What generation am I?
For the past 15 or so years I’ve been an “internet junkie”, but it wasn’t always like that, it kind of snuck up and stole my humanness away, and more recently, handed it back!
Im probably showing my age here but it started at Uni when I was forced to use computers as the costs of computer literate people offering their services soared. I remember the day distinctly, when it became too damn expensive to pay a nerd to type up my written essay. I had to get out of the Uni Bar, and into the computer lab once a week and type the thing myself!
It was there that I met my first nerd and it was the beginning of the end. Within weeks I had forgotten the primary purpose of the lab and I was connecting to Bulletin Boards before I even considered opening Microsoft Word. Over the years this progressed to FTP’ing, building websites, music and video sharing and other such activities.
Since the mid 90’s the internet has become my sole source of, well…just about everything.
I don’t read newspapers, except when I’m really bored on Sundays and need to fill time with trash like the Sun Herald or Daily Telegraph. Instead I have a permanent ticker scrolling across my pc window of 100+ RSS news feeds.
I don’t watch TV, per se, I time shift everything and download TV series or movies I like on Apple TV. I cant remember the last time I watched an Ad on the TV.
I don’t shop in shops. I mean, sure, Ill end up purchasing big things in a shop but only once I know which model is the right one and what the right price is. Online stores that ship for free get my discretionary spend and all my research is based on online reviews backed up by questions in expert forums dedicated to the subject matter.
And most recently I’ve become obsessed with online social networks. At last count I’m a member of 20 or so, my desktop is full of people letting the world know they are going for a smoke, dropping the dog at day care, driving a tractor or swimming a marathon. I recently rejoiced when I found friendfeed, an application that offers the hope of aggregating all these social networks into a single feed of mashed up “socialness”.
So the question I have for all the millions of readers of this blog is, what generation am I? Because, quite frankly, I have a fear I can’t be classified, that I indeed transcend generations, could I be a “Gen xyz”?, pronounced “jenxyz”, really fast.
First, to define: Generation X are ages 24-32 years, Generation Y are ages 16-24 years and Generation Z are ages preteen-15 years. But what’s that got to do with behaviour. What if your behaviour is identical to the all the definitions sociologists assign to these ages?
What I am getting at here is that I think, since becoming a nerd, and coming to terms with being a nerd I’ve managed to create a new super generation, a combination of behaviours, and as a result I’ve come to the profound realisation that I need to invent my own classification or risk leaving myself open to poorly executed marketing campaigns such as direct mail selling me innersoles for shoes I haven’t FTP’d, downloaded, read about, seen in an episode of 24, or discussed on a forum.
Where to next you might ask, well that’s precisely the question I need an answer to. One thing I do know is that right after I hit publish on this post Ill be logging into friend feed and letting the world know about this pointless piece.
Its funny isn’t it, the detractors feared the internet would steal our humanness away and here we are, thanks to online social networks, more engaged and interactive than ever before.
But, sadly, some of us are left uncategorised, unclassified and feeling generationless (that’s a new word) and are forced to write original content about a pointless journey in search of meaning.
Peace
p.s. Christ I hope no one took this seriously…
Tags: friendfeed, generation, generation x, generation y, generation z, nerd, online social networks, Uni
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