“Generation X, generation strange. Sun don’t even shine through a window pane,” Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst from My Generation (video further below).
Generation X, my generation. First, we were the American generation that would be the first to do worse than our parents. Then we were a non factor, because Generation Y or the millenials were going to rule the online world. No respect, I tell ya! But perhaps that’s an error.
Rodney Dangerfield, an early Xer?
Why? Because it seems to me that Generation X is making a big splash in the world of online influentials. And while there are the Peter Cashmores of the world, in general we are doing better than the almighty millenials. Here are just some of the top 50 AdAge marketing bloggers who are gen Xers:
I was hard pressed to identify any millenials in the top 50, yet they have the same tools we do. A recent Gartner report says the differences are inconsequential, that we’re all generation V, but I disagree.
Generation X’s Unfair Advantage
Generation X is defined by the authoritative Wikipedia (ahem) as being those born between 1965 and 1980. I’ve seen other definitions that place Xers between 64 and 78. Regardless of when, I’m one of them, smack dab in the middle of it in fact. And I’ll tell you what, growing up when I believe gives me an unfair advantage over millenials (80-94).
Consider these ten things that occurred in my life before millenials the workforce, since they are supposed to be the ones who grew up online and will dominate:
1) 1974-83, Grew up in the Philadelphia Daily News room where eventually I played with the dumb networked terminals.
2) 1983 My first computer, Apple IIe: I was 11 years old. My next one was an original Mac. A little movie called War Games came out that same year.
3) D&D on my dad’s IBM PS/2, first email address vis a vis Prodigy.
4) College 1990-94, Internet labs, plus you had to have your own PC.
5) 1994, first job, Consumer Electronics Association. First assignment, write an article about this guy Marc Andressen who invented this new Internet tool, Mosaic.
6) 1995, second job at sister association, the Electronic Industry Association. I programmed their first web site.
7) 1997, along with Scott Goldman, broke the 3G wireless Internet story on WirelessNOW (excuses me if I am still scoffing at the “new 3G iPhone.” What an effing joke).
8) 1998 – Moved to California to make it rich, ending up at VC based IPNet Solutions. 10,000 shares promised!
9) 1999 – That dot bombed, back to DC with the computer in my trunk, and the clothes on my back. A headful of lessons about what not to do achieved.
10) 2000 – Graduated Georgetown University with a MA in Communications, Culture and Technology. Thesis on global wireless Internet diffusion receives distinction honors, and is published by The Strategis Group.
These experiences give me an unfair advantage over my younger peers. 1) I grew up online and my entire professional career has revolved around the Internet. 2) While that Internet was not inherently social, it was inherently professional (for the most part). I am not fazed by 1,000 friends, and understand the true nature of business objectives. 3) Those earlier experiences allow me to make decisions they cannot even begin to comprehend.
Generation X, worse off, my ass. Now that 2.0 has given us a platform, we’re rocking, taking full advantage of our extra years online and at work. Further, we’re eating many baby boomers’ lunch, and handing the millenials their’s. Yeah, not bad for a generation destined to fail.
Here is what some fellow Twitterers had to say about a perceived advantage:
Geoff, Love your passion, points and post. As an early wave Xer (born in ‘63), I hear you and echo your words. There is one data point where your passion blinded you, and it’s this: The bookend years that define generations are extremely specific. For GenX, those years are 1961-1981.* It’s not a “whatever” thing at all, and when generational definitions become “whatever,” then the conversation can sometimes switch more to a perspective on demographics and the current assessment of a group of people.
Understanding generations as archetypes and groups of people who move through time is where the real marketing (predicting, planning, strategy) value comes in. I was on The Aaron Brazell Show last Saturday (Aug 9th), speaking of just this subject. I think you might find listening to it juices you up even more. The opening few minutes of the show are clunky, but get past that and Aaron and I really get into a groove.
* Source for data is Generations, The Fourth Turning, Millennials Rising, Millennials and Pop Culture, and 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Fail, Ignore? All these books are by William Strauss and Neil Howe – worth a peak!
Yeah Geoff, all I have to say is…I didn’t play a game in my childhood & use a code to get to the next level!
Hey thanks for including my thoughts, Geoff!
