The baby boomers are coming. The baby boomers are here and we are here to stay.
Do you think that all baby boomers are all alike and created equal? Baby Boomers are the “Woodstock generation” — In general, baby boomers are associated with a rejection or redefinition of traditional values; however, many commentators have disputed the extent of that rejection, noting the widespread continuity of values with older and younger generations.[1]
Just like everything else, there are many different stereotypes about us Boomers. Let’s take a look at a few and see if any really add up. Boomers are comprised primarily of active adults, characterized as people who are aged 55 years or older. The active part, well that can be a bit subjective.
Baby Boomers are now middle age and entering senior years and while most Americans say it is more difficult for middle class people to maintain their standard of living than it was five years ago. Baby Boomers are changing their retirement.
Why is that though? Well, it’s not that we were not prepared, or preparing for retirement. Many of us were well set. Unfortunately, with the lack luster economic down turn, or to be more politically correct, the “economic correction of the markets” as so many people call our current state of economy. Most of us Boomers were slapped with this overcorrection, and are beginning to hit the age of retirement as our net worth in real estate and stocks has been wiped out. This really left many of us with no choice but change or rethink our retirement strategy.
At the same time many Baby Boomers are not ready to stop working. Some have even started to work with children or young entrepreneurs as they have years of knowledge and skills to share, and feel that it’s their way of leaving a lasting mark on the world.
The stereotype that Boomers are technology challenged just perpetuates things. Surprisingly, more and more Boomers are embracing technology. Everything from the iPhone to social media, we have found our way around and have embraced the changing times.
However, like any other generation, there are some that take longer than others to move towards change. Sometimes change comes so quickly that by the time that ANY generation catches up, someone is on to the next big thing. Take the overhaul of Facebook for example, it wasn’t just Boomers who stood heals dug in unwilling to embrace the home page feed feature, or the vanity name change option, but many of the 50 million Facebook users felt that they liked the old way better.
Sure you may not catch too many Boomers on Hulu.com catching up on past American Idol reruns but in such a fast paced world that we live in, who is? Boomers, in large numbers are traveling the world using the internet every day. So to say that we are technically challenged is a far cry from the truth. But hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Reference URL 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Boomer
Count me in as boomer who looks for WiFi restaurants for lunch, especially since email, Facebook and Twitter are blocked at work! I watch Hulu, too! My biggest challenge in technology is reading the Captcha on some sites. But, I just need to find those darn glasses…..