Look out, Boomers. Hold onto your hipster glasses, Millennials. The Homelanders are growing up fast, and they’ve got some interesting generational traits of their own.
The Homelanders, according to Matt Straz of MediaPost, encompasses the generation of children born after 9/11. It goes without saying they’re incredibly tech-savvy, never having grown up in a world without smartphones.
“For Homelanders, there is no such thing as ‘time spent’ with media,” he writes. “It’s just always there, like oxygen.” They grew up with immersive online worlds, and he believes they’ll be even less interested in driving than the current batch of teens. Here’s another interesting tidbit: They’re growing up in the watchful eye of…everyone.
“Homelanders have been monitored since birth, thanks to crib cams and other devices,” Straz writes. “Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have helped make this generation the most documented in history. As they grow up, Homelanders will not chafe against surveillance because it’s all they’ve ever known.” (MediaPost)
Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.