What generation are you part of, really? Take this test.
If you want to know how old you really are, look at the media you use rather than the generation you were born into.
Generational labels are important in the discussion of the changing workforce. For example, we need to understand who is pushing for change and who is criticizing change in order to understand how to create workplace bridges. And increasingly, young people are calling for baby boomers to get out of the way.
However I get a lot of email from people at the later end of the baby boom who do not identify with baby boomers. To some extent researchers have dealt with this issue by categorizing the latter section of the baby boom separately, as Generation Jones (born between 1954 and 1965). This category will make some people feel better, but there still will be baby boomers who are indignant at being lumped with the delusional, self-centered, money-hungry baby boomers.
But hold it. Maybe you are not really part of the generation your birthday falls under.
Here’s an idea: We should determine our generation not by our age but by how we use media. This comes from Margaret Weigel, who has worked at Harvard and MIT doing research on digital media engagement:* “We should not judge people rigidly by the years they were born,” she says, “If we want to define people by categories, it should be by behaviors because this is something each of us chooses.”
Another reason to use media engagement to peg someone’s age is that the media we use reflects both the space we live in and the circle of friends we run with. For example, you probably won’t find the Wii at a senior center, and you do what your friends do or you’re out of the loop.
So here is a test I put together with the help of an interview with Weigel and an evening reading her blog. Add up your points to figure out what generation you’re really a part of:
Do you have your own web page? (1 point)
Have you made a web page for someone else? (2 points)
Do you IM your friends? (1 point)
Do you text your friends? (2 points)
Do you watch videos on YouTube? (1 point)
Do you remix video files from the Internet? (2 points)
Have you paid for and downloaded music from the Internet? (1 point)
Do you know where to download free (illegal) music from the Internet? (2 points)
Do you blog for professional reasons? (1 point)
Do you blog as a way to keep an online diary? (2 points)
Have you visited MySpace at least five times? (1 point)
Do you communicate with friends on Facebook? (2 points)
Do you use email to communicate with your parents? (1 point)
Did you text to communicate with your parents? (2 points)
Do you take photos with your phone? (1 point)
Do you share your photos from your phone with your friends? (2 points)
0-1 point – Baby Boomer
2-6 points – Generation Jones
6- 12 points – Generation X
12 or over – Generation Y
(Note: This post contains the views of Weigel and not necessarily those of Harvard and MIT.)
what crap im generation Y and i scored 6. Shows how retarded some of these questions are
this made me know in which placeI fall.
I scored 13 and is in Generation X category.
Whee! I was feeling embarrassed at the points that I wasn’t earning, but was surprised to find that at 57, I am Gen X. Sweet.
I agree with sks re: moving home. This is becoming more common for developmental reasons, as well as economic. I am also seeing more unrelated house sharing, renting of rooms in a single family dwelling, etc. Many people are having to be creative to care for themselves, elders, children, homes. Times are tough and getting tougher for most people.
I’m not even 40 yet but I scored early Generation X (with 7 points but only because I included a blog of my workouts which shares no personal detail, otherwise it’d be 5, squarely in Generation Jones), which would be around 1964-1970 (the birthyears of my older siblings, there’s six of us so there’s a mishmash of birth years, but I was the only one born after 1970), but I’ve always been a throwback, and I really idenitfy with the Silent Generation and early Baby Boomers (born 1924-1953). For example, I always preferred oldies music over the heavy metal of the 80s and grunge of the 90s growing up, my peers who preferred stuff like Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails thought I was weird for liking stuff like Del Shannon and Ray Charles (now it’s becoming cool again). Here are some things associated with late X and Y that I don’t get.
1. Obsession with cell phones (they’re great for emergencies, but kids today just yammer into them nonstop, and besides, what’s wrong with payphones?)
