I think Twenge’s Generation Me is to Foot’s Boom Bust and Echo is to Coupland’s Generation X. They are good signposts to their times.

While the cultural references and ideas in the book overlap sometimes, each newer book seems to be more articulate at what it is that drives us as a culture. What is very clear is the way in which they delineate the us vs. them. The now vs. how things are done in the past. (Never mind the fact that the oldest book in that sequence in terms of original publishing date happens to be fiction and in the postmodern genre.)

Personally, I think GenMe should be seen as a phenomenon of its time. Meaning now.

My take is this shift toward a me-centric-ness is likely here to stay. Or it would likely in the decades to come transmute into something else that turns into another cutting edge commentary / bestseller. That is not to say we should batten down the hatches and hope for better weather.

The book is a great read because it gives hope. So I think. Hope springs eternal; I see the book as a catalyst. I suspect people who get the GenMe phenomenon would be those who have context, a signposts to the now, metaphorically speaking. As opposed to GenMe more bewildering content. I think people who get both the context and the content are likely to be those who can thrive and better survive the changing world. If that makes sense at all…

Anyway, thanks for pointing the book out.

Thanks for the reference in your Week’s Best section, and for the heads-up about your Generation Y posting last year.