The "M" Generation (Multitask Generation)

A blog entry from Derek Powazek makes it into the August issue of Wired. According to Powazek, mid-30s tech professionals such as himself should be tagged as Generation M:

"The 'M' is for Multitask. We like to do two things at a time, minimum. We listen to music while surfing the web and having four IM conversations at a time. We check our email on crackberrys and hiptops under the table during meetings.

We don't feel fulfilled unless there's more than one thing going on. The closest thing my parent's generation had to this kind of multitasking was reading the paper on the toilet.

The 'M' is also for Mashup, my favorite example of multitask culture. What's the appeal of a song that mashes together the Scissor Sisters, Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and George Michael into 5 minutes of seamless ear candy? I have no idea. I just know that I can't get enough of 'No One Takes Your Freedom' by the amazingly talented DJ Earworm, which does exactly that.

Finally, the 'M' is for Media, with emphasis on the 'me.' My generation, we make media. From the Xeroxed zines of the 80s, to the homepages of the 90s, to the blogs of the 00s - there is no corner of our lives that goes undocumented. No niche topic gone unexplored. And as a result, we know how to talk, to think, to find connections with like minds, no matter where they are." Powazek participated on the "Bloggers in Love: Intimacy, Technology and Mask-Making" panel this year's SXSW Interactive Festival.