Simple quiz causes identity crisis

2010-03-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

I am a Gen Xer. I am a Gen Xer. I am a Gen Xer.

I have been running that self-affirmation mantra through my head since taking a quiz from the Pew Research Center that asks, "How Millennial Are You?" If you score close to 100, it means you are very "Millennial."

Naturally, being a Gen Xer, I didn't expect to score very high. In fact, I was hoping not to score very high. I enjoy my interactions with Millennials, but I am not one of them. I rather like being a Gen Xer.

Well, I was wrong. The final result? 78/100. It appears that I am quite "Millennial."

According to Pew's Web site, the quiz is designed to predict whether a respondent shares the same values, attitudes and behaviors of a typical Millennial. It asks 14 questions that measure your TV watching, newspaper reading, video game playing, cell phone, text messaging and social networking habits, among others.

I scored high on the quiz because I:

did not watch television in the past 24 hours. (I don't have cable; I watch my TV shows by the season on DVD.)
did not read a newspaper in the past 24 hours. (I get my news online.)
say that people of different races marrying each other is a good thing for society. (Sure, why not break down barriers and be open to progress and change?)
have not contacted a government official in the past 12 months. (Or ever. I am not politically active.)
have created a social networking profile. (I am on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, although on the latter I do more following than tweeting.)
had divorced parents growing up. (As did many other Gen Xers I know.)

I am unlike the Millennials because I have both a landline and a cell phone. Many of them have only cell phones, whereas my cell phone is prepaid and on silent most of the time. I also received no text messages on my cell phone in the past 24 hours. On my prepaid plan, text messages cost me each time I receive or send. That's fine with me; I can live without being constantly in touch with my friends and family. However, this is definitely not the case with Millennials. In the course of my job as a college instructor, I have observed my Millennial students walking down the hallway or across campus, head bent down over their phone, thumbs moving like crazy. In my classes, I have to remind them consistently to turn off their phones for the 75-minute period, as if they can hardly bear to be out of touch for that long.

Okay, so maybe I'm like the Millennials in some of my values, attitudes and behaviors. But we differ, as generations always do, when it comes to pop culture. I doubt if the Millennials played Atari or Nintendo with their friends, taped songs from the radio onto a cassette, played with My Little Pony or know who Tommy Tutone is.

Oh, yes, I am definitely still a Gen Xer, no matter what the quiz says!

So how "Millennial" are you? Take the quiz and find out: http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz. Then let me know!

Let's talk about our generation

2010-01-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

The Silent Generation. Baby Boomers. Generation X. The Millennials.

If you are between the ages of about 85 and 8, you are part of one of these generations.

Ever since I learned I was a member of a cohort called "Generation X," I've been fascinated by the concept of cultural generations. The ones that interest me the most are the Baby Boomers, because my parents are members of that generation; Generation X, because that is my cultural cohort; and the Millennials, because the students that I work with fall into that group.

What are the differences and similarities between these generations? Why do we often see things so differently from those older than us and those younger than us? Why are our concerns, interests and communication styles often so different? And why are we drawn to those our own age when we want to talk about the way the world was when we were growing up?

As a college instructor, I have the privilege of working with older colleagues who fall into the Baby Boomer generation or are at the older end of Generation X. And I get great pleasure from working with Millennial students. As I interact with these diverse age groups, it is interesting to see how they think, talk and act.

It is my intention with this blog to explore these generational issues. My purpose is to explore the similarities and differences between cultural generations with a certain intellectual curiosity. My purpose is not to blast any one generation as being better or worse than any other. And I am also not out to cry about how my generation got shafted. I'm sure we all feel like we've been shafted in some way.

I invite you to come along with me on my journey as I learn more about cultural generations and as I discuss the issues raised by reading about and interacting with them.

Jen-erations

Simple quiz causes identity crisis

Let's talk about our generation