Jean M. TwengeCritiques

The book is choppy and I think it is not always honest about its process to handle sources so in some discussions I felt unconvinced that due diligence had been followed.

In other sections the sources are the core considerations and the analisys is very interesting and convincing.

Need to read whole thing and apply some grains of salt at some points.

Dr. Twenge considers what survey and census data tell us about the similarities and differences between generations from, roughly, the 1940s to the present. There are some surprises. Worth reading to understand one another.½

I am not big on this non-fiction exploration of how kids younger than Millennials are different from kids of other generation. There was some interesting statistics and graphs, but it is written in a boring manner with not as much substance as I had expected.

One of the best books that I've read in a long time. I say that a lot but this entire book is easy to read and fun to see on paper a book of studies that I've thought a lot about through the years. I don't know if that makes any sense but I look forward to reading the other book by her. And she's very hot BTW, although I know that's horrible to say nowadays.

One of the best books that I've read in a long time. I say that a lot but this entire book is easy to read and fun to see on paper a book of studies that I've thought a lot about through the years. I don't know if that makes any sense but I look forward to reading the other book by her. And she's very hot BTW, although I know that's horrible to say nowadays.

This was fantastic.

Birthdate and generation:
1901-1924: Greatest
1925-1945: Silent
1946-1964: Boomers*
1965-1979: X
1980-1994: Millennials
1995-2012: Z

* Note one exception: my husband, born in 1964, is insistently, definitively, indubitably, NOT a Boomer. Just ask him.

I'll cut right to the chase - Generation X, if not the "Greatest," then easily the "least annoying" of any generation that has ever lived (as per Chuck Klosterman).

"Gen X is the last generation to have had a mostly analog childhood." Then follows a list of experiences for which we were the Last Generation Standing: rotary phones, childhood without cable TV or videotapes, no internet, typewriters, bound encyclopedias, cameras with film, radios with dials, cassette tapes. Very sad.

"Gen X and later-born Boomers grew up in a unique time in media history, when TV was ubiquitous but had not yet splintered into the millions of viewing options that would come later... Gen X kids watched what was on TV because it was there... The result was a more unified pop culture experience than has existed since, and a trove of pop culture touchstones experienced by most Gen X'ers. A striking number of Gen X childhood memories revolve around TV."

You said it. I remember in the early 90s a staging of "The Brady Bunch Live" where some actors would simply act out an episode of said TV series verbatim with over-the-top acting. It was mind-blowing. Understand that in the early 90s my generation wasn't a thing yet. We weren't in charge. We were just getting jobs. And then suddenly our TV references were out there. Being staged. Being mentioned in movies ("I just don't understand why things can't go back to normal at the end of the half hour like on the Brady Bunch" - Reality Bites). Now it's old hat but I can't describe how funny it all was at first - like YES! You remember that too??

Of course all the descriptions of Gen X talk about how we were 'children of divorce.' I lived a conservative Catholic subculture where this was decidedly NOT the case. Same goes for 'latchkey kids' - Moms in my neighborhood didn't work. I had one friend with divorced parents, one - and it was WEIRD.

The Silents can speak for themselves (or could - they tend to be dead now), and nothing need be said about the Boomers. So let's switch focus to the next generations, Millennials and Z. These kids tend to be politically and socially active, which is typical of young people and great; but it's worrisome how divorced from reality some of their perceptions are. It's true many Millennials suffered the 2008 Great Recession at a bad time, but the economy did rebound, and the general pessimistic attitude about what a bad hand they've been dealt is not warranted. As for Z, they seem to believe some bizarre things, like that discrimination against women in higher ed is still rampant (women are solidly beating men in number of degrees earned); so their tendency to believe that society needs to be totally destroyed and rebuilt is scary.

Kids today.

A ideia central do livro é que as recentes tecnologias de comunicação, máxime o telefone celular, são fonte significativa na modelagem do comportamento da nova geração (crianças e adolescentes atuais, chamados pela autora de i-gen). Assim como a televisão ajudou a moldar a geração X, agora é a vez da internet deformar (um pouco mais) os filhos dos nascidos a partir de 1970.

Feels outdated already

What a fantastic book this is! I got the idea of reading it from 2 other FANTASTIC books [The Coddling of the American Mind] and [Irreversible Damage]. This book describes the opinions, attitudes, and values of the current generation in universities and the individuals who are entering the workforce greatly influencing government, education, media etc. They are the smartphone generation and quite unique compared to other generations. The writing was excellent with lots of research base and interview content. Twenge is professor of psychology and knows her subject well. I am a Boomer so I certainly noticed the cultural differences!

iGen 1995 to 2012
Millennials 1980 to 1994
Gen X 1965 to 1979
Boomers 1946 to 1964

I remember as a moody teenager once yelling at my dad that his problem was that he didn't boost my self-esteem. To his credit, in Twenge's opinion anyway, he replied that self-esteem was a feel-good construct that had no scientific backing to it. Which was not what teenage me wanted to hear. :)

I think this was much better than iGen. Possibly because there was less regurgitation of statistics from others... or maybe the author was more emotionally involved. She definitely had more helpful advice than the end. I found it interesting to contrast the two. In iGen it seemed like Millennials were the gold standard. Here there was plenty to be concerned about.

It did seem contradictory at one point-- she mentions that millennials all expect to be CEOs asap which, she rightly says, is an erroneous assumption. But then, later on, she interviews a woman who is 32 and "occupies a high position" in her company and is denied further maternity leave. So is it a conflict of statements there.

