Miscellaneous Terms

Baby Boomer Refers to a person who was born during the post World War II surge in births. The generation extends to births from 1946 to 1964. The post World War II climate encouraged reproduction because of the positive economic climate and return of the troops. This term is referenced in the Strohmeyer reading.

Generation X Refers to a person who was born in the time post the baby boomers, specifically in the years 1964 to 1981. This group is mostly referenced in terms of social science, marketing, and in popular culture. This term is referenced in the Strohmeyer reading.

Generation Y Refers to a person who was born post 1981. This group is nicknamed the "Echo Boomers" as their large population is related to the large population of the Baby Boomers. This generation is used mostly in terms of communication, digital technology, the workforce and in popular culture. This term is referenced in the Strohmeyer reading.

Pew Research Center A 'think tank' organization based in Washington, DC that conducts studies, and provides data on issues, attitudes and trends in the US.

Watchdog Refers to a person who looks at possible unethical or illegal behavior in a certain industry or of a certain group. This person is usually apart of a bigger group which comprises an organization. This term is referenced in the Morozov reading.

"4th & 5th Estate"- These terms were coined by Erica Johnson in her article "Democracy Defended." Aside from the three branches of government Johnson believes that the political press hold such a strong position of power that it should be viewed as the fourth branch of government. With the emergence of political blogs in controversies such as the Clinton scandal she distinguished the two forms of political journalism into the fourth estate (press) and the fifth estate (blogs).

Shrinking Web - A term defined by Nicholas Carr about how the number of people visiting the large, corporate sites is growing while the number of people visiting the smaller sites continues to shrink. The Net is being Carved up into Internet Plantations - by Nicholas Carr