iGen

The 10 Trends Shaping Today's Young People - and the Nation

By: Jean M. Twenge Ph.D.

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby

An entertaining first look at how today's members of iGen - the children, teens, and young adults born in the mid-1990s and later - are vastly different from their millennial predecessors and from any other generation, from the renowned psychologist and author of Generation Me.

With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today's rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person - perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, in how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. iGen is also growing up more slowly than previous generations: 18-year-olds look and act like 15-year-olds used to.

As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them: Friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation - and the world.

©2017 Jean M. Twenge (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio

insightful somewhat tunneled

while generational labels are US-centric in essence, but the traits that may be identified in later generations seems to be more common across the world and hence finding this book not only relevant but insightful on many aspects that influence this generation especially with the intrinsic impact of technology on them. The author seemed at times focused on delivering in a specific theme excessively, namely; heightened sense of safety, fragility and slow growth into adulthood.. still valuable information and advice on how to understand them and thus how to best engage them .

Great book!

Me being an iGenner myself I was able to understand the norms of my generation and the things I can relate to and differ on. I love how to book were purely scientific on unbiased, truly a great listen.

Eye Opening!

A serious and social scientific look at the emerging generation, iGen highlights the unique characteristics of our kids and how they impact the way they think, act and communicate. This is a wonderful breakdown of the social, political, emotional and spiritual views of those born in the late 90s to 2000s.
On a personal level, having kids that are born during those years, this book has helped me to see my kids’ world and perspective much better and gave me tools to help them avoid some of the pitfalls of their generation. As a pastor, this has helped me understand the generation we are trying to reach and how to encourage them in their growth.
Overall, this has been a very eye-opening read and has shifted my thinking and my approach to iGen.

Don't buy your kid a smartphone...

.... until you read this book! Such important information far exceeding just that aspect. I have 3 daughters under age 11 and this was so thought provoking!

The book is great and iritating

While the trends and outcomes described in this book have become commonly familiar, reding the book, with its deep analysis and many examples added significantly to the understanding of the I-gen.
However, the book explores the behavior and trends of high school and college students, but mostly ignores young people of same age who do not attend post high school education colleges.
Regarding the solutions the author offers, I totally agree with her.
In my country, Israel, about half of the young boys and girls serve in the military (Arabs and orthodox Jews are exempt) or in national service. Some, like my daughters, do both.
This service really helps them to grow up, develop self confidence and view the world in a much more mature way when they arrive post high school college or university.
Therefore, while the trends of I-gen described in the book are not un-familiar in Israel, I believe they are of much lesser effect.

A Wake Up Call

Fascinating data that makes me sad for our nation and our youth. It provides great insight into what has changed and is going to continue to change. This should be mandatory reading for all parents of igen'ers and employers.

The ratio of insights to number of words is low

The author is good at going in depth on the validity of survey data but lacking when it comes to critical analysis of other subjects. She cites the greatest hits of popular magazine articles on various topics without ever having followed up on the criticisms or rebuttals to these articles.
It’s a very repetitive book, it left me wondering, was there an editor involved anywhere? You can read the chapter titles and conclusion and you will not have missed much more than illustrative anecdotes.

Essential information on the next generation

iGens are not like millennials. Screen time, isolation, anxiety and virtual relationships are huge factors in their lives. They need encouragement, live experiences, more time to mature. This book gives insight to how they think.

Eye opening

Being the mother of 3 daughters ranging from 6 to 14, this book was eye opening and disheartening at times. The author shares a lot of interesting stats of today’s generation versus previous generations. While you may be thinking this generation is doomed, she finally offers some helpful advice and tips to help this generation thrive and become amazing productive, caring and responsible adults.

Eye opening

It's a brave new world for kids. This book provides an enlightening perspective of how unique iGen is due to the technological environment they are growing on.