The Lost Generation despite taking place over a hundred years ago The Lost Generation has many similarities to today growing up as a young man or woman in this time period you were met with war a pandemic harsh Economic Times and changing social conditions World War I was brutal for this generation more than 70 million people were mobilized 8.5 million were killed 21 million were wounded and 2 million soldiers died of disease speaking of disease the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 to 1920 was also not merciful with some reports estimating 17 to 50 million deaths worldwide
and other reports claiming as high as 100 million after the war and the pandemic the world experienced economic turmoil leading to the Great Depression in the 1930s resulting in high unemployment rates poverty and a general sense of hopelessness popular culture began to rise in the form of early Cinema and magazines as people search for a distraction from The Bleak life they are presented with women gained the right to vote in 1920 and new employment opportunities for unmarried women widened as many women left widows due to the war this era saw the rise of a new
type of young woman in pop culture known as the flapper known for being rebellious against previous social norms and featuring a more Reckless and partygoing attitude today The Lost Generation is remembered for their resilience and being able to survive a harsh and difficult time period and some say it could provide insight into modern or future time periods the greatest Generation this generation is also known as the World War II generation and is remembered for its heroism and technological innovation and prosperity the youth during this time would grow up with many Advent becoming popular and normalized
like the radio telephone and automobile it was a major time period for culture and entertainment in America literature arts music and Cinema flourished during this time period as the Golden Age of Hollywood began and gangster films music films comedy films and Monster films became extremely popular and gathered massive audiences it was also the Advent of comic books as huge franchises like Superman and Batman began in the music industry jazz blues Gospel Music Folk Music and swing jazz all became large genres the right of the radio influenced many Americans during this time period as Millions would
tune in and listen to President Roosevelt's famous Fireside Chats and learn about the news in an exciting way 16 million Americans served in World War II the majority being members from the greatest Generation 38.8% were volunteers 61.2% were draes and would serve the average length of 33 months there were approximately 671 th000 casualties in the United States as of 2023 almost 120,000 of the Americans who served in this war are still alive today the silent generation the silent generation grew up with their parents both witnessing the fall of Nazism and the rise of their new
enemy in the era communism When the Children of this era began Coming of Age after World War II they were faced with a devastated social order following World War II as the Soviet Union betrayed America's post-war agreements and the global Powers would face off for the next 50 years unlike the previous generations who had fought for changing the system the silent generation was about working within the system keeping their heads down and working hard they were heavily influenced by the Golden Age of radio the rise of trade unions the development of trans Atlantic Flight and
the discovery of penicillin during their formative years silence tended to marry and have children young and their attitude of taking no chances would become criticized by Future more radical Generations such as Baby Boomers ah finally we talk about the Boomers possibly the most famous modern birth generation and one of the most active time periods in American history the Boomers of the 40s 50s and 60s were known for their ridiculously high birth rates with 76 million births taking place during this time period this was due to a strong post-war economy in which Americans felt confident they
would be able to support a large number of children Boomers influenced the economy as a core marketing demographic for products tied to their age group from Toys to records on top of this many items previously deemed luxurious such as laundry machines the dishwasher the refrigerator and the telephone entered mass production for the average consumer and the average American could live like the upper class from the previous generation technological advances made before during and after the war such as Plastics television Magnetic Tape transistors and integrated circuits and lasers played a key role in the tremendous improvements
in the typical standard of living with this extended period of optimism came a cultural Rush especially in the music industry where the Beatles Bob Dylan the Rolling Stones and many other artists and bands all became extremely popular not everything was sunshine and rainbows of course as it was a time period where major political discussion around topics like the sexual Revolution civil rights nuclear weaponry ethnocultural diversity and Environmental Protection all became popular and heavily debated this was because this generation was a lot more radical many people during this time had different perspectives and a lot of
them favored more left leaning social causes in almost every direction strongly opposing existing conservative traditionalist thinking that plenty of others still had many of these major political disagreements resulted in protests that were becoming increasingly violent especially as the Vietnam War lingered on and on the United States would slowly become more divided and government distrust would rise in the following Generations Generation X this generation is often called the latchkey generation which stems from the children of this generation returning from school to an empty home and needing to use a door key to let themselves in as