2. Paying for MP3s (if I want to buy music, I’ll buy an album…er…cassette…er…CD, thank you very much)
3. Texting (it’s harder to do than it’s worth, and kids who sit next to each other and text each other are the worst offenders)
4. Deliberate bad grammar (I can understand errors from someone who makes a mistake, but people who admit to typing “your” instead of “you’re” just to be lazy grind my last nerve)
5. Twitter (I call it http://www.stuffnobodycaresabout.net, I don’t think I need to explain why)
6. Posting intimate details of one’s life on Facebook (I use Facebook, but more to promote my city’s downtown as part of my job, but I also use it for talking to friends and general updates, but I don’t spill me guts on Facebook).
7. Posting photographs of everything they do (this applies to both Facebook and MySpace)
8. Tacky photo poses (making that face that looks like a duck sucking on a lemon, pseudo-gang symbols, peace signs, birdseye view camera shots)
9. I’m sure I forgot a few…..
Not saying the young people today are all bad, just that they have more stupid trends than did my generation or any previous one. On a positive note, some young people seem to be rejecting consumerism.
By the way, the Wii is also marketed to older people. My parents are in their 60s and have boatloads of fun with their Wii. I know they’re not really old people, but I just wanted to give an example of people not of today’s generation that play with the Wii.
genereation Y..
this is fun….
My older sister was born in 1987 and she likes a lot of music from like 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s and some from the 1990’s and when I tell people she likes old-school music they say Damn Aimee your sister is old I am like NO she’s NOT she was born in 1987 that is NOT very old so I would like to know what generation my sister was born in so I can tell my friends that she is NOT as old as they think she is.
I have NO idea what generation I am because I was born in 1997 and I like music from the 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s and some music artists from the 1990’s some song’s from a long time ago I like are Iron Man, Crazy Train, Come Together, Rock,n,roll All Night, Another Brick In The Wall, Hey You, Comfortably Numb, Hell’s Bell’s , T.N.T, Hell’s NOT a bad place to be, School’s Out, No More Mister Nice Guy, and etc. some song’s writen in the 90’s that I like by artist who have been around way before the 90’s or just starting in the 90’s is Aimee by a artist who satarted way before the 90’s Mama I’m Coming Home long time artist My little Man long time artist I DON’T like the drugs but the drugs like me artist from 1989 The Dope Show artist from 1989 and etc. So I have NO idea what generation I am from.
Interesting article.
But generation Y starts in 1976 and reach an end to give place to generation Z in 1993.
I scored 12, but I’m a 100% millennial; so I doubt the credibility of this test.
I found a full guide about our generation that explains a lot of things and aspects of gen Y. I liked the part that describes our movies, toys and music; specially the Commodore 64 part.
http://www.youbioit.com/en/article/shared-information/1357/generation-y
I have NO idea what generation me and my sister and my brothers are from because my sister was born in 1987 my brothers were both born on the same day in 1993 and I came in 1997 but we are all like music from the 60’s 70’s 80’s and some from the 90’s so if someone asks me and my sister and my brothers on a music artist like Justin Bieber today we would be like who the FUCK are you talkin about even though our generations start from 1987 to 1993 to 1997 but we are also somewhat old-school people.
I could totally make or do any of the things on this list, I just don’t… Haha I still scored 17 though
I’m a gen Y, and scored as a gen Y, but I think some questions aren’t relevant. Not everyone is into MySpace or Facebook, and that doesn’t mean they’re not part of the generation. Also, many people of gen Y don’t do blogs ’cause they think blogging sux.
I got over 14… way over 14 lol I actually lost count after…=/ lol
I scored a 20! Definately Generation Y!
I was born in 1960’s but I am in IT so I scored 13 putting me in Gen Y.
I have just passed my 70th birthday, own a Wii and scored 14 points. Come on, there is a lot of ageist trash here. I am far more IT literate than my oldest two children aged 41 and 43. My grandchildren have overtaken me though!
Lmao i barely scored 6 points and im a gen y
i’m 19 years old but judging from this test i was born somewhere before 1982.
