generation gap

History

John Protzko and Jonathan Schooler report that since 624 BC people have complained about the decline of the present generation of youth compared to earlier generations. They call this the "kids these days effect".

Early sociologists such as Karl Mannheim noted differences across generations in how the youth transits into adulthood, and studied the ways in which generations separate themselves from one another, in the home and in social situations and areas (such as churches, clubs, senior centers, and youth centers).

The sociological theory of a generation gap first came to light in the 1960s, when the younger generation (later known as baby boomers) seemed to differ in matters their parents had previously believed in terms of music, values, government and political views as well as cultural tastes. Sociologists now refer to the "generation gap" as "institutional age segregation". Usually, when any of these age groups are engaged in its primary activity, the individual members are physically isolated from people of other generations, with little interaction across age barriers except at the nuclear family level.

Distinguishing generation gaps

There are several ways to make distinctions between generations. For example, names are given to major groups (Silent Generation, baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, Generation Z, Generation Alpha, and Generation Beta) and each generation sets its own trends and has its own cultural impact.

Language use

Generations can be distinguished by the differences in their language use. The generation gap has created a parallel gap in language that can be difficult to communicate across. This issue is one visible throughout society, creating complications within day-to-day communication at home, in the workplace, and in schools. As new generations seek to define themselves as something apart from the old, they adopt new lingo and slang, allowing a generation to create a sense of division from the previous one.

Slang is an ever-changing set of colloquial words and phrases that speakers use to establish or reinforce social identity or cohesiveness within a group or with a trend in society at large. As each successive generation of society struggles to establish its own unique identity among its predecessors it can be determined that generational gaps provide a large influence over the continual change and adaptation of slang. As slang is often regarded as an ephemeral dialect, a constant supply of new words is required to meet the demands of the rapid change in characteristics. And while most slang terms maintain a fairly brief duration of popularity, slang provides a quick and readily available vernacular screen to establish and maintain generational gaps in a societal context.

Every generation develops new slang, but with the development of technology, understanding gaps have widened between the older and younger generations. "The term 'communication skills,' for example, might mean formal writing and speaking abilities to an older worker. But it might mean e-mail and instant-messenger savvy to a twenty-something." People often have private conversations in secret in a crowded room in today's age due to the advances of mobile phones and text messaging. Among "texters" a form of slang or texting lingo has developed, often keeping those not as tech-savvy out of the loop. "Children increasingly rely on personal technological devices like cell phones to define themselves and create social circles apart from their families, changing the way they communicate with their parents. Cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail, and the like have encouraged younger users to create their own inventive, quirky, and very private written language. That has given them the opportunity to essentially hide in plain sight. They are more connected than ever, but also far more independent. Text messaging, in particular, has perhaps become this generation's version of Pig Latin."

Technological innovations that have occurred between generations have made some skills obsolete: for example, shorthand (e.g. Gregg shorthand), a system of stenography often used in the 20th century to take notes and write faster using abbreviated symbols, rather than having to write each word. However, with new technology and the keyboard, newer generations no longer favour these older communication skills. Over 20 years ago, shorthand was taught in many high schools, but now students have rarely seen or even heard of it.

Generational consciousness

Generational consciousness is another way of distinguishing among generations that were worked on by social scientist Karl Mannheim. Generational consciousness is when a group of people become mindful of their place in a distinct group identifiable by their shared interests and values. Social, economic, or political changes can bring awareness to these shared interests and values for similarly-aged people who experience these events together and thereby form a generational consciousness. These types of experiences can impact individuals' development at a young age and enable them to begin making their own interpretations of the world based on personal encounters that set them apart from other generations.

Intergenerational living

"Both social isolation and loneliness in older men and women are associated with increased mortality, according to a 2012 Report by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America". Intergenerational living is one method being used worldwide as a means of combating such feelings. A nursing home in Deventer, The Netherlands, developed a program wherein students from a local university are provided small, rent-free apartments within the nursing home facility. In exchange, the students volunteer a minimum of 30 hours per month to spend time with the seniors. The students will watch sports with the seniors, celebrate birthdays, and simply keep them company during illnesses and times of distress. Programs similar to the Netherlands' program were developed as far back as the mid-1990s in Barcelona, Spain. In Spain's program, students were placed in seniors' homes, with a similar goal of free or cheap housing in exchange for companionship for the elderly. That program quickly spread to 27 other cities throughout Spain, and similar programs can be found in Lyon, France, and Cleveland, Ohio.

Demographics

To help sociologists understand the transition into adulthood of children of different generations, they compare the current generation to both older and earlier generations at the same time. Not only does each generation mature mentally and physically in their own ways, but they also create new aspects of attending school, forming new households, starting families and even creating new demographics. The difference in demographics regarding values, attitudes, and behaviors between the two generations are used to create a profile for the emerging generation of young adults.

There is a large demographic difference between the baby boomer generation and earlier generations, which are less racially and ethnically diverse than the baby boomers. This also results in a growing cultural gap: baby boomers have generally higher education, with a higher percentage of women in the labor force and more often occupying professional and managerial positions.