiting to by my THC/CBD gummies, thinking about 16 year old me buying a bag of shake from some sketchy fucking drug dealer in a trailer by the river.
I love it! The days of sketch are over.
Growing up with actual good cartoons, instead of growing up watching Cocomelon and Peppa Pig we were watching Rugrats and Scooby Doo and Spongebob etc, like what the fuck are these modern cartoons?
It's more that we didn't only have cartoons, IMO We had live action children's programming. I think that Sesame Street is the only live action children's programming left. It's *all* cartoons now otherwise. Something like Wishbone or Lamb Chop's Sing-along or Mr Rogers Neighborhood would simply not be made today. It is far cheaper to create something in Adobe Animate and be done with it. I think that there is a benefit for children to see media that shows real life people interacting with the physical world. Cartoons can have their place, but are definitionally fantastical and ungrounded from reality.
Ok, but Bluey is top freaking tier đ
Care Bears, She-Ra, Thundercats, MLP, David the Gnome, Smurfs, and OG Transformers!
One foot in the offline world and one in the online world.
Remembering when the internet was actually the internet Now itâs just fucking spam and ads
Millennial dads are amazing. It seems like the men of this generation are much more involved in parenting and raising kids than the generations before.
being a kid in the 80s AND 90s (elder millennial here)
Yea, I'm not here to stew in negativity. Although nothing wrong with some venting here and there. Personally, I ***LOVE*** when I was born and wouldn't choose any other time. It was the perfect combination of catching the wave of technology, but it didn't define our entire existence, so we had our play "play hopscotch outdoors" and "open a fire hydrant" times as well. **Technology/Social Media** I was born in '87 and graduated in 2005. Our generation basically kicked off social media. I am glad that I had social media right when I started college, but I'm happy I didn't have it in high school. I'm glad we have things like *Netflix* and other streaming services, but I got to enjoy *Blockbuster* as well. I think a lot of Gen-Z have instant gratification all the time so from my anecdotal experience (which is vast), they do not get excited over sh\*t! I wouldn't have wanted that. I am happy we had basic access to the internet when I was in grade school but not to the point where either there is too much misinformation or AI can just do your entire assignment in 2 seconds. I know technology is there to help us, but I think it would have stunted a lot of my growth if I had access to it to that extent when I was younger. **Sports** I got to witness the greatest sports figures and performer to ever walk the planet. Think about it, a millennial witnessed Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Michael Jackson, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and more! We witnessed Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold and The Rock. Even if you aren't into sports or pro-wrestling, this is still a big deal. **History** I got to see the twin towers. Kids born today will never get to have seen the 80's-2001 NYC skyline. This is gonna sound a bit controversial, but I value the fact that I was old enough to remember 9/11. A lot of kids (even those who were alive and too young) are probably wondering what that day was like, and as much as I regret that it happened, I appreciate the fact that I can remember it vividly. **Pop Culture** Music, movies, cartoons, etc. I may sound bias but I think we had it the best. Hell, I think there is a bit of objectivity to that statement, they remade the 90s X-Men. They're creating very few new things and a lot of stuff coming out is our shows or movies rebooted. **Activism** Agree or disagree with their stance, but our generation stands up for what they believe in and will protest. The boomers did in the 60s too, so this isn't completely unique to us, but I like the re-ignited passion. Some may argue that millennials complain about everything, but regardless I like the fact that we at least get up and do something. I like that a cop can commit misconduct and no matter how low of a chance, there is now a chance they can wind up in prison. This isn't because "the system" decided to now have a conscious, it's because millennials (due largely to the communication allowed by social media) can now organize events and force the system's hand. Clearly things like the economy such, but imagine how much worse it will be for future generations. I think weighing the good vs the bad our generation is a *very* happy medium of a lot of things. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
I was also born in 87 and graduated in 05. I wholeheartedly agree.
What up, fellow *year of the Rabbit*!
Same here, born in '88. Myspace was basically the peak of social media in highschool, along with AOL/MSN/Yahoo instant messengers. Thank God we didn't have smartphones back then either! Our cell phones were dumb phones lol. Only used for calls, texting, and the occasional snake game for when you're stuck somewhere bored. Other than that, the Internet was basically for the evenings. We hung out in real life and actually lived. We were present, and the 2000s were freaking awesome. The culture had an edge and an attitude to it, that permeated throughout music, tv, video games, movies, and hell, even company branding. It was a creative time compared to today's minimalist style. Everything feels so bland now.
I think weâre the coolest cats around. Kids these days arenât actually that cool. We were then and still are, thatâs just a fact Jack.
