Generations can be a useful way of thinking about society, allowing us to trace social trends through the ages. But they’re also overly simplistic. Beginning from before the turn of the century, here’s the history (and future) of America in ten generational stereotypes.
10. The Gilded Age
Though not usually seen as a generation per se, the Gilded Age (1870s to 1890s) helps to make sense of the next one. These were the last of the pioneers, the end of the Wild West, with the oldest being 30 when the frontier was closed. They watched as their nation became an industrial power, and the richest were known for their excess. One notorious example was the lavish masquerade ball thrown by socialite Alva Vanderbilt, wife of railroad heir William Vanderbilt, in 1883. It cost $240,000 in total (the equivalent of $7 million today), including $11,000 on flowers, $65,000 on champagne and cigars, and over $150,000 on costumes.
When they weren’t spending their inherited fortunes, Gilded Agers exploited cheap labor—from children to foreigners. They were basically the kind of robber baron industrialist epitomized by Scrooge McDuck.
But the industrialization of America also meant—as in China more recently—a crackdown on personal liberty. Gilded Agers saw their country’s founding principles thrown out the window as the government became more controlling.
9. The Lost Generation
Coming of age during or after World War One, the Lost Generation (1883-1900) were basically traumatized. They were also alienated from the materialism of their parents, as well as their conservative values. Like The Great Gatsby, they saw through the American Dream. In fact, some of the most iconic members of this jazz age cohort rejected America altogether. Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and T.S. Eliot all left the US for Europe. It was actually in Paris that Stein coined the name, having overheard a garage owner telling his young employee “you are all a lost generation.”
The stereotype of one born into the Lost is of a rootless, reckless wanderer. After the horrors of war, moral propriety and social etiquette seemed to them hollow and pointless. Traditional morality was abandoned. Gender norms were ignored. They drank, they divorced, and they wrote about despair.
8. The Greatest Generation
It was the NBC journalist Tom Brokaw who named this generation, writing in his book of the same name of their “towering achievement and modest demeanor,” calling them “the greatest generation any society has produced.” Born between 1901 and 1927, they came of age during the Great Depression or just after World War Two—which meant they were used to hardship. Many were young veterans, like J.F.K., who saw their armed forces grow from being smaller than Portugal’s to being the largest and most advanced in the world.
It was a generation of living legends—Jackson Pollock, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday among them. They were also a cohort of firsts, including the first black baseball player and the first influx of women into politics.
To picture a stereotype of this generation, imagine a G.I. coming home from the Second World War and successfully running for president.
7. The Silent Generation
Taught to be seen and not heard, the Silent Generation (1928-1945) were by and large conservative conformists—at least in stereotype. Born too late to participate in World War Two and too early for the postwar boom, they’re known as a generation of cautious hard workers. They were disciplined and loyal, had traditional values, and listened to Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, big band, and swing. In other words, they’re archetypical old people.
Famous members include Joe Biden, Martha Stewart, and Julie Andrews.
But stereotypes aside, it’s worth mentioning the Silent Generation’s rebellious streak—a literary subculture called the Beat Generation. Epitomized by the likes of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, the beatniks listened to jazz, smoked weed, and challenged sexual taboos, paving the way for the hippies later on.
6. Baby Boomers
So-called for the surge in births after World War Two, Baby Boomers are the only generation officially defined by the Census Bureau. Like a giant litter of puppies, they’re thought of as driven and competitive. Between 1946 and 1964, the US population increased by more than 50 percent, forcing some areas to build a school every month. This meant that for almost a quarter of a century (1959-1983), America had an unusually large number of teenagers. TV proliferated, as did popular music.
This was also the generation of civil unrest, hippies, and the Vietnam War. Then came the ‘80s and the rise of the Boomers to positions of power and wealth. Examples include the Clintons, George Bush, and Trump.
As the old folk of our age, their opinions and values are generally dismissed—for example on social media with the ‘OK Boomer’ meme.
