The Millennials: Understanding "Generation Me"

I know that I'm old and I accept that. Luckily, I have a family that is very close, who work and play together, and who lead me to look at things in a variety of ways. In addition to family input, I thank God for the Internet which allows me to research and better understand many things including this younger generation. As my family makes great effort to get our youngest member through high school and on to college and to launch our twenty-somethings into the work place, I share these thoughts with them and with you.

I've learned some reasons for the difference in the way we look at things by learning more about Generations X and Y, the Millennials, or as I call them "Generation Me". Theses are the group of youngsters born between 1980 and the early 2000's. On the plus side, they are full of confidence, multi-task with ease, and tend to be tolerant of diverse groups. While 50% of Baby Boomers like myself like to keep up with political affairs, only 65% of Millennials are not interested in politics. Most Boomers (73%) were intent on developing a meaningful philosophy of life and embraced formal religion. Today's younger generation is less likely to practice organized religion and seem skeptical of religious institutions.

Millennials are the second largest generation in history to storm the work place, requiring the market place to adjust to their uniqueness. Perceived as "entitled", uninformed, unengaged, apathetic and uncaring by some in the older generations, Millennials are optimistic, engaged team layers. They will switch jobs frequently and hold many more job than previous generations. Many are "Trophy Kids" who expect to be rewarded for just participating, regardless of their often limited contribution. The group is addicted to technology, using social media for fun and games, but also for instant data-sharing, cross-cultural collaboration, and keeping up with current events

Being happy is one of the most important signs of success to Millennials. They expect a different quality of life than their parents and it's not all about money. They are slow to marry and have children. Many believe that the institution of marriage is obsolete. They believe it's more important to be a good parent than having a good marriage. Most believe in gay marriage and immigration reform and don't accept the need to debate these issues before they are accepted as natural goals.

Many Millennials are considered "the Lucky Few", white affluent teens, growing up in the suburbs, whose greatest anxiety was applying to super selective colleges. Thus, many African American and Hispanic students feel that the so-called traits attributed to Millennials don't apply to them. They do not have the social or cultural advantages of these teens, and lack the time and resources available to them.

When you consider that these young people are growing up with the worst economic recessions in our nation's history, in the middle of the most dysfunctional Congress ever, and with leaking racism and sexism, with parents working long hours and with too much responsibility who are having no fun- is there any wonder they intend to play by a different set of rules than preceding generations. Since they openly and transparently post their thought on the Interned and write their life journey online for all to see, why not look at the world through their eyes to make for greater understanding between the generations.

 

 

Posted in: Culture,generation gap,Generation Y,Millennials,Scribbles,The Emerald Quill,understanding millennials,values and beliefs