Change doesn’t happen overnight
Generational shifts are a thing, but they are not as sudden as we might imagine
As we get older, it often seems as though generational shifts — cultural, technological or social — happen overnight.
One day, a phrase, fashion or technology is ubiquitous and the next, it’s archaic. But is this perception accurate, or are we simply attuned to certain cultural tipping points that mask longer underlying transitions?
Psychologists and sociologists suggest that the apparent suddenness of generational change is largely a perceptual illusion.
According to Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of “the tipping point”, cultural phenomena often simmer below the surface before a critical mass causes a rapid shift in public consciousness. This tipping point effect helps explain why changes that have been developing gradually can suddenly feel ubiquitous.
Research from social psychologist Jean Twenge illustrates how subtle shifts in behaviour and values among young people, such as decreased face-to-face interaction and delayed adulthood milestones, were developing slowly through the early 2000s.
The rise of smartphones catalysed these trends into what appeared to be a sharp cultural divide between millennials and Gen Z. The groundwork had been laid quietly for years, but the smartphone acted as a trigger, rapidly accelerating visible changes.
Moreover, cultural change is often noticed only when it contrasts sharply with the norms of the previous generation.
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A 2022 study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology found that individuals tend to underestimate gradual cultural evolution until it accumulates to a level that feels abrupt. This is due to a psychological bias called “recency illusion”, where newly noticed trends are assumed to be new, even if they’ve been present for some time.
The digital age further amplifies the feeling of sudden change. Viral content, meme culture and social media trends spread exponentially, making shifts in language, aesthetics and values appear instantaneous. What once took years to disseminate across society now happens in days.
In truth, generational change is both gradual and sudden. It evolves slowly, often imperceptibly, until reaching a moment of visibility — whether due to technology, media, or a sociopolitical event.
The shift isn’t false, but our awareness of it tends to lag behind reality until it “catches up” in a flash. As a result, the transformation feels abrupt, even though it has been unfolding in the background all along.