The Age-Old Debate on Separating Demographic Groups

As someone who follows demographics, I usually enjoy reading new research about the different generations. Right now, I’m researching my next report on millennials, also called Gen Y or—less often these days—echo boomers. The real name for this generation should be what every research firm calls them: Digital Natives.

What makes them so interesting to me is the incredible influence they have on the technologies and applications we use, with MySpace and Facebook as the easiest examples. Millennials (now about 18 to 32) were all over MySpace back in 2006 and 2007. Then Facebook arrived and created a tsunami of social networkers. In 2010, we are now reading that the kids may be leaving Facebook because friending parents and grandparents is just not cool.

Which brings me to some research from Nielsen that popped up recently on baby boomers vs. millennials. It’s another attempt to show marketers that the boomers really aren’t tightwad technophobes. In fact, it makes the point that the top five websites boomers visit are nearly identical to the top five sites for millennials. Only the order is slightly different.

I was interviewed about boomers and their use of technology on CNBC’s “Tom Brokaw Reports: Boomer$!” back in March. Having just written three eMarketer reports on boomers’ behavior online, it was easy to note that boomers see the internet as another tool to help them live their lives better while connecting with family, friends and colleagues of all ages—even if the buttons on their devices seem to get smaller every year.

The point I think that marketers miss when they talk only about generations is that all individuals are at different life stages—which has a more profound effect on what they need and what they desire than their supposed affiliation with an epithet like millennials, or Gen Y or echo boomers. Some young people are already planning their retirement, while some new empty-nesters are shopping for cars and homes that fit their new lifestyle. Many young people are still aspiring to own their first smartphone, right after they land their first job. Many boomers own smartphones so they can check their email or their social network profile.

No one fits neatly into a name, for long. It will be interesting to see what the digital natives flock to after Facebook—no matter what their age.