First there were baby boomers. Then there was Generation X, followed by Y, Z and Alpha. Now, a new cohort has emerged.
Generation Beta, expected to span those born from 2025 to 2040, is already being discussed by demographers and sociologists, and the term is fast gaining traction in English-language media. But just how meaningful are these generational labels and what do they really tell us about the people they supposedly define?
“They are more of a popular science category,” says generational researcher and author Ruediger Maas.
Sociologist and youth researcher Klaus Hurrelmann says: “The classifications have become very common [not only] in marketing and advertising but also in science.”
A new generation emerges on the scene roughly every 15 years: baby boomers – those born after World War II up until 1964 – were followed by Generation X, born from 1965 to 1979.
