Generation X Perspectives: When Are We?

By
mdave
– May 27, 2007Posted in: Culture, Life
Generation X perspectives. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for quite a while and now I have an outlet with an audience (I hope). I think it would be a great experience overall and we might learn something new. I want this to be something where not only do I write about my perspective, ideas and experiences but something that I hope my readers (meaning you) would contribute to the discussion with their view point and experiences regardless of what ever generation you're a part of.

Weekend posts I tend to be all over the map, culture, rants or whatever; I like to leave the music business writings for the weekdays where I feel they will have more impact. I’ve been thinking about focusing the Sunday post as the view from the 30s or Generation X perspectives. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for quite a while and now I have an outlet with an audience (I hope). I think it would be a great experience overall and we might learn something new. I want this to be something where not only do I write about my perspective, ideas and experiences but something that I hope my readers (meaning you) would contribute to the discussion with their view point and experiences regardless of what ever generation you’re a part of.

So with that we begin with the first topic: define what is “Generation X”. Yes, this is a very big topic. Yes, its been analyzed to death. Not in a marketing sense but more self exploration. Let’s begin with the actual year range as described in my favorite online encyclopedia, Wikipedia:

Typically, people born between 1965 and 1978 are generally considered “Generation X,” while others use the term to describe anyone who was in their 20s some time during the 1990s. [1] According to Neil Howe and William Strauss, Generation X includes anyone born from 1961 to 1981 in the United States. The term is used in demography, the social sciences, and marketing, though it is most often used in popular culture.

I would be considered right smack in the middle with that description at my age of 32. Before I read anything about actual range I always thought it was 1960 through 1975ish which wasn’t so far off. I never really cared to learn when the previous or next generations began or ended. Do normal people really care or is it just a marketing thing? The non-business world doesn’t have to slice and dice people or societies in order continue from day to day. Do they?

Before reading this article or the Wikipedia entry what is the age range that you defined guessed as “Generation X” and what is your reasoning behind it? Is there is an experience that shaped that viewpoint? How about the Baby Boomers or Generation Y?

Email me via the contact form or leave a comment. Then next week hopefully I’ll have something from you to contribute to the next post.

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About mdave

David has been using computers to create his visions since the early days of the Apple II. When the world wide web hit he dove in head first learning HTML and building his first websites. After spending a few years at a software services firm in Milwaukee he moved to Nashville and shortly after the Music Industry grabbed hold. He joined the Country Music Association as webmaster designing, building and managing the CMA Awards, CMA Music Festival and corporate websites for the 8 years. He started their social media reach-out and when he left the CMA could reach over 50,000 fans directly. David currently freelances by day, codes by night along with producing/hosting the Nashville Tech Feed a technology podcast. David was named by Billboard Magazine as one of the top 140 people in the Music Industry to follow on Twitter. , Facebook and Twitter