Oregon Trail. Nintendo. Polly Pockets. VHS. Spice Girls. Y2K. Pagers. Walkman. Tamagotchi. Phones WITH cords. Beanie Babies. Game Boy. Full House. As if!

Do all these things make you smile and give you a sense of nostalgia? Were you born in the late 1970s to early or mid-1980s? Then, you are a Xennial!

Generations Define Us In Many Ways

When you are born drops you into a generation that often defines a lot about your lifestyle, how you were raised and even who you are as an individual. It’s almost a rite of passage to say what generation you are a part of as you grow up and even into adulthood. 

How many times over the years have you been asked what generation you are or taken part of fun generation quizzes online? Likely a time or two, or more. 

What If You Don’t Fit Into Your Generation?

Due to the rise of technology, some of us often don’t feel we fit in as either Generation X or a Millennial. Generation X were all in full adulthood when the internet peaked and Millennials all had the internet as a factor most of their lives. If you were born anywhere from around 1977 to 1985, it’s hard to feel like you fit in either of these two generations. Enter the micro-generation, Xennials.

Are there times where you don’t feel like you belong to your generation? Xennials often feel like that, so we have our own micro-generation, sometimes also called the Oregon Trail generation. Who can ever forget that game or your screen flashing the message, “You have died from dysentery”? 

Xennials – Caught In Between Simple Times And The Technology Surge 

For those of us born in this very slim window, we truly had the best of both worlds! We had a childhood unencumbered by technology. We ran free outside and weren’t tied to cell phones or smart watches. 

As we entered high school or college, that’s when the internet and cell phones just became popular. But, we still got to have high school and college lives without the obsession of seeing what everyone was doing every second on social media. Yet, we still had enough technology to quickly get in touch with our friends. 

We also had enough technology to show our personalities but keep our privacy. Who else misses Myspace? I wonder where Tom, everyone’s friend, is these days. AIM was the best for getting in touch with people and leaving clever away messages for our friends. Hearing, “You’ve Got Mail!” was always the highlight of signing online. To us, it was much more than a cute movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. 

Remember that login dial tone? The scene in the movie, The Proposal, where Sandra Bullock’s character hears that sound to sign in brings back all the feels. 

So, fellow Xennials, anytime you feel like you don’t fit in a generation, remember, we stand apart from the rest with our little micro-generation!