real life

All the things Millennials were the first generation to experience.

The Millennial generation is one experts struggle to define.

Some demographers classify a person born between the early 1980s and early 2000s as a Millennial, whereas others argue it’s the generation who reached early adulthood at the turn of the millennium.

Although there are no precise dates to bookend this cohort, we know they grew up in a world completely unlike their parents’, and simply unrecognisable to their grandparents.

The term ‘generation’ is, in fact, a modern invention.

Image via HBO.

Before the 20th century, there was no concept of generations. Life between children and their parents was not starkly different. In the 1920s, sociologist Karl Mannheim defined this phenomenon as "youth experiencing the same concrete historical problems may be said to be part of the same actual generation."

If you're a Millennial, there are a particular set of experiences that you were the first, in all of human history, to have. From laser hair removal, to watching a terrorist attack live on television, here are the things that make our youth unlike any before it:

We were the first to have computers in our classrooms. And then on our desks. And then in our bedrooms. And then in our pockets.

We were the first to take a photo without film.

We were the first to use a digital camera.

We were the first (mainstream cohort) to use a cordless phone. And play Snake. (Post continues after audio.)

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We were the first to send a text message.

We were the first to take a photo from a mobile phone.

We were the first to grow up alongside the 24/7 news cycle.

We were the first to watch a terrorist attack live on television, in the instance of 9/11.

We were the first to understand the notion and implications of climate change, with Al Gore's 2006 documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' being a critical socio-historical moment.

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We were the first to have any of these careers: Podcast producer, social media manager, virtual assistant, website copywriter, online business manager, content strategist, social media influences, app developer, SEO specialist, wellbeing coach, community manager, big data analyst, sustainability director, user experience designer - the list goes on.

We were the first to apply for a job online.

We were the first to be vaccinated against HPV.

We were the first to grow up with anti-smoking laws.

We were the first to drive with satellite navigation or Google maps.

We were the first to have to complete a set number of hours and fill out a log book before going for our driver's license.

We were the first to grow up alongside social media - Myspace, Bebo, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat.

We were the first to be able to comfortably stalk our ex boyfriends/girlfriends from the couch. (Post continues after video.)

We were the first to instantaneously share an image of ourselves with millions of people.

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We were the first to video ourselves and upload it to YouTube.

We were the first to go viral.

We were the first to consult Dr. Google.

We were the first to ask the Internet questions other generations had to ask their parents or their friends.

We were the first to meet people online.

We're the first generation to do this. Image via iStock.

We were the first to swipe left or right on potential dates.

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We were the first to grow up with (relatively) unlimited access to Internet pornography.

We were the first to witness an female Australian Prime Minister and a black American President.

We were the first to have direct access to our politicians at the click of a button.

We were the first to send nudes at the click of a button.

We were the first to be bullied, or bully, online.

We were the first sext.

We were the first to hashtag.

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We were the first to undergo permanent laser hair removal.

We were the first to listen to music on demand without purchasing it.

We were the first to fit all the music we'd ever want to listen to in our back pocket.

We were the first to undergo laser eye surgery.

We were the first to go cashless, paying with a piece of plastic rather than notes or coins.

We were the first to read books that weren't printed on paper.

We were the first generation to use the Implanon.

We were the first to listen to a podcast.

We were the first to experiment with interactive technology like the Nintendo Wii.

We were the first to read books that weren't printed on paper. Image via iStock.
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We were the first to be able to remove fat from our butts, and inject it into our lips.

We were the first generation to have the largest ever encyclopedia at our fingertips.

As Millennials, we were the largest generation in all of human history. The most educated. The most exposed. The one with the most tattoos. The least likely to die during childbirth. The least religious. The most health aware. The generation with the best dental hygiene, and the largest student loan/HECS debt. According to a number of studies, we're the first generation to be financially worse off than our parents.

In the movie 2020 The Social Network, Sean Parker says, "We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're going to live on the Internet."

Perhaps the most defining feature of our generation is that we were, indeed, the first to live on the Internet.

What else were Millennials the first to do?