Justin Bieber leaves Gen Z and Gen Alpha baffled over 'retro' detail in new photo

Justin Bieber has left a number of his young fans seriously confused after casually dropping a glimpse of some old-school tech.

The 'Daisies' singer took to X earlier today (28 Aug), where he shared a carousel of photos featuring a mix of retro music gadgets, as well as a sweet, doe-eyed selfie and a snap of his dog wearing a handkerchief necktie.

It was his chunky portable devices that immediately caught the attention of his followers.

And while anyone who grew up in the late 90s and early 00s would have known exactly what they were looking at, by the sounds of some fan comments, some of Bieber's younger followers appeared to be encountering the 'retro' technology for the very first time.

Rather than instantly recognising the iconic devices, fans were busy trying to work out whether the Canadian hit-maker had accidentally stumbled across an ancient version of an iPod, discovered some kind of new music player, or was about to launch a new product entirely.

"Yes! Bring new devices to listen to music !!! Ahhhhhhh," one social media user excitedly wrote.

"omfg is that like an mp3 player/ipod. ur joking," another commented.

Bieber's device sparked confusion (X/@justinbieber)

One particularly hopeful follower even started imagining what Justin could do with the mystery gadget if he modernised it.

"Justin is gonna drop an mp4? If it's the regular one, all good, I love it, but I hope with current tech he can add wifi, a chip or something and be able to have music apps (I don't think so but it'd be awesome)," they wrote.

But the guesses took an even more unexpected turn when another follower decided the device looked less like music technology and more like something that needed feeding.

"It looks more like that Woki or whatever it's called that you had to create and take care of like a pet," they wrote.

"I also thought of a Tamagotchi when I saw it hehe it must be the way," another agreed.

So, what exactly was Justin posting?

It was, of course, a Walkman. Yes, that's right, the portable cassette player.

Fans were baffled by the device (X/@justinbieber)

Sony launched the original version of a Walkman all the way back in 1979, but portable cassette players remained a familiar part of everyday life for years before CDs, MP3 players and smartphones eventually took over.

For anyone who remembers the pre-streaming era, the idea that a Walkman might need explaining is slightly surreal.

But for younger members of Gen Alpha, who have grown up with Spotify, smartphones and AirPods, a dedicated device for playing music can apparently look like an entirely unfamiliar invention.

Some older followers clocked the gadget almost immediately, including one who told the youngsters: "It's a Walkman?"

Another commented on Justin's throwback look, saying: "Justin, providing nostalgic participation with his wired headphones and his hat."