Depending upon where you look there are different definitions of the various generations from the most current, Gen Alpha, going all the way back to what we definite as the “Greatest Generation” who were born generally in the first 25 years of last century. One constant throughout the last 125 years seems to be that the generations change with technology. Since technological changes have seemed to grow exponentially, it’s no surprise that current generations are defined by a shorter time span (~12 -14 years) versus older generations which tend to be about 20 – 25 years long.
Analog to Digital
Day to day this doesn’t seem like a big deal and that things are changing all that fast but considering I am classified as either a younger Gen X’er or an older Millennial, I am considered part of the generation that had an analogue childhood with a digital adulthood. When I was a kid, things like black and white tube TVs and Atari video game systems were still around. I never thought much of it until I hear younger generations talk about always having social media as part of their childhood.
When we talk on a larger scale about philosophy, politics, or future technologies, it suddenly becomes very easy to see why someone who grew up with rotary telephones might have a differing opinion on AI than someone who was born in the age of digital marketing and social media. The interesting thing is that as many generational differences as there are that could cause us to have differing points of view, there are also things that transcend generations that we can all agree on.
Have a Conversation
This week’s challenge is to have a conversation with some of a different generation at talk about how things were when they grew up vs when you grew up and how that shaped how they feel about things today. Look for those things that help you understand their current point of view and also those things you share common ground on. You might not have to look far, your parents or family members might be a good start, and those generational differences could be at the root of some of those awkward holiday dinner table conversations that tend to happen to us all.
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