How to Money · Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Dr. Jean Twenge argues that technology is the primary driver of generational change, more so than historical events like recessions or wars. This includes advancements in transportation, healthcare, and labor-saving devices, which have profoundly altered daily life and fostered individualism.
“So the traditional theory of generations is that people experience major events, things like recessions or wars or pandemics is at a certain age and that's what causes generational differences. And of course those have an impact, but not as much as technology.”
“So that's the I think origin of so much cultural change and thus generational change, because that's what really makes living now different compared to living two hundred years ago or one hundred years ago, or one hundred years ago, or fifty years ago, or even twenty years ago.”
“So you know technology has these downstream effects. To one of those is individualism more focused on the self and less on others.”