We've all had to help out a colleague at some point, whether that's with a stubborn printer, or showing them how to unmute during a work call. But spare a thought for Rachel Ringo, who appears to be the go-to tech support for just about everyone she works with.
Posting about her situation on TikTok (@racheljordanroebu), Ringo joked that "being a millennial at work" means having to help a Gen Z colleague work out the fax machine, while also teaching a 55-year-old "how to drag and drop a PDF into Google Drive." All in a day's work for the 31-year-old radiologic technologist.
Ringo, from Imboden, Arkansas, explained to Newsweek that the age of her colleagues ranges from around 19 to 60 years old, but it's her Boomer colleagues who "tend to have more trouble" with technology.
After the clip was posted on TikTok, it instantly went viral and gained more than 2.9 million views and over 269,700 likes in a matter of days. She certainly isn't alone in having to step in when colleagues need help, as she joked that "most millennials can relate."
Ringo said: "I grew up in the generation that was brought up on dial-up before transferring over to wireless in my teens. So, I know the ropes of both ends of old and modern technology.
"That is what my video was meant to be about, just how my generation was able to absorb two different ages of technology. It was not made to hurt anyone's feelings."
While Ringo's younger colleagues might be able to master sending and attaching files, she says they usually have more trouble with the older technology, particularly fax machines.
Pew Research Center explains that Boomers were born between the years of 1946 and 1964, Gen X between 1965 and 1980, Millennials between 1981 and 1996, and then Gen Z from 1997 to 2012. In their analysis, they highlight that Boomers grew up when television was expanding and that changed their lifestyles, whereas Millennials came of age during the internet explosion.
In contrast, Gen Z have grown up with modern technology (such as the internet, smartphones, social media) present for all if not most of their lives. So while Gen Z might struggle using older machines and equipment, they can adapt to new developments with ease as they haven't known any different.
Needless to say, Ringo is happy to assist her Boomer and Gen Z colleagues whenever they need it, and if the burden of being a millennial is helping people, then it's not the worst price to pay.
"I just want to add that I love helping others, and I too am always willing to learn new things," Ringo told Newsweek.
How Did Social Media React?
The TikTok video gained a lot of unexpected attention, with some very mixed responses, but Ringo has been fascinated by the number of responses she received.
The viral post has already gained more than 3,300 comments at the time of writing, as a lot of millennials also chimed in. One comment reads: "We really are stuck in the middle aren't we?"
Another person responded: "There's not enough talk about how we're the sandwich generation of every workplace and we're exhausted because of it."
While another TikTok user joked: "Millennials are the literal glue to today's society!"
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