And you forget us baby boomers, my friend. There’s a good bunch of us not only hanging in there but hopefully contributing. Let’s see… KD Paine, Shel Israel, Sally Falkow, myself and others. In fact, now that I think of it, many of you Gen Xers wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for us. :)
Every generation feels it’s somehow immune or above the tidal pull of demography.
In my opinion, X’ers aren’t any more capable or incisive than boomers or millenials, we are just at an age where we care to be seen as such.
Take the boomers. They wax nostalgic and write turgid books remembering ‘the way it was’ and the big splash they made in the world — typical behavior for an aging group looking to justify their apotheosis.
On to the millenials. Pundits (boomer pundits, mostly) lament how disinterested, disconnected and distracted this bunch is, and now the x’ers are joining in with the finger pointing.
Yet the boomers forget that once upon a time they were the ‘tune in, turn on, drop out’ idealists..and that gen x defined themselves with the grungy, mascara-smudged apathy of ‘Reality Bites’.
How quickly we forget.
Of course the millienials will rule the online world. They just don’t care to right now. They are busy getting laid and figuring themselves out in the same insular, megalomaniacal way that every generation does in their 20s.
When they decide to care their sheer weight of numbers will be overwhelming.
Of course you’re right about some of this Geoff. Gen x is older and more experienced and perhaps has a unique straddling of ‘old and new’ media. Great.
But lets not forget that this chest-thumping is echoed by every generation. ‘We matter!’ just goes around in a circle.
By the way. I’m an x’er too. From good ole’ 1974.
When I saw your link to My Generation on FriendFeed, I clicked it right away. I’m an unapologetic GenX-er. I fit most of the stereotypes. The only thing that keeps me on the edge is that I try to stay up with what Y and the Millenials play with. But when pressured, I fall back to my X roots.
I was there when Guns and Roses and Nirvana tore down the hairspray wall, and I’m still out there having a blast.
X! X! X!
Old enough to have witnessed the Moon Landing from my crib, young enough to still get excited by the letter X. ;)
Born in the summer of 79, so I’m on the edge.
I think we’ve yet to see what Gen Y or Millenials can do when they dedicate themselves. Many don’t have that real world experience Geoff spoke about, nor the attitude, to really understand what can be accomplished with hard work and the drive to succeed.<>
Give them another 4-7 years to get frustrated with their first job, get involved in their community and start paying for a mortgage. In other words…grow up (Trevor nailed it above) I think when that happens, you’re going to see an explosion of online activism and participation on a whole new scale, and it’s going to be a game changer.
Sure it will have been nice to been there when it started, and it’ll help us participate as long as we can.
All, just want to thank you for commenting. I know this is a deeply personal and complicated identity issue that can’t be summed up so easily, but I have to say this is how I feel. I know your feelings and thoughts are valid, too. And yes, it is my chest beating rally cry! Chris and Todd, you are my brothers, and like Chris, I am unapologetically X.
Technically an Xer, born December 1980…when pushed, I typically fall into X stereotypes. I jumped into career/real life at 19…saw friends and family suffer through dot com bust. All of this does not leave me a typical jaded Xer, but also a person not fazed by start-ups and outrageous friend lists. I will have to fave this post, so I can read it again in ten years when Gen Y is talking about the next round of newbies.
Thanks for the mention and the link. I remember breaking that 3G story, too. Of course, I’m older than dirt now and have a hard time remembering anything so this is good.
My feelings about GenX’rs are pretty good overall. You all seem to be the last of the head-on-straight, not self-absorbed generation (roughly 16-30-ish) that I’m seeing now. Sheesh, I mean, have you EVER seen a group of more self-centered, whining crybabies? Thank goodness you X’rs are here to show them the way or we’d be S.O.L.
Keep up the good work – you’re an inspiration to us all.
Jeff,
This is great. I love stuff like this because it explains why I find most “generational” talk about Gen X vs Milennials (whatever that means) to be complete and utter waste of bandwidth. Please, keep it coming.
Andrew
I must be honest—-I think a lot of these generational stereotypes are just that—-stereotypes. Much of anything has to do with how you grow up, what you do with what life has handed you, and how effectively and creatively you adjust to changes in the world. Geoff, your life history clearly shows that you have made the most of your individual background, challenges, life lessons and opportunities. You may have been influenced by your generation, but in the end, you are an individual within it.
