Special. Sheltered. Confident. The millennial.
People sure love to make us out to be fools.
A selfie lifestyle. A Kardashian culture (or Kulture?). A reflection of American consumerism.
We sleep with our cell phones in our hands, don’t watch television, take thousands of pictures of ourselves, and live for breaking the record for how many likes we get on our Instagram posts. We relentlessly pursue affirmation – in fact, we demand it. Cell phones, the 21st-century cigarette. An extension of our bodies and window into our soul, our iPhones are our personal concierges, mentors, advisors, and social gatekeepers.
We consistently consume 24/7 social interaction and repel any sort of semblance of angst. We push off making any sort of decision until we’ve conferred with two or more close-ish friends. We get along with our parents. We avoid conflict. We enjoy creating a perfect life and concealing any flaws beneath the immaculate surface.
We want adventure. We want to be unique while at the same time accepted. We are millennials.
We are convicted.
We take what we believe quite seriously. Our values are an integral part of us, and we will get behind causes we believe in blindly and wholeheartedly. Anyone remember Kony 2012? Supporting various causes gives us life because we feel like we are giving hope to someone else as a result of ourselves being characterized by such great hope and optimism. Our selfishness breeds selflessness because it makes us feel empowered and good.
“More millennials than non-millennials integrate their beliefs and causes into their choice of companies to support, their purchases and their day-to-day interactions. More than 50 percent of millennials make an effort to buy products from companies that support the causes they care about, according to research from Barkley, an independent advertising agency.”
- Forbes
What is true is kind of hard to figure out…but what people believe is easy to see. We purchase it, post it, promote it, and wear it every single day. We care about political causes and social conscience but also about authenticity and quality. Millennials are deliberate about what they want and fiercely pursue those things with a faithful vengeance with a purpose deeper than consumerism…we buy what we believe in. Brands that stand for more than their bottom line deserve greater millennial love.
We have hope.
We aren’t held captive by the angst and bitterness of Cold War babies. We look into the future with bright eyes. Millennial optimism. We look forward and see everything working out in the end.
Research studies consistently find millennials, ranging in age from 14 to 34, to be inexplicably positive despite facing higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than any other generation in the modern era.
-Meg Murphy
Maybe it’s because we’re the best-educated generation and best-informed due to being born into a technology rich world. Maybe it’s because we can broadcast a sense of perfection to the world. We think it will work out in the end and ignore the nay-sayers.
Is it ignorant? Perhaps. Is there merit in it? Absolutely.
We are team-players.
Millennials are naturally social creatures. Even the introverts have a network of people they operate with. We just want to get along with people! We support equality, camaraderie, and solidarity. We want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
We have been raised on open-mindedness and that is reflected in our incredible abilities to work together in solidarity to create something great or innovative.
Generation WE.
In school we were taught in groups and participated in group projects so much that collaboration and unity comes naturally. We look for support and also look for opportunities to provide support.
We willingly leap into trends and embrace fads. We believe the best way to enact change is through a collective social movement. Because of Gen Y’s collaborative attitude, I believe this will absolutely lead to better civic and political engagement and a disintegration of policy gridlock.
We are world-shakers.
We are the change we want to see in the world.
Chatting with people on campus, I’ve come across a clear trend: millennials have a genuine desire to help people. So many future professionals plan on dedicating their lives to non-profit work, education, ministry, missions work, or some other selfless career because we see a world beyond ourselves even when we are relentlessly characterized by consumerism and pursuance of instant gratification.
TOMs, Sevenly, Lily and Laura (all charitable brands)…we treasure the opportunity to give back because we are task-oriented rather than time-oriented and want our task to make an impact no matter how much time or effort it takes.
We want adventure.
79% of millennials would like to visit all 50 states.
75% want to travel abroad.
69% say they crave adventure.
Millennial Marketing
The thought of a mundane suburban life terrifies us. The possibility of a future without traveling the world with our friends makes us question the point of existence. We want unique, interesting experiences {that we can share online}.
For a generation that seems so completely obsessed with technology, we sure do place a lot of value in the great outdoors and connecting with nature on a spiritual level. We see the value in living in the moment {anyone remember YOLO?} and want experiences rather than things – even just to post on our social media pages.
Whether it’s a European backpacking trip, laid back camping excursion, winter ski retreat, or mission trip to east Asia, millennials generally pursue excitement and uniqueness over the average go-tos. We crave experiences we can recount at dinner parties one day and are driven by our fear of missing out.
Is this because we’re more social creatures or because everything we’re missing out on is right there on our Instagram feed? I don’t know and frankly don’t care because my millennial-instilled thirst for a worldly experience is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.
We are the future.
We are what the world needs, and I firmly believe that Gen Y can turn this world around. From the thousands of millennials dedicating our lives to serving those less fortunate to the social, collaborative, compromising attitudes we have, our generation will reinvigorate what has been lost for so long: an outlook of hope, thrill, and appreciation for the beauty of this world. We can appreciate the loveliness of our experiences, peers, and surroundings and share that with thousands of people.
We are Generation Y.
We are Generation WE.
We are millennials, and I couldn’t be any prouder to be a part of this cultural revolution.
