Retracting generations
There is a wonderful serendipitous sensation when you come across a piece of copy that you wish you'd written. Words that express thoughts that have been rummaging around inside your head, searching for clarity, suddenly find form.
Twice in one week for me ... and both concerning the future of the workplace.
First from the United Kingdom's Wallpaper magazine.
"There's no arguing with the demographics: 40 is the new 30, making 90 the new 75. Advances in medicine prolong our active lives and surgical techniques reduce the visible signs of aging. Yet, even as life spans are stretched, the vacuity of popular culture and its associated retreading of old themes means generation gaps continue to contract. The old get younger and the young get older, so that if 12 is the new 18, and 30 the new 20, then there is some lonely, dark waiting room in the space time continuum full of 'kidults' and 'adultescents' sustained only by ironic nostalgia as they wait to emerge from the overlap."
And next from Annie Dow of Dow Design.
"The 20-somethings are the most educated and technologically savvy generation of new adults ever, which contributes to a blind confidence in their own ability. On the other hand, Baby Boomers refuse to admit that any generation gap exists - in part because they still see themselves as the younger generation and cling to their views of eternal youth.
Creating a work environment that meets cross-generational expectations and facilitates communication within organisations is a big priority and no small challenge when they are often talking at cross-purposes."
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