Technology Turns the Generational Clock

Is generational analysis legitimate? If so, what can we learn from it?

I think many of us are of two minds when it comes to thinking about American generations like Boomers or Millennials. We are certainly drawn in by the framing. It is bracing and engaging to hold forth on generational stereotypes. I’d wager many readers will have had or been party to recent conversations along these lines. We’re all liable to, at a moment’s notice, expound on whether the Greatest Generation was indeed the greatest or whether Gen Xers are really as disaffected as their association with Nirvana would suggest or what exactly is going on with Zoomer sartorial choices. However, I think this parlor game of ascribing known sociocultural trends to certain age groups of Americans also inspires knee-jerk skepticism. Isn’t it just an exercise in stereotyping and confirmation bias? Are these common notion actually providing anything of insight? Jean M. Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and expert in generational analysis, argues that generational analysi…