I possibly resonated with this because I am a millennial. In fact, I was surprised at how much still seemed familiarly "right" to me. So adjust for that bias.

Maybe I've read too many books that quote/ summarize this one. Or maybe it really was just a rehashing of stats that others collected. Either way, the information could have been presented in a more exciting way.

Twenge does a good job presenting some of the ideological inconsistencies of iGen, though. And her wrapping up at the end is worth some thought. But the rest I started glossing over because the format was so predictable and generically- presented.

This is an interesting book that has some insights in cultural difference between generations, particularly related to technology - however - I think she extrapolates way too much and stereotypes a whole generation with sweeping statements and doesn't really back up her claims with great evidence beyond data from a few surveys.

It is very simplified and does not take into account race or background.

I appreciated Twenge's insights into trends with the youngest generation and her suggestions regarding how to raise the iGen generation to be their best selves.½

I'd like her to go deeper. Much, much deeper.

The type of well-researched work that Twenge is known for - there is a lot more to dive into, but glad to have her share.

Twenge makes an excellent case about smartphones transforming a generation, but she also makes enormous generalizations about Gen Z (sorry, iGen is like fetch--not gonna happen) and doesn't really back up her suppositions with great evidence beyond data from a few surveys.

My big issue with the book is that very little of her narrative about Gen Z is rooted in the cultural contexts of what bred and shaped this new generation. Nothing happens in a vacuum! I would have liked a more complex context setup.

Finally, this book is already a bit dated. Her projections about Gen Z moving libertarian/Republican didn't reallllllly pan out, as evidenced by the 2018 election (although the youth vote was relatively low). And the Parkland kids probably defy a lot of her findings. I'll be interested to see Twenge revisit this research in ten years or so.

One of the best books that I've read in a long time. I say that a lot but this entire book is easy to read and fun to see on paper a book of studies that I've thought a lot about through the years. I don't know if that makes any sense but I look forward to reading the other book by her. And she's very hot BTW, although I know that's horrible to say nowadays.

Parents, professeurs, éducateurs ou employeurs: Nous sommes tous interpellés par l'omniprésence du téléphone portable et des technologies dans la vie de nos ados.

nonfiction, social media, youth, psychology

3.5 stars

The author is a psychologist who studies and compares generations. She calls the youngest generation “iGen”: this generation was born in 1995 and later, and they have only ever known a life with the Internet, and for many, smartphones. In this book, she looks at how the internet and social media (“new media” vs “old media” (tv, radio)) have affected them and their mental health. She also looks at communication, religion, politics, sex and dating, work and college, racism, and more. She believes that iGen is taking a much longer time to grow up; they have extended their childhoods.

Her previous book, Generation Me, looked at Millenials and I found it very interesting. Ditto for this one. I don’t have kids, but I still found this fascinating (and in some cases, horrifying – those “safe spaces” on college campuses? For anything that might offend anyone!). She includes a lot of statistics in the book; I like that she is able to compare the generations, but when all the generations were teens and young adults, due to surveys that have been done since the 1970s.

She also includes a lot of graphs, which are hard to read on my small Kobo screen, so print might be a better way to go if you want to look at the graphs. In addition to the statistics, though, she has done a lot of interviews, so she can take some of the stories from the interviews to highlight some of the findings from the stats (or show other perspectives) – the stats are averages. Overall, it’s a very interesting book.½

Audiobook- fascinating to hear the impact of iPhones on a whole generation½

What the author, a professor of psychology, calls “Generation Me” has also been referred to as “Millennials” and “Generation Y” – people born primarily in the 1980s and 1990s. She compares studies of three generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X and “GenMe”, with the focus on GenMe, and brings those statistics to this book. The statistics speak to averages and she also offers anecdotes that illustrate those averages she’s found in the statistics.

GenMe-ers have always been told they are special, to pursue their dreams and that they can be anything they want to be. But, the reality is that it’s now harder for that to realistically happen. So, people of this generation are disappointed, sometimes to the point of anxiety and/or depression when they do not actually realize those dreams. Additional chapters in the book also look at sex, equality, and work.

This was originally published in 2006, but I read the “Revised and Updated” edition, published in 2014, so there was more up to date info. I found this very interesting. It is a lot of stats, but I thought the author made it very readable. I think it might be even more interesting to parents, teachers, etc, as she also offers advice at the end of the book.

Skimmed & focused on final chapter, "Understanding--and Saving--iGen."

"...iGen'ers are scared, maybe even terrified. Growing up slowly, raised to value safety, and frightened by the implications of income inequality, they have come to adolescence in a time when their primary social activity is staring at a small rectangular screen that can like or reject them. The devices they hold in their hands have both extended their childhoods and isolated them from true interaction. As a result, they are both the physically safest generation and the most mentally fragile."

Worth going through for parents and teachers of iGen kids. While it may have saved pages, the online bibliography is a not a bibliography at all.

Skimmed & focused on final chapter, "Understanding--and Saving--iGen."

"...iGen'ers are scared, maybe even terrified. Growing up slowly, raised to value safety, and frightened by the implications of income inequality, they have come to adolescence in a time when their primary social activity is staring at a small rectangular screen that can like or reject them. The devices they hold in their hands have both extended their childhoods and isolated them from true interaction. As a result, they are both the physically safest generation and the most mentally fragile."

Worth going through for parents and teachers of iGen kids. While it may have saved pages, the online bibliography is a not a bibliography at all.

A fascinating look at the most current generation. Highly recommended for anyone working with them.