It is almost impossible to categorize a generation into a perfect cookie cutter model. It is even more impracticable to generalize the Millennial Generation under the umbrella of broad accusations of ignorance, laziness, entitlement, and narcissism. However, the 13-32-year-olds who comprise the Millennial Generation, or Generation Y, have a lot to live up to in comparison to the feats of other generations. Generation Xers have truly developed the voice of hip hop, and completely transformed the music industry. The Baby Boomers, first to send a man to the moon, doubled with their technological breakthroughs, have set the standards for modernization around the globe. The Silents, arguably the greatest generation to date, endured a Great Depression, an (overdue) transformation of Civil Rights, and fought heroically in multiple wars including WWII, Cold War, Korean War, and Vietnam War. The accomplishments of these generations are all distinctive to certain social, political, economical, and cultural influences. While the Millennial Generation is in the midst of the Digital Age, we must ask ourselves: what distinctions does this paradoxical generation possess, and ultimately, do they have the potential for success?
The Millennials, are considered “Digital Natives” as opposed to “Digital Immigrants”, as they are the first generation to grow up with the technological developments second nature to them. The paradoxical nature of Generation Y can be driven by the idea that their world has both expanded with population growth, and simultaneously shrunk in lieu to the connection through social media. The Digital Age has influenced the cohort to be individualistic, yet reliant on education to be transparent, both results of easy access to information-rich centers of the web.
The Millennials have continuously been labeled as ignorant, especially in relation to politics and international events. Jesse Watters, an American critic whose featured segment on Fox News known as “Watters’ World” draws conclusive evidence of the ignorance of the American youth across the country and college campuses. The appalling results leave the audience questioning just how the Millennial Generation will cope with the national debt, and increasing tensions both abroad and at home. However, Millennials are considered the most educated generation to date, with the highest High School graduation rate in 2 decades at 72%, and the overwhelming majority of 68% pursue a college degree.
In relation to political participation, the media has had an impactful influence, as 61% of American Millennials receive news updates via Facebook. Activism can be seen amongst the youth, and predominately takes form from a liberal point of view. Millennials are seen as more tolerant of other races, religions, and sexual preferences.
Amongst inaccurate accusations of ignorance, Millennials are also categorized as entitled from a viewpoint of older generations. 75% of people aged 18-29 strongly supported making public colleges and universities pay for anyone who wanted to attend. While the older generations may view this as an entitled and dependent position, many Millennials view education as a necessary prerequisite to earn a living later in life, and emphasize importance on higher education.
Millennials are labeled the “Peter Pan Generation”, a reference to refusing to grow up. The statistics that 1 in 8 Millennials “boomerang” back to their parents’ homes supports the conjecture of refusing to adopt an adult lifestyle. Furthermore, 37% of 18-29-year-olds face unemployment or are out of the workforce, the highest percentage in 3 decades. Despite these negative findings from Pew Research, the Millennials have a certain aptitude for entrepreneurship, and can possibly recover from the worst recession since 1929. Paradoxical to the findings above, 27% of Millennials are self-employed and in 2011, Millennials had 160,000 business startups in a single month. The higher percentage of Millennials living with their parents compared to other generations at this time may be a result of the recession, and large amounts of student loan debt incurred. Nevertheless, Generation Y displays the eagerness to acquire an education and utilize it, especially in the business sector.
Millennials have high expectations for their future endeavors. According to the US Chamber Foundation, 75% of Millennials predict that they will perform in the top 20% of their adult jobs, yet this does not prove to be true for most. The biggest discrepancy of success for Millennials is the actual realization of their goals versus the hard work, dedication, and initiative needed to produce positive results. This is true to each and every generation, and ultimately grounds for success come down to the individual, their character, and priorities. Millennials are deeply influenced by the Digital Age, as well as the cultural, social, economic, and political events surrounding the timeframe of their developing minds and morals. No cohort can be decisively concluded as lazy, ignorant, entitled, or narcissistic. The Millennial Generation, like those before them, must set out to prove themselves in the world. This starts and ends with the individual, rather than an overgeneralization of a generation.
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‘Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.” Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographic Trends Project. N.p., 23 Feb. 2010. Web. 12 July 2017.
Bolton, Ruth N., A. Parasuraman, Ankie Hoefnagels, Nanne Migchels, Sertan Kabadayi, Thorsten Gruber, Yuliya Komarova Loureire, David Solnet (2013) , “Understanding Generation Y and Their Use of Social Media: A Review and Research Agenda”, Journal of Service Management. 31. Oct. 2012. Web. 12 Jul. 2017.
Anderson, Tom. "College Should Be Tuition-free, 60% of Americans Say in Survey." CNBC. CNBC, 24 Apr. 2017. Web. 13 July 2017.
