Why Do the Youth of Today Look so Different?

The perception of generational gaps will enhance family contact.

If I had a nickel every time I heard an adult say that youth behave irresponsibly or worse than their age these days, I would have been rich. It is certainly true that each generation has unique variations dependent on mutual experiences. Understanding these gaps allows older people to appreciate and to have more sympathy for their children and grandchildren. This awareness also helps cross certain differences, as it becomes apparent that each generation has strengths and weaknesses.

For this purpose, in the following paragraphs, I shall include details on the different generations. This knowledge can help you understand why your children and grandchildren react differently than you would expect. Read on to hear a little bit about yourself and your other family members.

Each generation establishes beliefs dependent on experiences that occurred when they were growing up. These encounters include the lessons of their parents and introduction to technologies. Traditionalists, for example, were born before 1945 and witnessed the fall of the stock market and the Second World War. These experiences have shown this generation that perseverance, dedication and hard work have paid off. Their efforts have culminated in a World War II triumph and an economic transition from hardship to wealth. Not unexpectedly, the people of this generation respect loyalty, knowledge, bravery, hard work and perseverance. This generation wants to share stories and, frankly, deserves a lot of praise and respect for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

The next generation, the Boomers, was born between around 1940 and 1964. This generation, though witnessing success, also witnessed the designs of the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the building of the Berlin Wall. This group experienced exposure as advertisers were seeking to make money from marketing to this huge group. These encounters have proven that achievement and victory required more than just education and hard work of their own. They also realized the need for social change through activism. As such, this century has undergone and introduced human rights.

Generation X was born between around 1961 and 1981. Children born as part of this generation were introduced to television at home and left to fend for themselves as households became dual-career earners. This generation was called the "latch key" baby. Seeing the hard hours, layoffs, and loss of satisfaction faced by many of their parents, many of this generation have opted to concentrate more on family and spare time than on employment. Technical dress became less important to this demographic because their interests were different from those of the boomers. This generation has understood the value of juggling family and work.

Millennials was born between 1980 and 2004. This generation grew up with laptops, social media, and scientific advances never seen in the youth of their parents and grandparents. They experienced terrorism and mass attacks, and a substantial majority of them came from divorced families. Technology takes activities all around the globe to local notice, and the Internet keeps us wired at all hours. It is normal considering their backgrounds, that they sense more fear and apprehension than their predecessors. Around the same time, they have displayed immense bravery in campaigning for gay rights, gun control, and women's issues in the Me Too campaign. They are a mixed group and are considered to be more appropriate to those who depart from the norm.

Generation Z was born about 1995 and 2004 (depending on the researcher) and is the most wired generation in history. They use technologies efficiently and rapidly to find information and are known to have no patience for elderly people who are reluctant to use smartphones and applications. They also encounter and/or observe abuse on a regular basis. Researchers are still learning about this party, but they appear to be worried about personal finances as of now. This group may be our future entrepreneurs, since they appear well versed in scientific innovations that their predecessors do not completely grasp. This community effectively multitasks, collects knowledge rapidly, and wants to learn experimentally.