The Generations
The cohorts the book argues with, in order — who they are, when they arrived, and who from each of them sat down to be interviewed.
- Silent Generation 1928–1945 Learned work before computers existed and, in this book, worries about everyone else’s grandchildren. 1 interviewed
- Baby Boomers 1946–1964 Met the internet mid-career and were told to adapt, which they largely did, twice. 3 interviewed
- Generation X 1965–1977 The last generation to complete a job application by hand and unbothered about it. Went from projectors and reels and a white sheet (or an actual screen, if you were larny) to Betamax to VHS to YouTube and Netflix in one lifetime. 9 interviewed
- Xennials 1978–1983 The micro-generation that went from VHS to streaming in one lifetime: analogue childhood, digital adulthood, translator between both. The author’s tribe, which explains a few of the references. 2 interviewed
- Millennials 1981–1996 Entered the workforce alongside the smartphone and have been blamed for everything since, including by this table. 7 interviewed
- Generation Z 1997–2011 Never knew a world without search. Trusts Pinterest over the chatbot, which is its own kind of judgement. 3 interviewed
- Gen Zalpha 2012 A proposed hybrid of the last year of Z and the first of Alpha. Not officially recognised. Source: the population of one netball team. 1 interviewed
- Generation Alpha 2013– Growing up with AI as furniture. The first generation whose homework help hallucinated grannies. 1 interviewed
