empathy

Xennials are the micro-generation that nobody knows what to do with. Sometimes they're considered Gen X; other times, elder Millennials. Members of the micro-generation are also confused about where they belong. They're way too young and optimistic to be Gen X, but way too jaded and blunt to be Millennials. If you're part of this micro-generation, chances are you've felt like you belong to both generations.

Author Kristen Shelt explains that Xennials occupy a "hinge" position between two generations, allowing them to hold two timelines at once. It's not just the fact that Xennials are a micro-generation that gives them this ability; there are several micro-generations. What makes this micro-generation unique is the time frame in which its members were born: between 1977 and 1983.

Joyful moments shared over a vintage phone call.Photo credit: Canva

Shelt shares in a TikTok video:

"Xennials had a fully analog childhood. You rode your bike until the streetlights came on. You answered the phone without knowing who was calling. You waited a week for new episodes. You were raised in a world where boredom still existed, and then right as you entered adulthood, the digital world detonated. Email, cell phones, early internet culture, social media in its Wild West era. You went from zero connectivity to full immersion almost overnight."

The author goes on to explain that the split timeline in which Xennials came of age created a "very specific internal architecture." According to Shelt, this gives Xennials the independence and cynicism of Gen X, while also giving them the reform-minded energy and emotional intelligence of Millennials.

Retro computer setup in a vintage tech room.Photo credit: Canva

Shelt explains:

"You know how to detach when necessary, but you also know how to name your feelings without imploding. You can fix a printer and cry in therapy in the same afternoon, and that's the Xennial frequency. Your field is interesting because you grew up in a world that taught you survival, and you came of age in a world that demanded self-reflection, so you learned how to run two operating systems at once. Don't depend on anyone and build community, or you'll drown. Two very contradictory types of realities."

This split causes Xennials to feel out of place and may also help explain why researchers don't have a neat generational box for the micro-generation.

Shelt says this constant in-between state is Xennials' greatest strength:

"Xennials understand both collapse and creation. You watched the old systems crack, and you stepped into adulthood just as the pressure to fix them began. You carry X realism and Millennial idealism simultaneously. This makes you natural translators for the moment we're living in."

While some people disagree about the micro-generation's name and the pronunciation of Xennial, several TikTok commenters weighed in on how the world shifted as they entered adulthood:

"'Older than your peers but younger than your responsibilities' is so spot on. 82 here and at 43 my age still shocks me, in my head I'm younger. But yet I'm everyone's tech support both older and younger around me. I can write in cursive, type proficiently and write code. I also still feel like I'm trying to teach empathy and consideration to both my boomer parents and my Gen alpha kids. We have no real guidebook on parenting as well, because many of us are trying to break the mold but when you're raise in authoritative ways, it's hard to go against all you know. You are right though - I've always felt out of place."

"Many of us were also in high school when Columbine happened. (Class of '99) I watched the whole thing unfold on a TV my teacher wheeled into our classroom. We were the last generation to go to school without being afraid of a mass shooting, and then the first to experience that fear."

Focused work session at the laptop.Photo credit: Canva

"Witnessed the Challenger explosion in school n 9/11 as we entered adulthood. Owned a cassette Walkman, CD discman, MP3 player, iPods, n now smartphones. Played Oregon trail n had AOL account. Rode our bikes til the street lights came on n now doom scrolling."

"Born in 77. This is accurate because in both my personal and professional life I have come to be known as the person that can handle conflict most effectively. And this is because my x characteristics make me understand accountability and my millennial characteristics make me able to communicate it in a kind, empathetic way."