Millennials are classed as those who were born somewhere between 1981 and 1996. That would mean that the age range of the demographic is now range between 25 and forty. This is the generation that has arguably seen the most drastic changes in culture in its lifetime.

These people were born just before the internet came and changed the way we live. With that in mind, it’s interesting to think about exactly what the main changes have been in the lifetime of millennials, as there have been massive developments in the way that people live, work, and play.

Living

Millennials have seen their lives go from being completely offline to large portions of them being conducted online. They’ve been able to watch the gradual progression of the internet, as it went from being somewhat of a novelty to the most essential thing in our everyday lives.

The way people socialize will have been the biggest difference in how millennials have lived their lives. Many from this generation will remember pre-internet forms of socializing, but may not have noticed how a large portion of their interactions have gradually shifted online. Most university students from this generation will have still had to go to the library to collect books. Anyone going to university now, though, will find that most of the course materials are online.

It almost seems as though social media was aimed directly at millennials. Indeed, Mark Zuckerberg is a millennial himself, so it’s no surprise that Facebook is more appealing to people in this age bracket. Research has shown that nearly 100% of this age group use the internet. They have also adapted to advancements as new trends have come about. For example, 19% of millennials say that they only use the internet via their smartphones. This is something that has only been a possibility for the last 10 years of their lives, underlining how this generation has a penchant for moving with the times.

Working

The fact that online jobs didn’t even exist for the first half of the lives of millennials is definitely the biggest change in the workplace. This generation has witnessed a vast number of new industries emerging and has found ways to build successful careers on the Internet.

It has been discovered that the millennial generation is most likely to hop between jobs. Research shows that 21% of millennials have changed jobs in the last year. This could be because they are used to major changes happening and are less affected by these sorts of big decisions.

The reason why millennials move jobs could also be because they’re good at identifying new opportunities in the online space. Because this generation was able to experience the internet as it emerged, some people from this age group have been able to forge hugely successful careers from the internet. They have identified new trends before they’ve emerged, such as digital marketing, search engine optimization, and blogging.

Also, millennials have proven to be adept at working out what careers will be big on new platforms. For example, on Instagram there are countless millennial influencers who have found great success doing this. On Twitch, there are a number of professional gamers who were able to build up their followings early and shape careers by monetizing their channels. Finally, there are plenty of millennials who started gaming on the early consoles of the late 1980s, and have developed skills that have enabled them to become professional eSports players today.

Playing

The gaming industry has been through some amazing developments during the lives of millennials. The first arcade machines and primitive consoles were emerging in the early 1980s, and the progression of the industry in the time since then has been truly astounding.

One of the most notable changes has been with card games going from physical to digital. The early instances of this were seen on Microsoft computers, which featured digital versions of hearts and solitaire. But it was the online casino sector that brought about the biggest changes. In the lifetime of millennials, casino games have gone from only being found in physical casinos to being ubiquitous online. Table games have come a long way, and the virtual offerings now have advanced graphics, smooth mechanics, and reliable RNG. The table games can be played for free or for real money, and new and exciting options have also come about such as Monopoly Roulette Hot Properties, Deal or No Deal Roulette, and Money Wheel.

The games available to play on console are also now incredibly advanced. Many millennials will remember playing 2D side scroller games on consoles like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Nowadays, those same players are entering sprawling open worlds that feature intelligent non-playable characters that go about their daily business. This has been seen in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and GTA V.

Few would argue that it’s millennials that have seen the most drastic changes in all areas of their lives. Baby boomers also witnessed the rise of the internet, but in the early stages, they didn’t adapt to it as quickly as millennials. The generations that have followed millennials have always known the internet to exist and, although there will be other huge changes to follow, none could be as drastic as going from existing offline to living online.