On the edge of the Y

I’ve recently been asked to speak on a panel at the International Payment Summit as a generation Y-er. Is that me? Or am I an X. And does it really matter?

According to Wikepedia, different sources cite different dates of when Generation Y officially begins. Some say late 1970s others pinpoint the exact year to be 1982. This puts me on the cusp (though my friend Alice points out that I’m really X and not Y and I should suck it up).

Looking at the traits of Y, I can see that as being more me then X. This may be the same thing as me pointing out how my traits match my astrological birth sign. But I think it technology and world events contribute to the way you see and interact with the world.

Generation Y is molded by a world shaped by technology and as Wikepedia says: The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet has made us more peer-orientated. One could say I was an early adopter. I had a Basic for Kids book (covered in Michael Jackson stickers) and spent weekends programming DOS on my Dad’s computer. Though I remember a time before the infiltration of computer technology into our every day, it has been a big part of my life, even more so today than ever before.

Generation X spans from the 60s to the 80s - but I can’t see how that large range of people born almost 20 years apart can be that similar. Especially as year on year new technology was changing the way we interacted with the world.

So I’ll stick with being Generation XY. A hybrid. That overlapping “MTV generation” time that a few of us are firmly entrenched in. I’ll be as Generation Y as I can be in March. And if wikipedia is right, all I need is some pokeman cards and I’ll fit right in.