2/6/2024: What Lies Ahead

when Millennials/Gen Z are in charge

Damn it. I am officially an offensive out-of-touch Gen Xer.

I recently read Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future by Jean M. Twenge. It’s an eye opening book for me. I finally understand why I feel so culturally left behind. In essence, I am just getting old. Technology dramatically transformed people’s lives and childhoods. When I grew up back in the 1980s (in Taiwan), we didn’t have internet or mobile phones. Even air conditioning and microwaves were uncommon. My family didn’t have a washing machine until I was in elementary school and disposable diapers were very very expensive. I remembered this clearly because one time my mom punished me by having me hand wash my younger brother’s soiled cloth diapers. That was gross and I was only 5 or 6. Nowadays asking a 6-year old to do heavy house chores will be considered child abuse. Anyway, I digress but the point is that different generations have drastically different life experiences and these generational differences could be a source of conflict and shape our world in very profound ways.

A key point the author made in this book is that technology has enabled Americans to become more individualistic over time. From laundry machines and passenger cars to mobile phone  food delivery, Netflix and Zoom, technology advances gradually enabled people to live more independently. In other words, people depend more on technology than on other people to survive. People then become more self-focused and this self-focus contributes to lower birth rates. When people have less children, each child receives more resources and attention. These children grow up to become even more individualistic and self-focused. This shift to individualism brings many cultural changes.

I am shocked by many statistics presented in this book. Did you know that 5.3+% of Gen Z young adults identify as trans or nonbinary? Did you know that almost 30% of Gen Z girls are lesbian or bisexual? Did you know that Gen Z thinks speech should be restricted to allow more “emotional safety”? Being a latchkey Gen X kid, self-reliance and independence was ingrained into my generation’s identity. But times have changed. Gen Z kids are pampered by their parents growing up. Their young brains have to endure the information overload from YouTube, Instagram and Tik Tok. They are used to being praised and are told they are special. I feel I finally understand the context of what’s happening on the college campuses. I can empathize with Gen Z. But at the same time, I worry about the direction Gen Z is heading. Is the cancel culture going to be even more prevalent? Will critical thinking be discouraged to prioritize “emotional safety” ? Would the more pervasive medical transitions be abused to cause irreversible damages? 

This book provides an extensive analysis of multiple recent generations, including the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. However, I found the statistics on Gen Z and Millennials to be particularly insightful. As Baby Boomers retire en masse, Millennials and Gen Z are poised to become the dominant generations in the coming decade. They are going to run the world very differently. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of what lies ahead, I highly recommend this book.