We talk a lot in class about how the predictions put forth by Strauss and Howe, and the marketing strategies of ABC Family are self-fulfilling. Despite this, the concept of millennials seems to be gaining ground and holding up relatively well. In light of this, the ABC Family’s transmedia strategy for Kyle XY seems lie a really good idea. Their transmedia interfaces and gathering places for their  constructed fan community allowed for an easier and quicker development of this base. So whether their predictions were initially true or not, by planning around and marketing to a millennial demographic facilitated its development. So despite the flaws of Strauss and Howe, I think the classification of our age group as millennial is valid, at least within the parameters of generational thinking.

As far as Kyle XY, its portrayal of the family definitely fits within the millennial framework. The dad looks like every dad in every handy-man/suburban dad oriented commercial (a lot like the much-loved host of Dirty Jobs), works at home, and is relatively tech-savvy as he works with computers. The mom, with her fashionably short modern hairstyle and extensive wardrobe, works as a psychologist (which seems a very millennial job given our generation’s use of adderall, ritalin and the like). Both kids are tech-savvy, with cell phones and video games, and the daughter works at a coffee shop. They are the archetypal millennial family, created by a channel that is leading the millennial charge. They are the perfect environment for an outsider or stanger like Kyle to learn both what millennials are like and how to become one.