Gen Z Says If Your Email Address Looks Like This, You’re Probably Old

Gen Z professionals are using Gmail to determine their colleagues’ ages.

One Reddit poster shared an anecdote from work, stating that their Gen-Z coworker called them out for using their first and last name @ gmail.com.

“Gen Zer at work, after giving them my personal email address that is my real name @ gmail with no additional letters or numbers: ‘How did you get an email address like that??’” the Reddit user wrote in their post on the subreddit GenX.

“I had to explain when Gmail first came out, it was invitation only, but I got one from a friend early on and my name was still available and oh my god I’m old.”

Gen Z Says People With Email Addresses Like This Are Old

As a Millennial who uses her full name @ gmail…I feel attacked.

The Reddit user added an edit, adding some more context to the interaction they had with their younger colleague: “The invitation process explanation is why I felt old. She had never heard before that you had to have an invitation to Gmail back in the day.”

To be honest, I’ve never heard of an invitation-only Gmail setup either.

“I have a common name, but this wasn’t [the] first email address I ever had,” the user clarified in their post. “Just the one I’m still using.”

Countless Redditers commented on the post, sharing similar experiences. 

“I’m EarthLink.net old,” one person wrote.

“Ha! I thought it was just me. Everyone in our house—even the kids—has a Gmail account with their first initial and last name,” another wrote. “One day, I hope the kids realize how cool that is.”

A third person added, “I still use my AOL email. It’s a badge of honor at this point. I love that it triggers certain people.”

Yup, my mom still uses her AOL, too. 

So…based on your Gmail username, how old are you?