iGeneration

Ever since we first touched upon the subject in AP Psychology, I have been wondering what exactly makes our generation unique. Mr. Sturgeon told us about how other generations seemed to have more of an identity compared to ours, with their styles, music and fads and it sort of worries me that we don't have anything to set us apart from all the other generations. I mean, I don't really want to be the unidentified generation. When I was in a bookstore last week I saw a book about how Snark (a word that is basically a combination of snide and remark) is apparently changing our society for the worse and it's all because of our generation of degenerates and our horrifyingly sarcastic ways. I don't mind a bit of snark, in fact, sarcasm is pretty much my favorite form of communication, but I don't necessarily want it to become our only identifying feature.

But what should identify us? Our clothing styles are mostly just borrowed from previous generations. Our music isn't unique unless you count rap and auto tune as revolutionary developments in the field. And many of our more popular songs are just remakes of old one hit wonders. The only things I can find which could count as being even remotely revolutionary are Language and Technology. With language I'm not sure it counts because language is always changing and every generation, memorable or not, makes changes in language. Besides, what have we even changed? We've simply made phrases and words gradually shrink so that we could be even lazier with communication than before. And technology has allowed this to happen even faster. Technology may truly be the only thing that makes us distinguished from other eras. With all the developments being made, from the iPod to the iPad we just keep one coming out with innovative new things to give ourselves. So does that make us the iGeneration? Constantly worried about "I" and continuously discovering new technology to satisfy ourselves with...

Is it sad that these are the only things I could come up with that even partially establish us as an anomalous era? Or is this normal? Maybe it is simply impossible to understand what sets a generation apart until aforementioned generation is fully grown and we have all become more responsible versions of our degenerate, snarky selves. But somehow, I find this theory difficult to believe, after all, in the fifties didn't they almost immediately know that they would be later identified as the generation of Rock & Roll? In the sixties and seventies didn't they know they would be known as the Hippie generation? Maybe that's because these were more countercultural movements than anything else. Is that our problem though? Do we need a more rebellious movement to earn our place in history as a generation to remember or do we simply need time? Either way, I do hope that someday we will be known as something. Even if it is just the iGeneration.