5. Generation X
Gen X (1965-1980) marked the start of the Big Tech age, thanks to Baby Boomers like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. But, as the children of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Gen Xers still lived in a largely non-digital world. They bridged the gap between that world and ours. As the novelist Douglas Coupland (who coined the name for this cohort) put it, “once we go, there’ll be no living memory of the analogue era.” At the same time, though, he says he doesn’t want it back.
Sandwiched between the more distinct and charismatic Boomers and Millennials, the stereotype for Gen X is the lack of a stereotype, the lack of a clearcut identity. They grew up through the ‘90s, worked in ‘McJobs’, and, like the Lost Generation before them, valued travel and escape above all. They also rejected materialism, embraced creativity, and lived for their loved-up weekends on rave drugs like MDMA. While the apathy of grunge sums up this generation, they had yet to leave the real world for the web—at least en masse. They still had each other, which is more than we can say for…
4. Millennials
The Millennials, or Gen Y, are the most stereotyped of all. Born between 1981 and 1996, they’re lazy, entitled digital natives obsessed with avocado on toast. They also tend to dislike authority. Unlike previous generations, they don’t need their elders or even each other to broaden their skills and horizons. If there’s a gap in their knowledge, they can fix it online. They can also pick up dates, stream entertainment, buy whatever they want, and reach superstardom all without leaving the house—which, for an unusually large chunk of their adulthoods, often belonged to their parents.
Some of the most Millennial Millennials are Mark Zuckerberg (who reshaped the internet), Taylor Swift (who found fame online), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (whose liberal politics reflect those of her peers). In fact, Millennials were the first generation not to get more conservative as they aged. According to research from the US and UK, they were the least conservative 35-year-olds ever.
But, despite their groupthink liberalism, they’re stuck in a cycle of arrogance and isolation as the loneliest generation so far.
3. Gen Z
When Millennials were kids, the internet was basic. Many still remember the squeals and static of a 56k dial-up connection. Not so for Gen Z (1997-2012). When they were at school, social media was already so prevalent that a quarter were bullied online and AI was used to do homework. The internet was their natural environment; they internalized it like the air that they breathed. Hence the stereotypes: attention-deficient, reading-averse, self-obsessed, and know-it-all. They’re also terrible workers. According to analysts, they’re likely to change jobs 18 times in their lives and change their careers at least six.
Famous Gen Zers include MrBeast, Billie Eilish, and Jake Paul.
Their choice of transport is a folding scooter, or a Tesla Model S—whereas for Millennials it was a BMX or Prius. Instead of “bro,” “sick,” and “basic,” they say “fam,” “dank,” and “cheugy”—but mostly they just talk in emojis.
2. Generation Alpha
Generation Alpha marks the beginning of a new naming system using the Greek alphabet instead of the Latin (X, Y, Z). They’re the first to be born entirely in the 21st century (2010-2024) and many—more than ever—will probably still be here a century later. Mostly the children of Millennials, they were (or still are) the “iPad babies,” pacified by tablets from infancy. Hence their other name, Generation Glass.
Like Gen Z, they never knew an analog world. But, unlike Gen Z, neither did the youngest know a world before lockdowns. Despite, or because of, their techno-immersion, many choose to spend time offline. They meet up with friends in the real world, for instance, and more than a third of them read. They also like privacy and aren’t so hooked on social media as their parents and grandparents are.
Still, it’s early days yet with the oldest being only 14.
1. Generation Beta
How do you stereotype a generation that has yet to be born (2025-2039). You look at market projections. After all, cataloging people into clear generations is above all a marketing tool.
According to analysts, Betas will be the most coding-literate yet, coming of an age in a society that relies on AI. But, with more time to work on themselves and their projects, they’ll also be socially conscious—committed to ethics right across the board. They’ll be more eco-minded than any generation and may not forgive us for the damage. In other words, they’ll all be Greta Thunberg.
But it won’t be all talk. Betas will mark a shift “from the ability to know anything to the ability to the ability to do anything.” Hence they’re also known as the Test Phase Generation.