The Rise of the Loud Generation

For decades, Generation X has been labelled the “forgotten generation.” Sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and Millennials, we were often described as quiet, overlooked, and left to just get on with things. And to an extent, that’s exactly what we did. We worked, we raised families, we adapted. We didn’t shout too loudly because no one seemed to be listening.

But something has shifted.

Post-Covid, a lot of people in their 50s were quietly pushed aside. Many were told they were too expensive, too inflexible, or simply not needed anymore. Years of experience and loyalty were disregarded almost overnight. For some, it felt like being tipped onto the scrap heap.

And yet, instead of disappearing, Gen X is re-emerging - and louder than ever before.

You can see it everywhere. On TikTok, creators over 50 are building huge followings by sharing wit, wisdom and lived experience. In business, entrepreneurs who once played by corporate rules are launching their own ventures, often in industries they know inside-out. I imagine many of you have seen the rising We Do Not Care Club and as much as it is satire, there are some absolute elements of truth in there!

In communities, campaigners are pushing back against outdated narratives about work, money and ageing.

This isn’t a comeback. It’s a reinvention.

• Over 43% of new UK businesses are founded or run by people over 50, signaling a surge in entrepreneurial spirit among tighter-than-ever midlifers.

• Close to 991,000 Brits aged 60 and over are now self-employed—that's a 33% increase in a decade.

• Nearly 35% of businesses are started and run by people over 50, and 67% of entrepreneurs in that cohort say now is the right time to start a business.

• Over 50s now make up 48% of freelancers and contractors in the UK—the highest proportion in a decade.

• These numbers aren’t about figuring late in - they’re about strategic re-emergence. People are starting businesses not out of desperation, but to create impact on their own terms.

  We’re digital too.

• On TikTok, a platform often seen as a Gen Z zone, about 28% of users are now Gen X, and they’re the fastest-growing demographic on the platform.

• Gen X comprises 31% of the global population, yet is largely overlooked in brand research and influencer spend, despite 92% using social media daily and accounting for 27% of global spending.

So why now?

Partly, it’s resilience. Gen X has always had to adapt. We were the last analogue childhoods and the first digital adulthoods. We grew up independent because no one was hovering over us, and we entered a working world that demanded flexibility without ever promising security. That adaptability, once a quiet survival skill, is now an engine of change.

It’s also frustration. After years of putting up with faulty structures, rigid workplaces, narrow definitions of success, industries slow to evolve, we’re done waiting for permission. With experience behind us, we have perspective. We know what doesn’t work, and we’re not afraid to say it out loud.

This makes the so-called “quiet generation” dangerous in the best way possible. We don’t care about chasing likes or approval. We care about impact. About creating something better - for ourselves, for our children, and for the generations that follow.

And it’s not just individual stories. Collectively, this shift matters. Businesses that ignore Gen X risk losing talent, customers, and credibility. Media that continue to portray midlife as decline will find themselves irrelevant. Society is slowly waking up to the fact that people in their 50s and 60s are not winding down - they are starting up, speaking up, and building up.

The point is this: midlife isn’t the end of the story. For Gen X, it’s the loudest chapter yet.

We’ve spent years working quietly in the background. Now we’re stepping into the foreground, not because we suddenly want attention, but because we’ve realised we have too much to say, too much to offer, and too little time to waste.

Gen X may have been overlooked once. That won’t be happening again.

Let me know if you agree and what you’re doing to make a change.