Gen-Ed

What’s your generation?

Interbellum Generation (born 1901 – 1910)
Derived from the Latin inter- between and bellum- war, this generation was too young to have served in World War I, and generally too old for World War II.

The Greatest Generation (born 1901 – 1924)
This generation fought and/or kept the home front intact during World War II, honored by Tom Brokaw as the greatest generation any society has ever produced.

Silent Generation (born 1925 – 1945)
Too young to be world war two heroes, two old for the counterculture, this group is largely overlooked. Within it, however, exists American literary expatriates who lived in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, referred to as the Lost Generation.

The Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964)
This generation includes a 14-year increase in birthrate after our troops returned from the war. Baby Boomers were the first generation to grow up with television, and were characteristically part of the 1960s counterculture. This generation includes a subset called the Beat Generation or “beatniks”.

Tweeners / Generation Jones (born 1954-1965)
This generation is technically part of the Baby Boom, but was too young to participate in the formative events of the 1960s. The name connotes a large, anonymous generation, and derives from the slang term “jonesing”, referring to the unrequited cravings felt by this generation of unfulfilled expectations.

Generation X (1965 – 1979)
Other names used interchangeably with Generation X are 13th Generation and Baby Busters. They spent most of their teen years in the 1980s. Generation X has often been characterized as a significant break from previous generations, holding cynicism against things held dear to the Baby Boomers.

XY Cusp or MTV Generation (born 1975-1986)
Caught between the end of Generation X and start of Generation Y, this sub-set generation is particularly influenced by the launch of MTV, and the popularization of Web technology after 1995.

Generation Y (born 1982 – 1992)
Sometimes referred to as “the Millennials” or Echo Boomers, this generation was a result of Baby Boomers settling down and having kids. This generation is sometimes described as an “overachieving, overscheduled” generation.”

Generation I (born 1993 – on)
This generation was born after the internet became mainstream having grown up in an era where the web/internet pervaded every aspect of their lives. It has also been referred to as “digital natives”, the Net Generation, as well as Generation Now, describing the instant gratification that technology provides them.

Contributed by: Maghan Cook