Generations
By Jean M Twenge, PHD
554 pages
What’s it about?
This data-driven work of non-fiction examines the 6 generations currently living in the United States and asks how technology in particular has influenced each generation. This book concentrates on how technology has promoted individualism and the idea of a slower life- and how these two factors will influence the generations to come.What did it make me think about?
Wow! I thought I was pretty well-versed in generational differences but I learned so much from this book. I am sharing a small snapshot of what the book had to say about each generation. -the Silents, born 1925–1945 “The name stuck as the Silent generation married young, had children, and built the stable, suburban lives associated with the 1950’s and early 1960’s. But the name is a misnomer: This generation was far from silent.” -Baby Boomers, born 1946–1964 “The centering of choice weaves through nearly every aspect of the Boomer experience, from the essential to the trivial. Boomer men chose to grow their hair long in the 1960s and 1970s in defiance of their parents. Boomers chose to have sex before marriage despite growing up in a time with prohibitions against it. Boomers chose to experiment with drugs when drug use was (at least at first) seen as morally questionable. If these choices seem inconsequential to most people today, that’s a testament to how much Boomers changed American culture to make these types of individual choices the norm rather than the exception. -Gen X, born 1965–1979 “Despite their low profile, Get X is a generation of firsts- and lasts. Gen X was the first generation to experience television as a constant presence since birth. They were also the first generation to enter young adulthood in the age of the internet and the last to experience an analog childhood, with all of the cassette tapes, playing outside, paper books, and boredom that implies.” -Millennials, born 1980–1994 “The larger culture dripped self-focus into the air of the Millennials’ childhood, infusing them with a confidence still with them today.” “These numbers tell a very different story than Twitter. By 2019, households headed by Millennials actually made more money than Silents, Boomers, or Gen X’ers at the same age- yes, that’s after the numbers are adjusted for inflation.” -Gen Z, born 1995–2012 “Gen Z speaks a whole language of gender barely understood by their Gen X and even Millennial parents- or by most people just a few short years ago.” “Gen Z teens not only wait to get their driver’s license, they wait to take part in every other activity associated with independence and adulthood.” -the Polars (name may change) born after 2012. “It’s not just physical health that is at risk for Polars with technology use, but mental health. The use of social media- with all its social pressures and exposure to adult issues- appears to starting younger and younger.”Should I read it?
Of course you should read this! There was so much well-documented information in this book that I had trouble narrowing down the quotes for this review. Information that I hope will make me a better listener when I am in conversations with family and friends. Because face it- most of us are part of families that encompass all these generations. And each generation seems to have their own unique biases and perceptions. Good to know. I definitely would recommend this book!Quote-
“The lightning fast pace of technological change has also produced the largest generation gaps in attitudes since the Boomers defied their Greatest generation parents in the 1960’s. With older generations lamenting the younger’s work ethic and skills, growing political divides, a distinct generational cast to cancel culture, younger generations criticizing older people’s lack of tech savvy, and the derisive use of phrases such as, ‘OK, Boomer,’ generational conflict seems to be everywhere. Boomers and Gen X’ers have no reference point for growing up with the internet and social media, and Gen Z has no reference point for growing up without it, leaving Millennials to explain both viewpoints to their elders and juniors.”What’s it about?
This data-driven work of non-fiction examines the 6 generations currently living in the United States and asks how technology in particular has influenced each generation. This book concentrates on how technology has promoted individualism and the idea of a slower life- and how these two factors will influence the generations to come.
What did it make me think about?
Wow! I thought I was pretty well-versed in generational differences but I learned so much from this book. I am sharing a small snapshot of what the book had to say about each generation.
-the Silents, born 1925–1945
“The name stuck as the Silent generation married young, had children, and built the stable, suburban lives associated with the 1950’s and early 1960’s. But the name is a misnomer: This generation was far from silent.”
-Baby Boomers, born 1946–1964
“The centering of choice weaves through nearly every aspect of the Boomer experience, from the essential to the trivial. Boomer men chose to grow their hair long in the 1960s and 1970s in defiance of their parents. Boomers chose to have sex before marriage despite growing up in a time with prohibitions against it. Boomers chose to experiment with drugs when drug use was (at least at first) seen as morally questionable. If these choices seem inconsequential to most people today, that’s a testament to how much Boomers changed American culture to make these types of individual choices the norm rather than the exception.
-Gen X, born 1965–1979
“Despite their low profile, Get X is a generation of firsts- and lasts. Gen X was the first generation to experience television as a constant presence since birth. They were also the first generation to enter young adulthood in the age of the internet and the last to experience an analog childhood, with all of the cassette tapes, playing outside, paper books, and boredom that implies.”
-Millennials, born 1980–1994
“The larger culture dripped self-focus into the air of the Millennials’ childhood, infusing them with a confidence still with them today.”
“These numbers tell a very different story than Twitter. By 2019, households headed by Millennials actually made more money than Silents, Boomers, or Gen X’ers at the same age- yes, that’s after the numbers are adjusted for inflation.”
-Gen Z, born 1995–2012
“Gen Z speaks a whole language of gender barely understood by their Gen X and even Millennial parents- or by most people just a few short years ago.”
“Gen Z teens not only wait to get their driver’s license, they wait to take part in every other activity associated with independence and adulthood.”
-the Polars (name may change) born after 2012.
“It’s not just physical health that is at risk for Polars with technology use, but mental health. The use of social media- with all its social pressures and exposure to adult issues- appears to starting younger and younger.”
Should I read it?
Of course you should read this! There was so much well-documented information in this book that I had trouble narrowing down the quotes for this review. Information that I hope will make me a better listener when I am in conversations with family and friends. Because face it- most of us are part of families that encompass all these generations. And each generation seems to have their own unique biases and perceptions. Good to know. I definitely would recommend this book!
Quote-
“The lightning fast pace of technological change has also produced the largest generation gaps in attitudes since the Boomers defied their Greatest generation parents in the 1960’s. With older generations lamenting the younger’s work ethic and skills, growing political divides, a distinct generational cast to cancel culture, younger generations criticizing older people’s lack of tech savvy, and the derisive use of phrases such as, ‘OK, Boomer,’ generational conflict seems to be everywhere. Boomers and Gen X’ers have no reference point for growing up with the internet and social media, and Gen Z has no reference point for growing up without it, leaving Millennials to explain both viewpoints to their elders and juniors.”
