I read an article yesterday by David Allison that kept me awake into the night. It was about Generation Y and their core differences from the Baby Boomers generation. David stated that in 2010, Gen-Y officially surpassed the Boomers to become the largest consumer demographic in America. It’s been in the back of my mind for the past five years that this was going to occur, yet I’ve been somewhat discouraged about the process. I am a Gen-Y’er, an elder of the generation actually, and it’s been clear to me that much of our core needs and desires have been sidelined by the retirement needs of the Boomers.
Author Michael Adams recently wrote a book entitled “Staying Alive: How Canadian Boomers will work, play, and find meaning in the second half of their adult lives,” which I gave it to my parents for their anniversary. In it, he describes that Boomers will continue to be actively involved in all areas of consumer society, embracing popular culture, technology, and even sustained careers. This is an interesting point because many of the proponents for the Gen-Y takeover are under the impression that the Boomers will go fading into the night. This is simply not the case. I see it in my parents and their friends all the time. Starting businesses, traveling, learning new languages, even going back to school! They are not the retirement-home crowd that my grandparents were.