Okay so i was born in 1985 i think the best time for me was the 80’s and the 90’s back then the music clothes movies even the toys were awesome i remember back in school when those furbies were the popularst toys ever and so were the gi ga pet keychains i had a furby and a gi ga pet i remember the music was real cool to like the BackStreet Boys and The Spice Girls there were the walkman before the ipod and those cute ty beanie babies i remember how everyone had collected them the tv shows i sure miss what they use to have on tv it was alot better of what they have on tv today so i would say i best fit in between the late 80’s early 90’s that was the best Era Ever!
I’m in my late 40s and I love the Backstreet Boys! Alas, everyone I know who is 40 or more just rolls their eyes at me and groans.
And I was in my late teens/early 20s during the 80s, so love the 80s too.Also have a pretty big Ty Beanie Baby collection, but I think that crosses generations more easily. I lot of people my age have a few of those.
And I agree. There’s nothing worth watching on TV anymore. I’d rather watch a DVD, or something online.
interesting writeup, i’ve got to mention this to a friend of mine
I’m 16 and I scored a 9.
Have you ever thought about including a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is important and everything. But imagine if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and clips, this blog could undeniably be one of the greatest in its niche. Amazing blog!
this is good test. i fall in gen y. Thanks.
I believe this is not true judge of our generation. Technology is changing very fast and its difficult to gauge generation. so this needs an update now?
broken links in this article are annoying!
I resent that I am penalized 2 points because I never built a website for a friend. All my friends know how to build their own websites.
Secondly, I don’t like being penalized for not using a phone for photography. I have a $5000 camera for that.
I was born in 1994 but I only scored 7, making me a Generation X. I’m so bad with technology which is weird for someone my age.
Time to update this. Of course I did much better than I did two years ago – or four years ago – and by now, my 85-year-old father is at least Generation X! Of course, I substituted FriendFeed for several of the categories, like MySpace, which is basically dead, and blogging – some of my FF posts and comments are as long as blog posts. I would IM more except I really am trying to work sometimes, like during the day, and therefore am leery of all synchronous interruptions. I’m good enough at creating my own, thankyouverymuch.
Now – if only this quiz had a place for Twitter – but that’s an old folks’ medium . . .
My father is on Facebook, uses email and sends texts – and he’s got FB pushing notifications to his phone. He’s learning rock ‘n roll since he came to live with us, because we’ve made it a required course, but I don’t think he’ll download any music. He has learned to download apps, though, and uses the MLB and CNN free versions on his phone.
I took your test. I got 16 points. That makes me Gen y. But I’m 67 — is the test still valid??? Oh wait, sometimes I think I am 25 again. My brain says so, my body tells me differently. What’s a number anyway….There’s a good reason why I majored in art.
I am really a generation `Z` , but on here it says i am a generation `X`?
Why???
P.S. I`m born on 20 century (2000)
I`m 10 years old!
is it true that i`m a generation `X`
I always thought I was a generation `Z`!!!!
very interesting…i’m late to this party b/c i recently stopped working and i’ve been dwelling on turning 50 this past april (it’s 2011, i was born in 1961). i know i’m at the tail-end of the baby boomer group, but also knew that some definitions of gen x also included 1961, which i found confusing – some aspects of gen x fit me, but most do not. i decided to take this test after doing a google search about what generation i fell into given my birthdate.
thanks for the scoring section, btw…not sure i agree with the weighting or the assignments, but it’s close enough more or less, i suppose – after all, it’s a tough call given our current level of technology, particularly given this was written in 2007. i’d love to see an updated one.
disclosure: i’ve got a BS and MS in comp sci and i’m a UNIX sysadmin/Oracle DBA, so i’m not the average 1961 person…
i scored an 11, which places me in gen x. which, if you knew me, you’d know i’m not a gen x person (i’m just NOT the MTV generation, though there is a lot of gen x in me in terms of musical taste, as well as baby boomer). the cold war ITSELF defines me more than the fall of the berlin wall. there *were* no home computers until i was an adult.
the comment about gen jones in wiki – “Key characteristics: less optimistic, distrust of government, general cynicism.” – is *exactly* me. so take a lot of the late baby boom, a lot of gen x, mix in the glass half-empty, total distrust of authority and cynicism in general – and yeah. i’d place myself in gen jones.
president obama and i have a lot in common (he’s 2 months younger than me) – except he’s desperately trying to put an optimistic face out there. i voted for him, and it’s killing me to watch these 4 years play out. i knew the next president after 8 years of bush/cheney was a potential one-termer. didn’t matter who it was; the person was doomed from the start.
