Week 3: EOC: My Demographics

    Generation X is a term used to describe a group of people born from 1965 to the mid or late 1970s in the United States and Canada. This generation follows the powerful Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) generation which spiked after World War II. Although the term Generation X is used to describe people born in this time period, it has also been used to describe anyone who is “twenty-something” at the time. The biggest impact that Generation X has had on popular culture probably began in the 1980s and peaked in the 1990s.

"While the term Generation X can be used to describe a wide group of people, it has come to be popularly accepted that members of this generation, wrought in the shadow of the Baby Boomers, felt alienated and disenfranchised by the cultural icons of the time. “X” described the lack of identity that members of Generation X felt — they didn’t know where they belonged.  The just knew they did not belong in the overbearing generation of Baby Boomers"(NAS Insights: Getting to Know Generation X,” 2006)

   The media played its part in promoting the Generation X stereotype by portraying them as grunge-listening, Starbucks-drinking, flannel-donning slackers who were quietly revolting against their overachieving, conservative Baby Boomer parents or older siblings. While the term Generation X has been used by a more punk faction of the generation, 

“Increasing parental divorce rates and higher employment for their mothers made them the first generation of latchkey kids. Although they seek success, they are less materialistic; they prize experience, not acquisition.”(Analyzing the Marketing Environment (page 15)

I want my MTV.... the theme song for many Gen Xers, as our world became smaller and the world of mass communication brought our borders closer together.  In turn, increasing our world of commerce and trade of products, merchandising and media. 

“Once labeled as “the MTV generation” and viewed as body-piercing slackers who whined about “McJobs,” the Gen Xers have grown up and are now taking over. They are increasingly displacing the lifestyles, culture, and values of the baby boomers. They are the most educated generation to date and they possess hefty annual purchasing power. However, like the baby boomers, the Gen Xers now face growing economic pressures. Like almost everyone else these days, they are spending more carefully.^{" (}Consumer Behavior 2009, chapter 27 (Atlanta, GA: Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2009).

 While Gen-Xers probably feel passionate about some things, in general they have been portrayed as apathetic, disaffected twenty-somethings with no course in life.This may be the general view point, but most gen Xers will tell you their free style way of life was a trickle down effect from their free-loving, peaceful protesting baby booming parents.  More so, we did also get the need to save and shop wisely from the Baby Boomers. 
    In closing,  the lack of identity for the Generation x demographic group...is the identity. This group may not have know where they wanted to go, but the definitely know where they did nor want to go!
 
Source:   
Marshall Lager, “The Slackers’ X-cellent Adventure,” CRM Magazine, November 1, 2008, pp. 30–33.