Future Tense The danger of generational labelling
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Jan 15, 2026 Professor Bobby Duffy, a leading voice on generational labelling, discusses the origins and implications of terms like 'Millennial' and 'Gen Z'. Professor David Costanza highlights how these labels simplify management but can lead to harmful stereotypes. Digital anthropologist Professor Crystal Abidin dives into how TikTok fosters micro-cohorts and unique generational identities. Together, they reveal the dark side of generational labels, emphasizing that they promote division and distract from real societal issues.
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Generations Are A Mixed Cultural Patchwork
- Generational labels have mixed origins and inconsistent definitions across cultures and time.
- Bobby Duffy warns labels like Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z are a messy, culturally driven patchwork rather than scientific categories.
Labels Simplify But Suppress Individuality
- Managers and organisations adopt generational labels as a convenient heuristic to group people by age.
- David Costanza cautions this convenience suppresses individuality and creates misleading stereotypes.
Age, Not Fixed Traits, Explains Behaviour
- Age effects (life stage) often explain behaviours better than fixed generation traits.
- Philip Cohen argues people change predictably as they age and we should study life-stage effects rather than static generational stereotypes.
