X&Y

X & Y

There is an ancient saying that bears much truth: “People resemble their times more than they resemble their parents”.

My Father is X and me Y, I mean Generation, myself also known as Echo Boomers, Millenium Generation, iGeneration, Einstein Generation and Google Generation. Now the question is do the X & Y generations share common characteristics around the globe? I personally think yes to some extent, particularly among younger generations whose members were exposed to many of the same events through television and the Internet and sharing of thoughts through Facebook, orkut, Twitter, myspace, google+. Among older generations (Baby Boomers), the shared elements were much less significant, and the national characteristics of the generations were increasingly unique.

If we consider the formative experiences and resulting generational traits — of individuals born in the United States, India and China from 1960 to 1980, we call Gen X. Despite having different backgrounds and assumptions, they are the first age cohort to manifest a global mindset.

Gen Y are said to be much closer to their parents than their parents' generation, the Baby Boomers were. Now Gen Y is always connected through digital technology with their parents, Gen Y has grown up, in a world with diverse Internet resources, iPods, Mobile and intense multi-tasking — simultaneously chatting on skypee, googletalk, AIM, finishing a problem set, watching television and listening to music. These kids are the kids of the Baby Boomers and X generation, deeply immersed in a sensitive digital world. But there is certain difference in the digital world between X & Y. The current economic, social, and political conditions which we all live under actually further divide the generations. The same conditions act upon people of different ages in different ways. Take text messaging on mobile phones as an example here, the technology is available to all, however 74% of messages are sent by Gen Y’s and so they are developing the new text language (eg “CU L8R” for “see you later”).

Lifestyle:

The happenings and grooming where we grew up during the formative childhood and teenage years also create and define differences between the generations. These social markers create the paradigms through which the world is viewed and decisions are made. Baby Boomers were influenced by the advent of the TV, Rock and Roll, the Cold War, Vietnam War, the threat of nuclear war, and the decimal currency. Xers saw in the Personal Computer, AIDS, nuclear families, the growth in multiculturalism, and the downsizing of companies. Gen Y’s have lived through the age of the internet, cable television, globalization, September 11, and environmentalism. Such shared experiences and understanding of cross-culture and tolerance for diversity during one’s youth unite and shape today’s Gen Y. The Gen Y grew up amid a time during which the Internet caused great upheavals to all traditional media. There is an argument that the Gen Y have "moved beyond" the ideological battles spawned by the counterculture of the 1960s, which persisted through the 1990s in the form of the culture wars. In Strauss & Howe's book titled Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, which describes the Gen Y as "civic minded," rejecting the attitudes of the Baby Boomers and Gen X. However Gen Y has also been described as entitled and individualistic, akin to the image of the Baby Boomers, due to their sheltered upbringing.

Gen Y grew up with technology and rely on it to perform their jobs better. Armed with Iphone, ipad, tablets, BlackBerrys, laptops, cell phones and other gadgets, Gen Y is plugged-in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This generation prefers to communicate through e-mail and text messaging rather than face-to-face contact and prefers webinars and online technology to traditional lecture-based presentations.

The new Gen Y are characterized as being more racially and culturally tolerant than past generations. Gay rights and non-traditional gender roles have also become more widely accepted. Like members of Gene X, who are heavily influenced by the advent of MTV, early members of Gen Y are also sometimes called the MTV Generation, I would rather say MTV Coke Studio generation, although MTV Coke Studio took 10 years to come to India after it started in Brazil in 2000 creating fusion of music crossing boundaries of different states and countries. (Great to see Angaraj Mahanta, Khagan Gogoi, and Mousom from my state Assam creating soothing effects through there folk fusion. ) The majority of Gen Y is culturally liberal, and somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology.

So despite having so much of controversy in Facebook and Twitter in my state Assam in recent times my father Gen X and me Gen Y do understand each other about the importance and ethical use of Internet and stay vigilant about the security aspects of staying online for our daily usage and share each others views. It is very high time friends that we stay alert and keep communicating to each other about any nefarious activity that comes to our knowledge which may endanger the social fabric, peace, and may create disharmony among different caste, community, and people of different country. We should always keep in mind that we are getting more personal rights and freedom than previous generations so we should be more tolerant towards diverse views and perspective without loosing our own culture, heritage and our unique identity above all humanity, which is the greatest of all.

· *Will be starting my new blog very soon based on my state (Assam’s) related topic, first will feature some people I have met thru Facebook, and some I have never met but inspired by their silent work.

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