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.
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.)
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.
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 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?
Top Comments
Many of your facts are incorrect. Even when accurate, your assertions are either meaningless or of dubious merit. These things, in my opinion are more emblematic of Millennial culture than anything you mention.
"Before the 20th century, there was no concept of generations." - Completely absurd. Social, political, technical, and other changes from generation to generation were discussed at length when Latin was a native language. While the word "generation" maybe modern, the concept is not, and Millennials weren't around in the 1920s.
Laser hair removal: Developed in the 1960s, with the first product available in 1969. Studied in 1979 for treatment of ingrown eyelashes.
The first to have computers in our classrooms: Nope. I was born in 1967, and my grade school had Bell & Howell Apple ][ computers in classrooms in 1980. There are many earlier examples.
First digital camera: Steve Sasson at Kodak, 1975. Willis Adcock @ TI, filmless camera patent, 1972. Commercial and news photographers began using digital cameras in the early 80s. Canon released the first consumer digital camera, the RC-701 in 1986.
The first text message was sent by Neil Papworth, who was born in 1969.
We were the first (mainstream cohort) to use a cordless phone: Nope again. Thomas Carter's Carterphone dated from the late 50s, with commercial cordless phones released by Sony in the 80s.
We were the first to take a photo from a mobile phone: Still nope. First honors there go to Philippe Kahn, born 1952.
We were the first to watch a terrorist attack live on television: People of many generations watched that. You were young when it happened. Props to you, there.
We were the first to understand the notion and implications of climate change: I doubt that any current or past generation will ever understand that. Human-caused climate change science began in the 1890s with the work of Svante Arrhenius and Arvid Högbom. Gore helped publicize some things, having studied the issue seriously for many years.
We were the first to apply for a job online: Still no. I did that in the late 80s. I was born in 1967.
We were the first to grow up alongside social media: I was active in online communities in the 80s. I had my first commercial online account in the early 90s. But sure, I'll give you that one. Facebook. All yours.
We were the first to video ourselves and upload it to YouTube: Jawed Karim, born 1979. Shot by Yakov Lapitsky, possibly a year younger. You might barely squeak by on that one.
We were the first to meet people online: Definitely nope. In the early 80s I made online friends in the BBS scene in Boston. In 1986 I met what would be my first real-world friend on Cyber, while at UMass Amherst.
Oh and good luck getting direct access to any politician at a click of a button.