a result of living in an era of a lot of free range parenting increasing divorce rates increased maternal participation in the workforce and widespread availability of child care options outside the home young adults of this time period were dubbed the MTV generation sometimes characterized as Slackers cynical and disaffected the baby boom era of the last generation was met with declining birth rates during this generation partially due to the birth control bill being introduced in 1960 an abortion being legalized in 1973 however demographic changes brought by the 1965 Immigration Act partially offset the declining birth rates
from Americans already living there and contributed to making Gen X in America more culturally and ethnically diverse than America had ever been Gen X music saw many alternative rock hipop Punk Post Punk and heavy metal bands rise in popularity technological innovation boomed during this time period with the rise of Home competing for manufacturers like apple Commodore and Atari taken to the scene with their offerings video games became a booming industry during the 1970s and 1980s with arcades becoming widely successful across the country a Nintendo and Atari and introducing home consoles compared to Boomers gen xers
were far more educated as enrollment in college was way more popular individualism and entrepreneurialism became one of the most defining trads with Gen X as the collective generation would go on to produce Google Wikipedia Amazon and YouTube towards the '90s and early 2000s Generation Y Millennials Millennials were the first generation to grow up with the internet mobile technology and social media they're commonly described as the first Global generation being connected to the entire world however they are also described as the unluckiest generation due to their average and slower economic growth since entering the workforce than
any other generation in history as well as them being weighed down by student debt and child care costs Millennials were born at the time of declining fertility rates around the world and are having fewer children than their predecessors young people of the 2010s were often criticized for having less sexual intercourse compared to their predecessors when they were at the same age in 2010 the unemployment rate in the United States reached a record low at 19% and these economic difficulties have led to a dramatic increase in youth poverty unemployment and a large number of them living
with their parents Millennials are also less likely to be religious than their predecessors though many identify as spiritual Millennials experienced 911 which changed American culture and began the war on terrorism that's not to say it's all bad for them however as they are often characterized for their digital fluency diverse perspectives and a strong sense of social Consciousness due to them being born in a time period where Global News and information can be retrieved in seconds Millennials are very active socially and politically and not afraid to use their voice and despite the previously mentioned economic troubles
they face more than eight and 10 feel confident in their finances which is repres of their generally positive outlook in a more complicated World Generation Z Zoomers Zoomers are not that much different from Millennials but there are some key differences while Millennials were exposed to the internet and smartphones during their formative years and witnessed the entire world change being forced to adapt to it too quickly Zoomers were born into it people born during this time period have grown up with a rise of social justice movements a vicious new form of American politics with a rise
of Donald Trump the black lives matter protests a new pandemic and lockdowns that prevented most of them from experiencing a large part of their high school or college lives on top of that there's an Ever growing attention and dopamine economy with apps like YouTube and more recently Tik Tok transforming not just how information is consumed but their algorithms also transforming what information is sent out to the public even something as simple and stupid as memes which were started by Millennials as jokes have become tools to spread and popularize ideas individualism defines the Zoomer Spirit as
they have once again returned to the entrepreneurial Spirit of Gen X because of the internet and freelancing and gig economy work is transforming how jobs are run while the pmic transformed where jobs are run at home rather than in office social media trends influen culture in a much different way than before because individuals are now just as capable of getting attention as traditional media and the financially backed entertainment industry leading to jobs like social media content creation and influencers being the most want a job above traditional work Zoomers also grew up with SpongeBob which defined
culture more than really anything else in the last century generation Alpha not much is known about what will happen to Jen Alpha who is currently being raised mostly by Millennials as it's hard to predict what the future will bring ring described by some as the pandemic generation they experienced everything about the pandemic as young children and are growing up in a world dominated by changes in their education and entertainment due to technology many talk about the pandemic of iPad kids as this generation spends less time with their parents on average than previous generations instead living
independently and self-directed growing up with a now 20-year-old version of the internet many will experience young adulthood in the 2030s and are expected by the United Nations to have an average lifespan of 83 years across the world problems that they are predicted to face are mental health issues misinformation and polarization but it's hard to tell what the future will bring for them