For transparency, I will admit to be being in the physical age category of a “boomer” but I have always disliked that word and the stereotypes that go with it, which don’t all apply to me or what I’ve done with my life. In no way am I planning to “retire” any time soon, and I know many people over 45 who feel they are just now coming into their own and finding their life’s work in mid-life or older. Younger people of all generations will have that freedom to look forward to, once they’ve emerged from the defining borders of their “first careers” and other shackles (often self-imposed). I’ll be interested to see the blog posts you write when you’re 50+, especially if you keep going and growing with the passion you have now..and I’m sure you’ll gather even more passion as the times change with you.
With love and respect from one of your biggest fans,
Cathryn
While I’m all for inclusive labels, I feel wikipedia’s date range is a little askew. Its so over-inclusive as to make the Gen X term group not mean a whole lot.
The flip side of that is people from other generations–who still indulged in the cultural wallpaper and icons and experiences that are so emblematic of Gen X.
Interesting post…
hahahahahahahahahaha. yes! someone finally said it: GENERATION X finally found a place that Baby Boomers do not and will not EVER dominate: the Blogosphere. Please visit my blog to find out about my Generation X project to broaden the conversation and up the collective courage! http://www.jenx67.com – a non-monetized blog.Thanks
As symbols go, I like the idea of being at the intersection of so many things – PR, marketing, communications overall in a period when the world is re-inventing itself, it seems. Off line and online tools. A bit of linguistics, sociology, psychology, a dash of philosophy, economics, and design. From conceptualization to experience, from being a native to learning how to become one. In my case also drawing from identities rooted in different cultures (European and North American) and projected towards citizen of the world… I could go on. Ultimately, it is good to feel right in your own skin, no matter the generation ;-)
Me thinks you do protest (and defend) too much sir. You’re proving the point that gen Xers have a chip on their shoulder. And frankly the Millenials are probably gonna kick all our arses. I prefer to think every generation has its geniuses and idiots, its highs and lows. Remember the guys who conceived of and built your first computers were all boomers. C’mon Geoff, can’t we all get along?
Yes, I’m a peace-loving early 60s child raised on flowers and Beatles music.
As an early years X’r (‘68) I think we must continue to stay under the radar and achieve the impossible.
I grew up in Pittsburgh and I can tell you there are A LOT of X’rs who grew up working our tails off to get somewhere. The notion that we were all slackers or disinterested punks always seemed so foreign to me. If you want talk about a group who absolutely continues to confound me, it is those guys that are in their mid 20’s to early 30’s who are riding skateboards or bicycles on the XGames… I mean really, REALLY? What in the Sam Blazzes hell is that? Put the toys away, move out of your parents house and get a freaking career. I know, I know they make loads of jack through sponsorship…but what are they going to tell their grandchildren, I was the first to complate the 780 flip mode wannamaker (okay, I made that up, but you get the point). Anyway, I digress.
All I’m saying is that the same qualities that made X’rs so indistinct and alien from previous and/or future generations are the same qualities that enable change without anyone really noticing. The world we knew as children is gone and I believe X will step to the forefront an lead us to a better place.
Matt identifies one of the key traits of GenX young adulthood strength: Stay under the radar and just do what needs to get done. GenXers frequently experience a sense of power through function, whereas Boomers tend to experience power by claiming — and refusing to budge from — turf. So, Matt is right on in stating that GenXers can be profoundly effective (functional and powerful) by doing things without anyone noticing.
Here’s something to watch for, though: All generations are currently shifting into the next phase of life because … well, that’s the cycle. Boomers are just edging into elderhood; the early wave GenXers are entering mid-life and Millennials are entering young adulthood. The GenX challenge is now to take the skills learned “off the radar” and integrate into organizations, businesses and systems, bringing the much-needed capacity to enable change and get things done – in a distinctly GenX style. It’s a challenge for a generation that has been able to be quite nimble and free-agent loving. ‘Tis the time for integration and collaboration. Millennials will provide the push (the social and professional demand for it) and GenXerw will lead with function, efficiency and development of tools.
That’s my two cents.
Wow Jessie, Gen X also love to be validated…ha. I totally agree that it is time to stop freelancing and join the mainstream to create change, but holding onto my unrealistic ideals left over from the boomers, I want to change the organization from the inside out! ha.
The only rule of fight club is we don’t talk about fight club.
Look me up sometime on Facebook or Linkedin.
All the best from the Garden State,
Matt Gentile