GenTech : an American story of technology, change and who we really are (1900-present)

A social historian examines the use of technology in modern U.S. history and offers a different way to group American generations.The G.I. Generation. Silents. Baby Boomers. Gen Xers. Millenials. Generation Z. Every generation has its label and box. But the real question is: Why?Enter GenTech. It's a whole new way to look at American generations. Instead of the conventional fixed and linear dates for generational cohorts, Dr. Rick Chromey proposes a fresh understanding that's fluid and more of a loop, rooted to the technology each generation experiences in their “coming of age” years.Since 1900, there has been more technological change than in all of previous combined history. The airplane. The automobile. Radio. Television. Nuclear energy. Rockets. Internet. Cellphones. Robots. Furthermore, there's a massive cultural shifting unlike anything witnessed since the Dark Ages gave way to the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, Scientific, and Industrial Ages. Consequently, postmodern generations (born since 1960) have grown up in a new, cyber, wireless, and visual high-tech culture that's forever changed how we do business, learn, socialize, broadcast, entertain, and worship.It's technology that shapes us, gives every generation its personality, and seeds who we'll become tomorrow. GenTech opens a whole new perspective on how to view the world and understand why every generation matters.Praise for GenTech“Whether you're a technology nerd or wizard, this intriguing book will help you connect the digital dots. You'll see how technology is profoundly shaping our culture—and you, like it or not. Plus, you'll discover how technology affects each generation differently, for better or worse.”—Thom Schultz, co-author of Don't Just Teach...Reach! Every twenty years a new generation rises, but who and what defines these generations? And could current generational tags mislead and miss the point? In this insightful analysis of technology history since 1900, Dr. Rick Chromey offers a fresh perspective for understanding what makes a generation tick and differ from others. Within GenTech , readers learn how every generation uniquely interacts with particular technologies that define historical temperament and personality and why current generational labels are more fluid than fixed, and more loopy than linear. Consequently, three major generational constellations emerge, each containing four, twenty-year generations that overlap, merge, and blend: The Audio Generations (1900-1950) : Transportation-Telephone Generation (1900-1920), Motion Picture Generation (1910-1930), Radio Generation (1920-1940), Vinyl Record Generation (1930-1950) The Visual Generations (1940-1990) : Television Generation (1940-1960), Space Generation (1950-1970), Gamer Generation (1960-1980) and Cable Television Generation (1970-1990) The Digital Generations (1980-2000) : Personal Computer-Cell Phone Generation (1980-2000), Net Generation (1990-2010), iTech Generation (2000-2020), and Robotics Generation (2010-2030) Dive in and revel in this exciting, compelling, and novel perspective to understanding recent American generations with GenTech . "The G.I. Generation. Silents. Baby Boomers. Gen Xers. Millennials. Generation Z. Every generation has its label and box. But the real question is: Why? Enter GenTech: It's a whole new way to look at American generations. Instead of the fixed linear dates for generational cohorts, Dr. Rick Chromey proposes a fresh understanding that's loopy and fluid, rooted in the technology each generation experiences in their 'coming of age' years. Since 1900 there has been more technological change than in all of previous combined history. The airplane. The automobile. Radio. Television. Nuclear energy. Rockets. Internet. Cellphones. Robots. Furthermore, there's been a massive cultural shifting unlike anything witnessed since the Dark Ages gave way to the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, Scientific, and Industrial Ages. Consequently, postmodern generations (born since 1960) have grown up in a new, cyber, wireless, and visual high-tech culture that's forever changed how we do business, learn socialize, broadcast, entertain, and worship. It's technology that shapes us. It's technology that gives every generation its personality. It's technology that seeds who we'll become tomorrow. GenTech opens a whole new perspective on how to view the world and understand why every generation matters"--Back cover