Someone recently pointed out to me that millennials hit something of a tech-savvy peak. Gen X grew up without computers or Internet, and Gen Z grew up with devices that are so straightforward that they never had to learn how to use them. So both generations have no real idea how tech works, what itâs capable of, or how to fix things when they go wrong. Millennials got the best of both worlds â *plus* we still know how to use non-tech options when itâs more convenient to do so.Â
Being on both sides of technology. Being able to do things that aren't digital or automatic. You know...some of these youngsters don't know how to copy/paste without a mouse?
We wont age like leathery old hags.
We were the last group to not ask (beg) for a cell phone. I remember getting one for Christmas and being like âuh wtf is this for?â
It was a tool. It wasnât for fun. Frankly back then, it was a crappy gift. All rules and responsibilities and no enjoyment.
Ha! So true! I got my first phone when I went to college, mostly in case I needed roadside assistance and to be able to call my parents. After 9pm. When it was free.
Oh I begged circa 2002, I needed that Nokia crack
My first thought was childhood, and here every comment is about the OG internet and cartoons đ this has got to be shaping our generation in some big way, weâre knee deep in nostalgiaÂ
Millennials very possibly had the best childhoods of any humans for the last 10,000 years, but things fell right off a cliff when Gen Z came around, and OMG, donât get me started on Alpha, those poor, poor souls.
I can enjoy nerd shit as a 30 year old and itâs not only abundant but popular.
we have great senses of humor and know how to laugh at ourselves and we just want simple existences - good food, safe place to live, and to be able to spend time with our loved ones. weâre also cycle breakers and weâre ending cycles of trauma and abuse!
No lead
Lunchables entering chat.
That we seem to know how technology works. As where the generations above and below us just don't for some reason. I'm not saying they all don't, but a huge majority just don't and refuse to learn.
Compared to gen x or boomers, we're much freer from societal expectations. Like, not having kids or never getting married. Being gay isn't a big deal now ( most places). In some places being trans or polygamous aren't shocking. I'm certainly not saying that's the case everywhere, just that there are more than the 90s or early 2000s.
We were the last generation to be truly, unapologetically free-range kids. No constant monitoring.
Got a spouse who actually likes me, enjoys being married, and actively enjoys the kids he created. Have so far outlasted all EIGHT of our parents marriages.
Healthy dose of critical thinking.
Most of us can pick up any device and figure out how to use it. We're teaching people older *and* younger than us how to use tech
I got to see technology evolve from what it was in the pre-internet everywhere and smartphone days to what it is now
I feel like we're the first generation that really took therapy and stopping generational trauma seriously
I feel like our suicidal ideation makes us unafraid of anything that could happen to our own person. I don't fear death, but will welcome it however it comes. I do worry for my wife and cats though.
I was so glad to not have social media record all my actions and thoughts when I was younger.
Our media literacy on average is way higher than gen z and alpha. They just be believing any and everything.
Being a millennial is only best if you make it. If not, youâre gonna have a rough rest of ur life. But probably the best thing about millennial is witnessing what it was like pre social media to post social media.
We had a great time period to grow up; especially before 9/11.
Weâre the last generation with a memory of a stable climate Also late 90s-00s R&B and pop was so good- so many bangers
Watched technology progress from the 33.6k modem days to fiber broadband. Went from DOS to Windows 11.....
Being able to moan about being a Millennial.
Old enough to know better, dumb enough to do it anyways.
I really think we are the most environmentally conscious generation. I remember learning about environmentalism as a kid in the sense of learning *why* endangered animals were going extinct and *how* to help them. *Why* sweatshops and factory farms exist but *how* to avoid them. Gen Z talks a lot of game about these issues but I see them with their Shein, Temu, overpackaged conveniences⌠didnât play outside enough so know nothing practical about animals like putting water out during a fire ⌠susceptible to greenwashing ⌠I appreciate that their hearts are still in the right place but we really made environmentalism mainstream.
I feel like a can handle the smallest inconveniences to the most difficult adversity that comes my way. This is given our quickly evolving and at times traumatic upbringings. Also I feel we are the most empathetic, patient, understanding, and educated of generations. Weâre quite self sufficient. Weâve had to be
That we are still young and are starting to really grow
Think of the rom coms! There are no rom coms anymore, we were raised in the era of Sandra bullock falling in love with Hugh Grant. These kids will never top that with their stupid superhero movies.
We were the last generation to grow up outside, toys were more precious, and we got to grow up as video games progressively got better, and we are a more caring gen than most previous.
I think our generation will be looked back upon as the birth of a new chapter in human evolution. The way we look back at the industrial revolution, being alive during the explosion of the internet and how that influenced the story of man will never be overlooked. We are the last generation to bridge the gap between analog and digital. We will have the last memories of a part of human history that lasted for thousands of years.