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"Who's the Voice of this Generation?"

By David A. Morrison
TWENTYSOMETHING^™ Inc.

Dear Editor:

Regarding "Who's the Voice of this Generation" (July 10th issue), why must the voice of Generation X -- or subsequent birth groups -- necessarily be an author? After all, movies and music are today's dominant art forms for story telling. Pardon the pun, but sales tell the whole story: book readership among young adults is soft while movie and music sales are surging.

To truly understand the first Multi-Media Generation to grapple with the realities of an uncertain world (AKA "GenX"), I'd recommend movies like "Reality Bytes", "The Matrix", and "Clerks". Insofar as music, a far more apropos voice would be the undeniably iconic Kurt Kobain. I'd also cite the groundbreaking work of U2, Metallica, and NWA. From TV, check out John Stewart and Anderson Cooper.

Given the unprecedented socio-economic and ethnic diversity of today's young adults, however, selecting one voice is overly simplistic. Searching for a voice from a single spokesperson today is idealistic and overly simplistic. There are multiple voices that must be equally heard to for genuine insight and understanding.

David A. Morrison is president of TWENTYSOMETHING^™ Inc. Philadelphia-based and an industry pioneer, his firm specializes in young adult consulting and marketing research. Clients include an impressive array of Fortune 500s, leading advertising agencies, colleges and universities, global nonprofits, and state as well as federal government agencies.

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