Gen Z definitely ending in 2014 because they were the last to start elementary before COVID
IMO this is like saying 1936 borns are the last Silents because they started elementary before Pearl Harbor or 1923 borns are the last GIs for graduating high school before the event yet WWII went on until 1945 and usually people born until 1927 and 1945 are GIs and Silents respectively.
I honestly don't think COVID can really be a generational marker until it ends, which is most likely in either 2021 or 2022.
Using pop culture as generation markers
Another flawed rule, and I see this especially abused with the electropop era, which people in the generationology community usually say lasted from 2008 until 2012 or early 2013. I still remember seeing and hearing some electropopish things in late 2013 and even in early 2014, but apparently it is not "electropopish" because it did not happen in the "electropop era" that was defined by the generationology community.
This can also be where people get hypocritical. They say Gen Z culture began in 2017 and find it problematic when people include 1999 and especially 2000-2001 in Millennials, but say Millennial culture began in 1998 and have no problem putting 1980, 1981, and even 1982 into Generation X.
Lottery, gun, and tobacco laws
A rarer thing to see in the generationology community, but is still a flawed rule nonetheless.
I commonly see it when people talk about the minimum age of purchasing tobacco products increasing from 18 to 21 sometime last year. The most common things I see on generationology communities (especially on Reddit) are 2002 borns not being able to purchase tobacco until age 21 and 1999 borns turning 21 after the minimum age increased. I don't think this is a good generational marker, as different states (and even different towns) have different tobacco/lottery/gun laws.
There can easily be a 2000 born who wasn't affected by any of them and a 1998 born who was affected by all three of them.
Remembering X event
This is the most abused rule, especially with remembering 9/11. On Reddit, Twitter, PersonalityCafe, and many other sites, I see people say things like "people born in X year are the last to remember X event" and other similar content. I remember hearing about a user on Reddit born in January 2000 who claims to remember 9/11 and there are a bunch of 1998, 1997, and even 1996 borns who don't remember that day at all, yet people in the generationology community will say things like "1996 is the last to have a likely chance of remembering 9/11", "1998 is the last to remember 9/11", and other similar things.
Even worse, I have seen plenty of hypocrisy with this rule. I saw a 1997 born on Reddit talk about how 1998 borns are the last to remember things in 2001 despite him claiming to remember a doctor's trip in 1999. I also saw a 1998 born on Reddit say that 1998 borns are the last to remember 9/11 but he says he can remember 1999 and 2000.
Technological releases and statistics
I have seen people use their Millennial/Gen Z or Zillennial (cusp between Millennials and Gen Z)/Gen Z litmus test as being if someone was in elementary school before Web 2.0/YouTube/the ownership of broadband exceeding dial-up or if someone entered high school before smartphones became popular. The transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 wasn't abrupt, YouTube didn't become popular the second it came out, people didn't start getting broadband the second most people in the US had it, and "when smartphones became popular" isn't an exact line you can draw (I've heard people say many different things about it).
IMO this is like saying 1936 borns are the last Silents because they started elementary before Pearl Harbor or 1923 borns are the last GIs for graduating high school before the event yet WWII went on until 1945 and usually people born until 1927 and 1945 are GIs and Silents respectively.
I honestly don't think COVID can really be a generational marker until it ends, which is most likely in either 2021 or 2022.
Using pop culture as generation markers
Another flawed rule, and I see this especially abused with the electropop era, which people in the generationology community usually say lasted from 2008 until 2012 or early 2013. I still remember seeing and hearing some electropopish things in late 2013 and even in early 2014, but apparently it is not "electropopish" because it did not happen in the "electropop era" that was defined by the generationology community.
This can also be where people get hypocritical. They say Gen Z culture began in 2017 and find it problematic when people include 1999 and especially 2000-2001 in Millennials, but say Millennial culture began in 1998 and have no problem putting 1980, 1981, and even 1982 into Generation X.
Lottery, gun, and tobacco laws
A rarer thing to see in the generationology community, but is still a flawed rule nonetheless.
I commonly see it when people talk about the minimum age of purchasing tobacco products increasing from 18 to 21 sometime last year. The most common things I see on generationology communities (especially on Reddit) are 2002 borns not being able to purchase tobacco until age 21 and 1999 borns turning 21 after the minimum age increased. I don't think this is a good generational marker, as different states (and even different towns) have different tobacco/lottery/gun laws.
There can easily be a 2000 born who wasn't affected by any of them and a 1998 born who was affected by all three of them.
Remembering X event
This is the most abused rule, especially with remembering 9/11. On Reddit, Twitter, PersonalityCafe, and many other sites, I see people say things like "people born in X year are the last to remember X event" and other similar content. I remember hearing about a user on Reddit born in January 2000 who claims to remember 9/11 and there are a bunch of 1998, 1997, and even 1996 borns who don't remember that day at all, yet people in the generationology community will say things like "1996 is the last to have a likely chance of remembering 9/11", "1998 is the last to remember 9/11", and other similar things.
Even worse, I have seen plenty of hypocrisy with this rule. I saw a 1997 born on Reddit talk about how 1998 borns are the last to remember things in 2001 despite him claiming to remember a doctor's trip in 1999. I also saw a 1998 born on Reddit say that 1998 borns are the last to remember 9/11 but he says he can remember 1999 and 2000.
Technological releases and statistics
I have seen people use their Millennial/Gen Z or Zillennial (cusp between Millennials and Gen Z)/Gen Z litmus test as being if someone was in elementary school before Web 2.0/YouTube/the ownership of broadband exceeding dial-up or if someone entered high school before smartphones became popular. The transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 wasn't abrupt, YouTube didn't become popular the second it came out, people didn't start getting broadband the second most people in the US had it, and "when smartphones became popular" isn't an exact line you can draw (I've heard people say many different things about it).