TL;DR - There is not a definitive divide between millennials and gen-z. There is a definitive era or historical period that defined other generational groups (for example, Baby Boomers being born after WW2 or The Silent Generation living through the War). However, the historical changes that define more recent generations rely on technological advances, which makes defining a generation more ambiguous. But many sociologists and statistics offices fail to specify where the era of millennials end and gen-z starts: "There are a few conflicting ideas about where this generation starts. Pew Statistics says 1997, Statistics Canada says 1993, and the Resolution foundation says 2000." Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zf8j92p

**TL;DR - Those born between 1996-2001 are a micro-generation that can relate to both millennials and gen-z while at the same time not fitting either group completely.** - Zillennials feel too old to relate to the core of gen-z. But they also feel too young to relate to the core of millennials. - Zillennials can remember, briefly, a much less technological world. But they also grew up for the most part in the thick of great technological evolution. So they're versed in both worlds. - Zillennials have, for the most part, hazy memories of 9/11. The litmus test for gen-z versus millennials has come to be whether one is able to remember 9/11. Most Zillennials have a few brief memories of the event, and likely didn't fully understand its implications. Which tracks with the sense of their being a crossover microgeneration with feet in both worlds.

**Creating micro generations only causes differences to be put under a microscope** There are many issues confronting the youngest of Millenials and the oldest of Generation Z. [The housing crisis seems to constantly find new peaks](https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2021/mar/31/uk-housing-crisis-how-did-owning-a-home-become-unaffordable#:~:text=The%20UK%20has%20a%20housing,priced%20out%20of%20the%20market.&text=High%20private%20sector%20rents%20make,pay%20their%20monthly%20housing%20bills.), [students are financially worse off than ever](https://www.ft.com/content/c173fc57-0abc-4dbb-aa01-17672798af32) and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened an already [worrying mental health epidemic in young people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-57854193). The problem, therefore, is not what label young people are given. It is how they are vilified. There are several reasons why 'millennials' as a concept is unnecessary: • Creating microgenerations is a new way for companies to try and get money out of young people - [marketing to a new group](http://www.themarketingsage.com/whats-a-zillenial-and-how-do-i-market-to-them/) is a key outcome of these divides • Dividing people into microgenerations causes the differences between people to seem greater than their similarities, like those listed above - they affect _all_ young people • Millenials and Generation Z have lots of cultural similarities, having grown up and come of age with a backdrop of global catastrophes, ranging from 9/11 to the financial crash to COVID-19. This means they often [look at the world in similar ways](https://www.newsweek.com/patriotism-gap-millennials-gen-z-baby-boomers-gen-x-1611749) Ultimately, however, there is one key factor that defines this argument - it just doesn't matter. Young people (or rather the youngest of young people) will always be embarrassed by the cringeworthiness of their elders, and the same can be said vice versa. It doesn't mean there aren't meaningful similarities between the two, or that the label they are given by birth year makes a significant difference on their lives. So-called 'Zillenials' may not fit the definitions of either Millenials or Generation Z - but does anyone, really?

Are not all these age distinctions becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy? They don't seem to be simple observations anymore but norms dictated through soft power that even go down to the micro-level about what sort of new-world fruit one has on toast for breakfast? It simply seems that human beings cannot help but divide themselves into tribal groups and since race/religion aren't allowed anymore the generational divides are being cemented. Perhaps we shouldn't label differences so much and focus on what unites us more?