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Millennials: The Internet, Middle Age, and Death
When the early adopters get older and start losing internet friends.
The Millennial generation started popping out in 1981, according to most definitions. That means the oldest Millennials are turning 43 this year, and have reached middle age.
I was born in February 1981, so I am one of the oldest of this group. We came of age in the 1990’s, and a big part of that for many of us was becoming early adopters of the internet. And many of us who were early adopters were also socially awkward and had niche interests that were slightly outside of the mainstream in our communities. For me, that was punk and indie rock.
With the adoption of the internet, we quickly realized that we could find new communities of people who shared our niche interests. There were message boards, chat rooms, Live Journal, and then MySpace. We no longer had to be frustrated in our inability to find kindred spirits where we lived. We could find them in the next town over, in another state, or even across the world.
I ended up with many such people I would meet in person at events, such as a punk or indie rock show. I would go on to call many of them…
