On January first, 2025, the first baby in the new Generation Beta was born. Yes, this means that generation Alpha is no longer the youngest generation.
Generation Beta, which will be born from 2025-2039 is the ninth generation in the modern classification. This is the first generation to entirely have no memories of the COVID-19 pandemic or quarantine.
Additionally, many members of Generation Beta will be children of Millennials and Generation Z, and many of them will live to see the 22nd century and will likely see technologies that are unfathomable to us now.
The first generation in our modern American system of generations is called the Lost Generation (1883-1900). The term is often attributed to author Gertrude Stein who described the disillusionment of people after World War 1. The subsequent generations were named after the following:
The Greatest Generation (1901-1927): They are called the greatest due to the fact they survived the Great Depression and World War 2. The term was coined by journalist Tom Brokaw in his book The Greatest Generation.
The Silent Generation (1928-1945): Many of these people grew up in the Great Depression and they are called silent due to the fact that many of them experienced a very conformist time in American history and the communist “witch hunt” that was McCarthyism.
Baby Boomers (1946-1964): The subjects of the “Ok Boomer” meme from a few years ago, this demographic of people are called boomers after the post World War 2 baby boom in which they were born. Many boomers got to enjoy the post-war prosperity but many were also deployed in the Vietnam war.
Generation X (1965-1980): The term “Generation X” is often attributed to the book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland. They are also sometimes known as the “Latchkey Generation” due to the increased divorce rates and the increased prevalence of having two working parents. Many Gen Xers have spent a lot of their working lives with the internet but grew up without it.
Millennials/Generation Y (1981-1996): This generation is named after the new millennium (2000) that many of them came of age in. They can also be known as Generation Y as they came right after Generation X. While Millennials in TV are often categorized as technology obsessed, many Millennials also spent all or a portion of their childhood without the internet. Many millennials also entered the workforce around the time of the 2008 recession.
Generation Z (1997-2012): This is the generation of all of the students here at PHS (unless you believe Gen Z ends in 2010). They are named Gen Z simply because that’s what comes next in the alphabet sequence. Most Gen Zers spent at least some- if not all of their childhood with access to the internet. People in Generation Z are also known for often having rampant issues with their mental health.
Generation Alpha (2013-2024): Generation Alpha is called that because it is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. This generation has lived with modern technology their entire life as well as having been exposed to short-form content on apps like TikTok at a young age.
And well, we’ve already discussed Generation Beta, they are simply named for the second letter in the Greek alphabet.
However, the concept of generations has come under fire. After all, all generations span more than ten years, and people who are ten years apart can often have quite different experiences throughout their lives and would not usually consider themselves in the same age group. But, in common culture they are grouped in the same generation.
However you feel about generations, whether they are unnecessary or a good way of grouping people, please feel free to comment about it!
