The dot com boom is a reasonable point in time to make the cut. But it's never a single event. Ever other posters referenced 9/11, which was definitely another

The dot com boom is a reasonable point in time to make the cut. But it's never a single event. Ever other posters referenced 9/11, which was definitely another major event. I'd add Columbine as another event, which occurred in 1999 [1]. That seemed to have a lasting affect on that cohort, which was also the group that got hit hard in the 2008 downturn. But maybe a better line is the rise of Facebook, which shifted the story from the promise of tech to the promise of social connections. Of course, technology will never be able to safe us, and the human condition is what it is. So, really, while a small passionate group seemed excited back in the mid 90s, it was always false gold. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre