Anyone who was born on the cusp of a generation knows how frustrating it can be to figure out your generation’s traits. You don’t fit into one nice box. You might have traits from both generations. One of my family members is on the cusp on being a Baby Boomer and part of the Me Generation, and she’s always talking about how her whole life, she never really fit into the traits of either generations. Well, if you were born on the cusp of the Millennials and Generation X, then you are technically in the Xennial Generation.
But, there more to it than that. Read on for some very specific traits and memories that are specific to the Xennial Generation.
So, congratulations. You don’t fit in. But, who wants to fit in, anyway? You’re part of a microgeneration, teetering somewhere between Generation X and Millennials. But, you’re also unique, because you’ve experienced international events and experiences that both generations share.
Pew Research states that those in Generation X were born between 1965 and 1980. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996. Xennials, however, were born between 1977 and 1983. It’s an interesting generation, because you were young when technology came out, such as computers, but you haven’t lived with this technology your whole life. In fact, Dan Woodman, sociology professor of the University of Melbourne, sums it up pretty well. “You have a childhood, youth and adolescence free of having to worry about social media posts and mobile phones,” he said (via mamamia.com.au). “It was a time when we had to organize to catch up with our friends on the weekends using the landline, and actually pick a time and a place and turn up there.”
So, how do you know that you’re really a Xennial? Of course, if you were born between 1977 and 1983, you’re one of them. But, read on for some additional trails. You might have some major “ah-ha” moments here. And, hey, wear your Xennial badge proudly. You’ve experienced it all.
How to Tell If You’re in the ‘Xennial Generation’
You remember the Challenger tragedy..but barely
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and tragedy took place in January 1986. If you’re a Xennial, you might have very faint memories of this happening, but you were very young. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 3 and 9 when this happened, whereas, Millennials would be 2 or younger or not born yet. Consequently, Gen X would be older than 9 so have much more distinct memories of the event.
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION – NOVEMBER 11: (FILE PHOTO) Space Shuttle Challenger crew members gather for an official portrait November 11, 1985 in an unspecified location. (Back, L-R) Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher-in-Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnick. (Front, L-R) Pilot Mike Smith, commander Dick Scobee and mission specialist Ron McNair. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images)
You remember the fall of the Berlin Wall..but barely
If you were a child during the fall of the Berlin Wall, then you might be a Xennial. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 6 and 12. So, you were perhaps too young to understand or really comprehend what was going on, but you knew it was going on.
BERLIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 09: A young woman peers through concrete slats among flowers left by other visitors at the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse on the 26th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. On November 9, 1989, East German border guards opened barriers at the Berlin Wall and allowed thousands of East Germans to cross into West Berlin, symbolically heralding the end of the division of Europe and the conclusion of the Cold War. Today politicians across Europe, even in Germany, are debating erecting border barriers of their own in order to stem the influx of migrants. According to the latest estimates Germany could receive up to 1.5 million migrants seeking asylum by the end of the year. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
You remember a time with no cell phone..but you've had one most of your life
The first cell phones came out Xennials were in their 20s or even late teens. So, Xennials remember a time with rotary phones and phone booths. But, most of their lives, they’ve had cell phones.
Getty Images / Ivan-balvan
You aren't an optimist or a pessimist
In general, Gen X is regarded as being a fairly pessimistic generation, while Millennials are optimistic. But, Xennials have both traits. At the very least, they have both their pessimistic and optimistic moments, but don’t sway one way or another.
Getty Images / kitzcorner
You weren't born into an era with computers or Facebook, but you had them early on
Xennials got computers as young as in their elementary and middle school years. But, these computers were very primitive, and this was long before Facebook or, ha, MySpace. So, Xennials tend to be pretty tech-savvy, having grown up with tech, but they come from a different perspective, since their first experiences with technology were nothing like the tech of today.
Getty Images / solarseven
