How are the generations distinguished? The biggest age cohort in U.S. history is the baby boomers, those born roughly between 1945 and 1964. Because they are such a large group, their presence changed...

How are the generations distinguished? The biggest age cohort in U.S. history is the baby boomers, those born roughly between 1945 and 1964. Because they are such a large group, their presence changed society in many ways. When they were children, the nation was focused on child rearing. When they were adolescents, the culture focused on that stage of life. The boomers themselves changed the landscape of society with their active participation in the Civil Rights, women’s, and gay rights movements. When the boomers became middle aged, the concerns of society shifted into a new era of conservatism. Now the boomers are redefining what it means to be old. The baby boomers were followed by generation X, a smaller cohort. Because they are smaller, the culture focused less on them, and individuals in this generation experienced a decline in their standard of living. The children of the baby boomers, generation Y, followed and are a larger population. They are also the first generation to embrace new technology and new media as ways of living.