The Language Dividing Generations

While the labels may have started on TikTok, in recent years, labels like “Boomer,” "Millennial," "Gen Z," and "Gen Alpha" have become more and more mainstream. Used initially as demographic labels, they’ve since evolved into words with more loaded intention, wielded as weapons in an inter-generational conflict. Why are generations beefing, you may ask? Well, I’m here to analyze why. 

At its core, generational labeling is a way of “othering” those of a specific age group. By creating a title with specific criteria, like how Millenials are those born between the early 80s and late 90s, it’s created a divide where there wasn’t before. When someone says “Ok Boomer,” not only are they dismissing the person at hand, they’re also dismissing the entire generation, and what they may represent. Now, Boomer has become a synonym for being outdated, or resistant to change: it’s become an insult, when wielded. This change isn’t limited to Boomers—the coined phrases of entitled Millennial or phone-addicted Gen Z also reflect this phenomenon. 

Not only does this language stereotype age groups, it also furthers the generational divide. Each generation has lived through different times, and a different set of challenges, which is why they may have contrary beliefs or values. This trend of stereotyping Boomers as technology blind, and Gen Alpha as addicted to technology only manages to capture a snapshot of a generation, neglecting the differing life experiences that led to this shift. With polarized language comes generational enmity, as each generation calls the other by stereotypes. 

The popularity of these generational labels might also be a reflection for group identity, taken to the extreme. By aligning with the shared experiences of their generation, this tribalism is what led to the generational wars. Especially with how quickly the digital age has been changing the world, this divide makes more and more sense. The experience of Gen Alpha, or those born in the last decade, are pretty different from those born in the 2000s. 

While generational labels are a natural development, let us not let this dictate the way we interact with those of other generations.