Over the last 100 years, journalists, sociologists and cultural critics have taken to naming every generation by using a label which best describes its overriding character. Gertrude Stein was responsible for labeling those born between 1900 and 1925 as The Lost Generation. That generation faced the tragedies of World War I and World War II.

Then came the Silent Generation, those born between 1925 and 1945 and were characterized as conformists. And next came The Baby Boomers born between 1946 to 1964. We got things going by protesting the wars, becoming hippies and we fostered the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement and the sexual and drug revolutions. Let’s hear it for the Baby Boomers.

But our time has passed and next came Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1979. They loved MTV and disco, but their reign seemed to end with the onset of AIDS. And along came the Millennials, the kids born between 1980 and 2000 with the unequivocal triumph of the Ronald Reagan, the internet, selfies, and narcissism.

The Millennials got older and next came Generation Z, born between 2000 and 2015 right on the heels of 9/11, and that generation is said to be very individualistic and fully dependent on technology. And this takes us to our current dilemma. What do we call the next generation? All those kids who were born between 2015 and now?

Here’s my suggestion. Many of the younger generation have been consumed, disturbed, and addicted to social media. The recent documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” has described the way that sophisticated artificial intelligence computers owned by Google, Facebook and Microsoft have figured out how to get them addicted to social media. A sad outcome of this is the newly established desire to become an “influencer” with lots of “followers” and a tremendous number of “likes.”

The young generation aspires to become “influencers”and then to monetize their image. In the event that you don’t know what an “influencer” is, think of someone who is world famous, makes gobs of money but has no apparent talent. That’s an “influencer.” You know these people. In fact, there are many of them.

My favorite family of influencers come from the Kardashian family tree.
The grand patriarch of this clan is Robert Kardashian. You may remember him as O.J. Simpson’s lawyer. “If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit” is one of my all-time favorite quotes. He was married to Kim Jenner, who seems to be very attractive. So attractive that Caitlyn Jenner and she had an affair. I think that occurred before Caitlyn Jenner changed from being Bruce Jenner, the Olympic sensation who won Olympic gold in the decathlon in 1976. Caitlyn Jenner, the former Wheaties spokesman, fathered both Kendal and Kylie Jenner, who are both definitely “influencers” and also very wealthy.

Now let’s get back to the Kardashian side of the clan. Robert Kardashian has numerous children, including three major “influencers:” Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian. One of these three girls has been married to Kanye West, another man with a K in his name. I think he was the guy who went crazy in President Trump’s office, and I think he also makes sneakers for a living. I’m not sure of that. but I know he is both very famous and somehow connected to the Kardashian clan. Or at least he was for a while.

There are also some other major “influencers” in this family tree, including someone named Travis Jenner but maybe his name is Travis Kardashian. Either way it’s a nice name. Then there is a girl named Sofia Jenner. And there are a handful of up-and-coming “influencers” in this family, including babies named Saint, Tyga, Dream, North, King and Chicago. In other words, this family has a lot of “influencers.”

Which finally takes us back to the initial question of what to call this next generation of kids born between 2015 and now. I christen them “Generation Kardashian,” or Gen K for short. I do so in honor of all the Kardashian influencers who have followed in the long line of influencers begun by Paris Hilton, who I don’t think is related to the Kardashians or the Jenners but she has probably had dinner with them once or twice. What I wouldn’t give to read a transcript of that dinner conversation. I’m creative, but I can’t imagine what topics they broached.

So, I rest my case. I name this generation Gen K and wish them all the very best of luck in obtaining their dreams. Most aspire to get millions of followers, get many likes and then go viral. If you’re looking for some guidance on how to go viral, (and I’m not talking about COVID viral) here is how to do it.

If you still identify yourself as “she,” you can video yourself putting on makeup or shopping and put it on YouTube, TikTok or Snapchat. Or if you still identify yourself as a “he,”  video yourself commenting on yourself playing a video game. That’s does sounds like fun, right?
Things go in circles. We started with The Lost Generation then came The Silent Generation, and Baby Boomers to Gen X, Millennials and then to Gen Z. And we arrive back to the Lost Generation, now called Gen K.

Most of these names are related to war. The difference is that Gen K isn’t fighting a war in Europe against an opposing nation or ideology. This generation is fighting a war with AI computers and it looks like the computers are winning. Gen K is the culmination of years of numbing, narcotic-like, self-absorption where life is seen in its most simplistic form.

“Behold the idols, for they are us.” Who knew that social media would bring to us the Second Coming, where Kim Kardashian becomes the most popular and the wealthiest person on the planet? We become what we behold. Now that’s a mind-numbing thought if there ever was one.