As I noted in my previous post, of all the generations, it’s mine – Generation X – that has most ardently embraced its generational identity online. Compared to other generations, whether older or younger, there are far more Gen X branded accounts, sites, blogs and channels on the Internet.

In particular, there are a slew of Gen X branded podcasts. Podcasts, if you aren’t aware, are an audio-only format of Internet content, with themed channels publishing periodic episodes of about an hour in length. Sometimes it’s just one person basically lecturing, sometimes a small number of people (typically two or three) chatting in a more or less free-form manner. Sometimes they are up on YouTube, so they are not necessarily audio-only. It’s a flexible term.

Why do Gen Xers love podcasts so much? Perhaps it’s connected to anxiety about being neglected, forgotten. We want our voices to be heard. We want to be remembered, like we’re all singing our famous theme song from the end of The Breakfast Club.

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I’ve found that Gen X podcasts can be broadly categorized into two groups. The first is nostalgia-themed podcasts, looking back at the pop culture which Gen X grew up with. Now that we’re middle aged, we apparently want to get together and reminisce about all the great music and TV from our youth.

The Gen X-tra Podcast
Pop culture, movies, music, trivia
https://linktr.ee/GenXtraPodcast
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_AYn_1NH6E6PArpOmCLEqg/

Generation X Rewind
Music, films and TV
https://generationxrewind.com/

GenXGrownUp
Toys and games
http://genxgrownup.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97DE3HBPcrf8mS0uzBFsnw

genXmixtape
Music
https://sites.google.com/view/genxmixtape/home

Pop Culture Preservation Society
Pop culture nuggets of the classic Gen X childhood
https://www.poppreservationists.com/

Project GenX Podcast
http://www.projectgenxpod.com/

The Riff Radio Show
https://linktr.ee/TheVintageX

The Untitled GenX Podcast
Pop culture
https://linktr.ee/UntitledGenXPodcast
https://www.theuntitledgenxpodcast.com/

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The other kind of Gen X podcast has a theme of personal affirmation. They are about the Gen X experience or perspective.

Gen X Amplified
https://genxamplified.com/

GenX Stories
https://www.genxstories.com/

GenX Voice
https://www.genxvoice.com/

Gen X Woman
https://igenxwoman.com/

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It really is astounding that there are so many Gen X branded podcasts, but none (that I know of) for other generations. I can understand how this format appeals to my generation – it’s suited for individuals who just want to work for themselves, and since video is optional, you can do it from the shadows, so to speak.

It’s not just that, though; it’s also that Gen X is so intent on being recognized as such. There are plenty of podcast-style video channels created by Millennials; it’s just that they don’t brand them as Millennial per se. They have broader scopes and subjects than the experience of one generation.

This phenomenon connects to an idea that I’ve expressed before, that in mid-life Gen Xers are using the Internet to fold the past back into their present experience. Maybe it’s because the future is so uncertain, so doubtful in this time of crisis. We need our past experience, the setting of our youth, as a bedrock on which to build the foundation of whatever we can make out of the rest our lives.