The Lost Generation to Baby Boomers to Digital Natives

Hmmm, is our destiny defined by the era in which we are born?

The gurus of social science have declared the emergence of another generational subset with distinct characteristics. Generation C, aka the YouTube Generation, is characterized as striving for expression and fueling the world with photos, videos, memes and mash-ups.

I’m finding it hard to keep pace with these subsets of subsets and what they mean to the world I emerge into each day. I felt the need to trace the major generational arcs (perhaps it’s my Baby Boomer mentality at work) to get some sense of perspective.

It seems to begin with the Lost Generation – those born between 1883 and 1900 – who came of age during and shortly after Word War I and were shaped by that momentous event. Lost, as best as I can decipher, originates in the huge loss of life during that war and the loss to society of what those individuals would have contributed.

Next comes The Greatest Generation – born between 1901 and 1924 – who fought in or lived through World War II and came of age during the Great Depression. Great seems to refer to the fact they fought in WW2, not for fame and recognition, but because it was “the right thing to do”.

Those born between 1925 and 1945 are tagged as the Silent Generation – born during the Great Depression and World War II. Many of these people had fathers who fought in WWII. Silent encapsulates how these experiences made them withdrawn, cautious and indifferent.

Now we come to the Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964 – which saw a significant rise in the birth rate. Baby Boomers grew up in a time of relative affluence, are associated with a redefining of traditional values and tend to think of themselves as a special generation that is very different than any had come before.

Generation X covers those born in the early 1960’s to early 1980’s. Xers were influenced by introduction of digital technologies (computers, the Internet, cable TV) and the world events that these technologies brought to their screens – the Chernobyl Disaster, Black Monday, the 1990s economic boom, AIDs etc. These experiences bred a worldview based on change and the need for stability, love and tolerance.

Generation Y, aka Millennials, spans those born from the early 1980’s to the early 2000’s. Influenced by the divisive war on Iraq, they are civic minded with a strong sense of community – both global and national. On the other side of the coin, they are said to possess a sense of entitlement and to reject social conventions.

And finally, those born from the early 2000’s to the present day carry the somewhat ominous label of Generation Z. They are “digital natives” who have had lifelong use of communications and media technology like the World Wide Web, instant messaging, text messaging and mobile phones. They’re also the most ethnically diverse generation and have the misfortune of growing up in an era of economic decline.

So what does this journey through the generations teach us? The evidence declares that we are defined and shaped by the generation into which we were born and raised. Each generation is a metaphor for the state of the world at a given point in time.

But let us not forget that we are each individuals with unique gifts and traits. Our generational influences do not have to become the sole determinants of how we behave. We can each be our own metaphor for the kind of world we want to live in and to pass on to the next generation. We can, and should, consciously create our own destiny.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog . Visit www.smashwords.com to download a free preview of the e-book

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~ Follow Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm regularly at this site. Categories: Shifting Winds, Sudden Light, Deep Dive, Songs of Nature, Random Acts of Metaphor. Originating at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2.