We love to talk about the ongoing cultural and economic war between the Baby Boomers and Millennials, and even the rise of the new Generation Z. But there’s one group that’s often overlooked in these conversations, and that’s Generation X, the ones who grew up between Boomers and Millennials and like many middle children was overshadowed by both. In this video I’ll cover why Gen X deserves more credit, both good and bad, for quietly changing the world.
You’re watching FutureNow, videos about the future of tech and society. If you were confused by all these generation names at the start of the video, allow me to break it down for you. The specific years attributed to each generation vary throughout different literature, so I will use the ranges defined by the Pew Research Center.
I should also mention that a lot of this video will be focused on the United States population, because that’s where I am, obviously these generations had different experiences in different parts of the world. Baby Boomers is the name given to the generation born between 1946 and 1964. So called because they were part of the steep rise in population following World War II, a literal boom in babies born.
Up until Millennials overtook them, they made up the largest portion of the world population and as such had an outsized influence on culture, the economy, and politics. Generation X is the population of people born between 1965 and 1980. Appropriately, the X refers to something unknown, the name as resistant to definition as the demographic that carries it.
Millennials, I’m sure you’ve heard of as the current largest demographic, referring to those born between 1981 and 1996. I made a whole video about Millennials and the often repeated phrase that they are killing every industry. So called because they grew up at the turn of the Millennium.
Lastly, Generation Z is the most recent demographic, those born after 1997. That seems to be the name that’s most used so far, although it’s still too early to see if it will stick, with other names having been used such as the iGeneration, referring to this generation growing up with smartphones. Part of the reason I wanted to make this video is because when I made my video titled “Why Millennials Are Killing Everything” I fell into the same pattern others often do of talking about the tension between Baby Boomers and Millennials while completely overlooking Generation X, the middle child.
Baby Boomers inherited a country with a booming economy in the U. S. and quickly went to work ruining it, along with the environment.
They racked up the national debt, burn record amounts of fossil fuels . . .
Many Gen X-ers pointed this out in the comments, and inspired me to dig a little deeper into why Gen X is rarely discussed in popular media and how despite this have actually been and continue to be incredibly influential. Gen X-ers overall had a very different experience from their parents growing up, in that during the 60s and 70s, the divorce rate skyrocketed in the U. S.
, leading to new family dynamics and at the same time, it became more common for women to join the workforce rather than stay at home. Because childcare programs were not yet commonplace, many Gen X children spent a lot of their time with little to no adult supervision as their parents were at work when they got out of school. That’s why some use the phrase “latchkey generation” to refer to this demographic cohort.
A “latchkey kid” is one who comes home alone after school because their parents are at work, the name refers to the key the kids either carried with them or got from under the mat on the porch to open the door. Their adolescence was a tumultuous time in the United States with an ongoing crack epidemic, an increase in violent crime, and the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. At the same time, this was one of the most diverse generations in history thanks in part to an increase in immigration and the first generation to grow up post-integration, after the end to the racist Jim Crow Laws.
In their youth, the media characterized Gen X as disaffected, apathetic, cynical, and slackers. They were the MTV generation, lived through the rise of music videos, grunge music and hip hop. They were rebellious and reluctant to grow up.
But eventually we all have to become adults and when Gen-Xers did, they proved everyone wrong about the stereotypes they were boxed into. Sure, your Gen X dad probably still wears his Nirvana t-shirt every now and then, but does he still have that teen spirit? Sorry, I tried to come up with a Nirvana joke, but that failed, nevermind.
According to a Stanford University study, Gen X youth were indeed more cynical and disaffected than previous generations were in their youth, but they also found that all generations were more cynical and disaffected during this time period, meaning it wasn’t a uniquely Gen X phenomenon. In fact, perhaps the latchkey generation learned to work hard and be independent by being unable to rely as much on their parents and that’s what led to their success as adults. Millennials and Gen Z are often defined by their affinity for the Internet and technology, but Generation X were actually the first to grow up with computers and video games at home.
Generation X grew up to become the founders of the modern Silicon Valley tech industry and lead the country’s economic recovery of the 1990s. Their previously negatively spoken about rebelliousness and disdain for authority actually spurred innovation and disruption of many industries. It’s weird to think of Jeff Bezos, on the cusp of Gen X, as a disaffected young person leading a revolution against traditional retail giants, when he’s now the richest man on Earth and seen by many of today’s youth as representing corporatism incarnate.
In fact, some of today’s most well-known leaders fall into the Gen X range, Elon Musk, Larry Page, Susan Wojcicki, Jony Ive, Justin Trudeau, and ironically Jay-Z. Let me know what other notable Gen X-ers you can think of in the comments. It turns out that disrupting the status quo is a pretty good business model and a great engine for innovation.
Because Gen-Xers grew up in an analog world before the personal computer, they have a unique perspective on how to bridge the past with our future. I believe this is a key behind their success, but also why they seem to be overlooked today. Most people now take for granted the major changes made by Gen-Xers.
Gen-Xers were the first gamers, choosing to stay home playing with their Atari and Nintendo video game systems. The Gen-X demand for VHS tapes to watch their favorite movies and shows at home whenever they want has evolved into today’s streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Gen X-ers were also the first to start blogging about their lives and Ze Frank pioneered vlogging before YouTube was even a thing with “The Show.
” Good morning, it's Monday March 20th. I haven't showered, and my breath smells like a poodle crapped in my mouth. Let's be friends as I tell you everything that you need to know about today.
It's just like TV, but with pimples. And despite Millennials being inextricably linked to social media, it was actually Gen X-ers who founded some of the very first platforms like MySpace, Twitter, and Friendster, which Zuckerberg later used as inspiration for Facebook. The real test of Generation X, however, is really starting to take shape now as more and more of them take over the highest positions of leadership in the corporate and political world Will they follow in the footsteps of the Baby Boomers who largely used their power to feed their own self-interests, or will they be more conscious of their ability to change the world for the better?
Early indications show that some of the companies and culture changes lead by Gen X could prove problematic. The most obvious one being how the social Internet is affecting us on an individual level, how we relate to one-another, and ultimately our politics. Of course, the biggest offender seems to be Facebook right now, and that’s lead by a Millennial.
Silicon Valley has largely gone unchecked for the last couple of decades, but we’re starting to see a shift in this with laws like GDPR in the European Union and the increasingly common hearings of tech CEOs before Congress. To prove themselves different from Baby Boomers, Generation X will have to show that they are willing to regulate the economic powerhouses they’ve created in a socially responsible way. If you liked or hated this video, you’ll enjoy my video on Millennials.
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