Generation Who?
I abhor demonstrations and parades, and refuse to belong to any movement or group whatsoever. I have never voted in my life – not since they kicked me out of a young pioneer summit in the 5th grade for laughing during the keynote. I staunchly distance myself from any ideology or social construct, be it feminism, nationality or digital networking. I reject any attempt to organize me in a group with a name or a mission, and have a tendency to unwillingly insult people when they sound too righteous for my taste.
Unfortunately, none of this makes me unique. In fact it appears I am a perfect specimen of my generation – Generation X. Nomadic, rebellious and cynical, we defy the naïve optimism of Baby Boomers, who came of age in the 60s, which gave them the silly idea they can change the world. We also scorn the spoiled generation that has followed us – Generation Y (born between 1982 and 2004), also known as Millenials, or “digital natives” – or, you might say, the generation that takes Facebook a bit too seriously.
However, as Gen X-ers leave their young adulthood to enter the middle life, we are supposed to become pragmatic and industrious, and spend a great deal of effort on overprotecting our children to make up for the flaky upbringing given to us by our Woodstock-brainwashed parents. We will also do our best to distance our children – “Genration Z “– from the narcissistic virtual bubble in which Gen Y is hopelessly trapped for the rest of their lives.
Says who? The law of “generational archetypes” put forward by William Strauss and Neil Howe in the late 90s, and reemerging today, as we begin to wonder what Gen Z will be like — and what do we do when we run out of letters.
Forget demographics, phsycographics and other marketing babble. According to Howe and Strauss, social evolution, and resulting consumer behavior can be best understood from the point of view of generational change. This change is analyzed through a dynamic matrix of 4 successive generational archetypes (Hero, Artist, Prophet and Nomad) that during the course of their lives cross four distinct lifecycles (childhood, young adulthood, maturity and old age) . Through family and social ties one generation sets up a perfect ground for the next one: righteousness breeds rebellion, heroic conviction of fathers creates doubt and quiet dissent in sons. A generation of Mark Twain and Rockefeller produces that of Oscar Wilde and Sigmund Freud. The matrix is further complicated by social “turnings” – phases in social evolution, where a Crisis is followed by a High, an Awakening by an Unraveling. A generation born during Crisis is obviously different form the one that comes to maturity around the same time.
This theory fits almost too well with history, as we know it. Take the “Nomad” Lost generation (born between 1883-1900), represented by Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Similar to Gen X (also “Nomad”) they rejected conventions, avoided social or national pigeonholes and partied through the Roaring 20s until the Great Depression hit them in their mid-life giving the rest of their lives a sober and pragmatic twist. The “G.I” generation that followed (1901-24) belongs to the “Hero” archetype and features John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and John Wayne. Brought up by attentive parents, and benefiting from new child labour restrictions and better schooling standards, they grew up as “good” if somewhat spoiled kids – exactly as the current “Hero” generation (“the Millenials”) who can’t fathom schools without computers or Internet, or cars without a “Baby on Board” sign. They never got to party, as the Great Depression and the World War hit them during their youth. Instead, they fought bravely, and then spent mature years imposing their idealistic standards on the world, frequently at a gunpoint.
The “ Silent generation (“Artist “ archetype 1920-1944), write Howe and Strauss, “came of age just too late to be war heroes and just too early to be youthful free spirits. “ They worked hard from the start, avoided risks even as young adults and their lives seem imbued with a permanent sense of irony and reversal of fate (Woody Allen, Elvis Presley, Michael Gorbachev).
Enter the Baby Boomers (1944-1964), Generation X (1964-1982) and finally the Y “Millenials” – setting up the stage for Generation Z, the “Artist” one. What can we guess of this new breed, who at the moment happily pops in Bugaboos, huddling its teddy bears? If the generation theory is half-right, than we are wrong to assume (as we often do) that toddlers of today will simply follow in the steps of “digital natives”, detaching further and further from reality into the 2.0 cloud of ego-friendly online chatter and virtual communities. Instead they will enact a paradigm shift, rejecting the digital narcissism of Generation Y, as well as the cynical pragmatism of the X-ers. They will use digital without becoming slaves to virtual. They will perhaps come back to the real world, in an “Avatar” kind of way. One thing is certain: they will question things we have long taken for granted and take us out of our comfort zone – so we better get ready.