I was born in 1964, right at that same shady area between Baby Boomer and Gen X. I think the deciding factor fell to ME rather than some arbitrary cut off year. I relate more to the movies, music and culture of Gen X, and almost all my friends are currently between 35-45 years old, and they influence me as well. Meanwhile, I’m the youngest kid of four, and my siblings are all Baby Boomers through and though — and I don’t easily relate to them or their culture. So, really, I think of myself as Gen X even if a lot of people see 1964 as Baby Boomer. I also like a lot of late 90s’ pop, and I’m a major Twitter nut — so that skews it further. …. I think, when it comes down to it all. We are what WE are. We can put a label on it, or choose to not label at all. But if we let someone who doesn’t know us try to pigeonhole us into some category, we’re in big trouble already.
I scored 20, and I am over 50 but under 60. I always feel a little more at home with my son’s age group, but people of all ages look askance when I say things like, “Dude! You really rocked that one!”
I probably scored higher than my son.
I like 80’s colors, and tried out 3 new software programs this week.
I’m a “girl”. I think I have broken the mold.
Sheesh I’m 55 years old and a generation X’r? Come on. Your criteria was out of date a month after you published it four years ago.
I am 56 and love your blog. Great advice I often share with my kids and younger co-workers. I went back to this test prior to teaching a class on motivating different generations and think you need to pull this off. I scored a 12…however, in 2007, when it was published, I would have likely scored 1 or 2. Interesting how things change
are you serious this is a test of how people adapt if techology is out there it will be used many baby boomers have adapted to the age of gen y simply because its life that is not why there here this is the most shorts sited test ive ever found
you fail
Some of these don’t really work…I can’t text or email my parents, for example, because they’re dead. And age has nothing to do with it, since they died when I was fairly young. And I don’t really “text,” but had a friend once who would only respond to texts and therefore to communicate with her I was forced to, though I didn’t like it. Nonetheless, the survey pegged me as Gen X, which is at least chronologically correct.
other ways to define generations is the understanding how technology enhances freedom like the bill of rights as a computer program for example using spy bot search and destroy and also judging by environmentalism .
also the idea employment is found in liberty and citizenship not corporations
Wow – I’m Gen x (at 67 yrs old)!!! It’s a good think I refuse to get stuffed in a neat little media package. ;)
score of 21… woo! but who remixes videos???? and if ur a real net rat you should be able to answer this. what are rules 1 & 2?
Wow! After working for 38 years as a real life guidance counselor in one of the states with the lowest teacher pay, I had no idea I was “delusional, self-centered, or money-hungry.”
Michael, you do have a point by saying that gen y starts in 1976, given that the book “Millenial Manifesto” proves that a majority of those born beginning in ’76 are liberal on social issues. I was born in 1979 and am proud to be a member of the Progressive Millenial Generation.
Michael, you do have a point by saying that gen y starts in 1976, given that the book “Millenial Manifesto” proves that a majority of those born beginning in ’76 are liberal on social issues. I was born in 1979 and am proud to be a member of the Progressive Millenial Generation.
I would laugh so hard if a Baby Boomer chose “Watching videos on Youtube” as their only point…
Hmmm.. born in 1964 but this easily classifies me as a Gen Y (and would have even if I had done the same test three years ago when some of those options were la lot less popular even among teenagers). Gotta love these ways we label people….
