Word Spy - generation lap

n. The tendency for young people to be increasingly more technically savvy than their parents or elders.

Example Citation:

"'It's not a generation gap; it's a generation lap. Gen Xers are lapping their elders in terms of their superior technological knowledge,' says Heather Neely, a Palo Alto management consultant who conducts workshops to help companies manage Gen Xers."
—Rebecca Kuzins, "Young boss, older worker, new problem," The San Francisco Examiner, March 7, 1999

Notes:

This term was coined by Don Tapscott in the October 14, 1996 issue of Advertising Age: "We're shifting from generation gap to generation lap as kids flash by their parents on the track, lapping them in many areas of daily life. This generation of Net-savvy kids, quite frankly, doesn't trust its parents' ability to drive fast enough in the wired world."

Categories:

Demographics
Pregnancy and Parenting
Technology (General)

Posted on July 20, 2000