THE THEORY - THE ARCHETYPES - ARTIST ARCHETYPE

The Silent generation (born 1925-1942) is the oldest generation with a significant online presence. This is the generation to which people refer when they are speaking of seniors web surfing or mouse clicking or learning the language of email and digital discourse. There are Silent bloggers, though they make up a small percentage of the web community.

Where the Silent generation makes a big impact online is in marketing, since they are a very wealthy bunch. Thanks to a lifetime of affluence, and to their relatively small cohort sizes, they have accumulated considerable assets compared to previous generations. Now their dollars are highly sought after by product and service retailers. This is also the generation which is currently in control of AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons.

Another important influence of the Silent generation is as opinion elites. They are a well educated, erudite, and intellectual bunch. The oldest of the well-respected opinion editorialists with regular online columns are from this generation.

The Silent generation has a few celebrated directors still making movies, most notably Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. In the corporate world, their chief executives tend to make the headlines in minor or major scandals - Martha Stewart and Kenneth Lay being the infamous examples.

Interestingly, this generation isn't well known, and they are often mistaken for the baby boomers.

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