I was also born in 1964, and I scored a 13, which also labels me “Gen Y” — which speaking of labels, everyone tells me I’m supposed to be a Baby Boomer because I was born in 1964, but I personally related most strongly to people who are currently in their mid 30s through early 40s (most of my personal friends are in that bracket) so by association, I would label myself — if I have to label myself anything — as Generation X. I just got born a couple of years too early. But I’m not sure about this Gen Y thing. Another quiz labels me pretty much the same way, said I was clearly a “Millennial” (so I guess I’m just young at heart).
Not a bad quiz. Although I am sure there will be people who find themselves in the wrong category, I think it accurately describes the large bulk of the population. I always did think of myself as GenX, but I suppose being born post-1981, this does make me GenY, so it worked for me.
Not a bad quiz. Although I am sure there will be people who find themselves in the wrong category, I think it accurately describes the large bulk of the population. I always did think of myself as GenX, but I suppose being born post-1981, this does make me GenY, so it worked for me.
I love your quiz! I used it as part of a training for six week series called Clearing the Hurdles for job seekers in Columbus, Ohio. Our group did pretty well, but one person got scored a “1”. Everyone had a goal to work on by the end of the workshop. It’s really a great way to get you thinking about what you could be doing in a lighthearted way. We got laughs…and results!
I scored 13, supposedly Gen Y.
I was born in 1964. Many would say I’m Baby Boomer, but I don’t identify much with Baby Boomers (my three older siblings among them). I always related far better to Generation X, though I pick up some Millennial stuff here and there as well.
Not sure I would consider the test accurate, really. Judging from many of the comments, just by the nature of our living in 2011, we all have a potential to fall into the “Gen Y” category of this test. But it makes for interesting conversation.
Argh, free music is not automatically the same as illegal!
There are a fair chunk of individuals who make music and release either short versions (e.g. the artist of the site Music To Wear Pants To) or even whole versions (e.g. Interrobang Cartel) for free. Some make music with zero intent of getting money out of it, because it is just a hobby and the contribution to the community makes them happy enough – and if they get popular enough they happily release collector CDs (several artists at for instance the site Nico Nico Douga) and so on. It is similar to webcomics: There is a ton of free stuff if you know where to look, yet a lot of it is also happily sold as paper books / physical CDs if it gets popular enough. This after frequently taking donations while putting stuff up for free in order to keep the site running. Essentially – those who are willing to contribute can if permitted by the artist, and then you can even buy merch or collections of the online content you have frequented. Those who cannot or will not can also take advantage of the free content, which is exactly why it’s good, as those people are likely to introduce others to the original source, both more people who do not help the artist financially as well as more who do. Just because I have bought several CDs, as well as high quality mp3s of mp3s I already have, does not make the music any less free – as it was merely me choosing to buy the fancier versions – this was not required in any way whatsoever. As said as well, there area few mp3s I could never pay for no matter how much I would like to, because the artists do not take money and they do not want to risk turning the responsibility-free “fun” into some kind of work. Or some just post stuff and then later on ditch their old online persona/accounts (and a few just die and abandon stuff that way).
Jonathan Coulton (known for instance for his “Still Alive” song from Portal 1) is a great example of someone who frequently releases whole mp3s in decent quality for free, while also accepting donations, on top of selling better quality mp3s and CDs, and does a lot of live concerts based partially on demand (measured by people more or less “voting” for locations for him to go to, i.e. if there are enough people in some city that would happily attend a concert, and it’s not inconvenient to go there, he might go there).Free music is NOT automatically illegal! Get this stuff right!Implying that free music is illegal by definition just showcases great ignorance.
“Free (illegal)” parses as “free i.e. illegal”, while “free (and possibly illegal)” or any other variation thereof is better.
The determination that use of electronic media determines membership in a generation and being part of a generation determies intent attitudes towards change, gives a false and satisfying picture. Use of technology shows an ability to communicate and manipulate, but not what was the intention of the manipulation.
Changing this world is internal. Use of technology with no intent to make this planet a better place, is really a misuse of technology.