The Baby Boomers are exhausted. The Millennials are tech-obsessed, and Generation Xers are forgotten. From the privacy we expect to the speech we tolerate, the arrival of the internet has changed how people of all ages engage with the world. Millennials, however, can't seem to look up from their screens long enough to notice the potential dangers that the new ethos of instant gratification, public shaming, and isolation by technology can bring. Members of Generation X have the experience and resilience necessary to offer a counterbalance, but their opportunity to set society right is rapidly slipping away.

In Zero Hour for Gen X, Matthew Hennessey pleads with fellow Gen Xers to be more than a cultural parenthesis between Baby Boomers and Millennials. As society rushes into an increasingly digital world, Zero Hour for Gen X serves as a road map for how to deal with behemoth tech firms, Silicon Valley "visionaries," and an entire generation lulled into a tech-induced sleepwalk. The stakes are high and time is running out—but if Gen Xers follow Hennessey's call to action, they can still shape America's future.

Matthew Hennessey is an associate op-ed editor at the Wall Street Journal. Previously, he was managing editor of research publications at the Manhattan Institute and an associate editor of City Journal. He holds a B.A. in political science from Hunter College and an M.A. in international political economy and development from Fordham University.

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