iGen, TED Talk by Jason Dorsey

I listened to Jason Dorsey's TED Talk about iGen (the generation born between 1996 and now), and feel quite enlightened about both details and the overarching, bigger picture about generations, technology, parenting, and behavior.  It's so fascinating.

Here are some main points from his talk:

Jason Dorsey, Millennials and iGen expert at The Center for Generational Kinetics, gave a TEDx talk this past month about the emerging generation iGen. Also called Gen Z, Generation Z or Centennials, this growing group is currently age 20 and under and soon to be the fastest growing generation in the workforce. The TEDx talk, which received a standing ovation, focused on three touch points: diversity, technology and parenting. Dorsey offered unique insight into iGen while also discussing how the different generations are changing and influencing each other. He covered the following overarching lessons: 

• iGen is shaped by its experiences. They have no recollection of 9/11 and will never remember a time before we had an African American president or gay marriage was legal. These are not just non-issues, they are history.
• iGen is the most diverse generation in U.S. history, so diverse that they do not see diversity unless it’s absent.
• iGen’s attitudes toward technology and their true dependence on it provides the best snapshot we have of future technology usage for each of us.
• Parenting is the greatest trend that affects behavior. It's the greatest trend that is influencing behavior across generations. Gen X and Millennials are parenting iGen.
• Generations are dividing and will get shorter in duration. As the pace of change increases, we could end up with six to seven generations at one time.
• Millennials are splitting into two trajectories at age 30, one group that is getting a job, getting married, having kids, and the other that is not creating real world traction.
• As we head into 2016, there are more defined generation groups than ever before, with Boomers, Gen X and iGen all co-existing and set to sit around the holiday table.

iGen is influencing the behavior of the other generations, especially in regard to technology. Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers will eventually adopt many of the habits and attitudes that iGen already views as normal. Shared Dorsey, “This happens because technology trends ripple up from the youngest adults to the oldest. It is our belief that older generations will end up looking more like iGen than they will look like us. Seven-year-olds today in the U.S. may actually have more in common with seven-year-olds in India than a 65-year-old in their own country!”