With each passing day, people age, babies are born, and people die. Yet, as
each day passes on, what happens to the population? Does a majority of the population
fall within a certain age bracket, and if so, what is that age bracket? Peter, is the founder
and president of Global Business Network, an organization which studies business and
demographic trends. He presents an argument stating that a majority of the population
will be teenagers in the 21st century (49). Schwartz's argument is refuted by Wolfgang
Lutz, head of the Population Project of the International Institute of Applied Systems
Analysis, who feels that the population trends of the 21st century will lead to the elderly
being the dominant age group (57). Schwartz feels that the young will be the majority,
and Lutz feels that the elderly would be a significant minority not a majority, therefore
there will always be a workforce large enough to provide for the needs of the elderly.
According to Schwartz, people under 25 constitute more than 52% of the world
population (53). Most of these young people are located in Asia; the lowest numbers can
be found in North America and Europe. The early twenty- first century will bring a global
baby boom and the emergence of a two-billion-strong "global teenager" age-group
(49).Teenagers are currently targeted economically because of the purchasing power
they possess. A new generation of teenagers are hanging out in the shopping malls and
spending their parents hard earned money. The products targeted towards teenagers
include sneakers, clothes, makeup and electronics. But teenagers will expand their
power into politics and economics, which influence the future of the world.
The teenagers of the future will be more educated and informed than the
teenagers of the baby boom. They will be interconnected through the basic technology of
satellites, Walkman, video, telev...