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Millennials

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Generation Y (sometimes referred to as "Millennials"[1] or "Echo Boomers"[2]) refers to the cohort of individuals born, roughly, between 1980 and 1994.[3]

Different opinions on dates

Centrally, Gen Y includes those born in the 1980s. People born in the early 1990s are usually included, though a 10 year definition of Y goes from 1978-1988 [1], putting those born in 1989 and the 1990s into Generation Z, and some experts are now claiming those born in or after 1990 are part of the Internet generation and the oldest of the generation currently being born.

Some also include late 1970s births into Gen Y, excluding them from Generation X - this comes from the opinion that popular culture in the late 1990s, including post grunge was not true Gen X culture like 1980s and early 1990s pop culture, but early Gen Y culture.

Defined demographically

Generation Y is the generation following Generation X, especially people born in western culture from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. The generation is also alternatively defined as the children of the Baby Boomer generation.

Defined sociographically

Millennials, like other generations, are shaped by the events, leaders, developments and trends of its time.[4] The Internet becoming a mainstream communications network, 9/11 and the Iraq War can be considered definitive events for members of this generation. The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as E-mail, texting, and IM and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites, may explain Millennials' reputation for being peer oriented and for seeking instant gratification. This trend of communication is continuing into Generation Z.

Template:Globalize/Eng As with previous generations, many trends (and problems) began to surface as the Millennials came of age.[5]

  • Members of this generation are facing higher costs for higher education than previous generations.[6][7]
  • They have been labeled the "sandwich generation" because so many remain home well into their 20s right at the time that their own parents are needing more care.[8]
  • In the United States, as they begin to enter colleges and universities in large numbers, some of their Baby Boomer parents are becoming helicopter parents. Many college advisors and administrators worry that this could have a negative effect on the student's social progress, ego, and developing maturity.[9]
  • They represent more than 70 million consumers in the United States. They earn a total annual income of about $211 billion, spend approximately $172 billion per year and strongly influence many adult consumer buying choices. They also face a greater degree of direct corporate marketing than any other generation in history.[10]
  • A 2008 survey by UK recruitment consultancy FreshMinds Talent in partnership with Management Today suggested that Generation Y are generally more ambitious, brand conscious and tend to move jobs more often than ever before. The survey of over 1,000 people, entitled Work 2.0, also suggests several possible misconceptions about Generation Y, including that they are as loyal as their predecessors and believe that their job says something about them as individuals.[11]
  • There is more experience of family breakdown. The generation has seen high divorce rates, and homes with 2 working parents are much more common. This has greatly changed their relationships at home when compared to their parents and grandparents. This may have led them to be more peer-oriented and this may be a contributing factor to the premium that Gen Y workers place on workplace culture.[4]
  • A 2007 episode of the American news magazine 60 Minutes entitled The Age Of The Millenials proposed that members of the generation are exceptionally tech-savvy, are especially tuned to their own value in the job market, have limited loyalty to any particular employer, and insist on working in a stimulating job environment.[12]

These are characteristics and attitudes that were previously attributed to Generation X in works such as the 1999 article "The Hunter-Gatherers of the Knowledge Economy: The Anthropology of Today's Cyberforagers" by David Berreby,[13] so these behaviors may be consequences of modern culture or of the modern economy rather than qualities of a particular generation.

The generation is sometimes described as "Civics", characterised as wealth creators and nation builders. They are sometimes described as an "overachieving, overscheduled" generation."[14]

Generation Y and technology

In their recent book, Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa[15] found that in a survey of 7,705 college students in the US:

  • 97% own a computer
  • 97% have downloaded music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing
  • 94% own a cell phone
  • 76% use Instant Messaging and social networking sites.
  • 75% of college students have a Facebook account[16]
  • 60% own some type of portable music and/or video device such as an iPod.
  • 49% regularly download music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing
  • 34% use websites as their primary source of news
  • 28% author a blog and 44% read blogs
  • 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day/7 days a week

Various Names

The generation has many names largely as a result of the many subcultures and diversity within the group[1]

Generation Y

The most commonly used term "Generation Y" alludes to a succession from Generation X, a term popularized by the Canadian fiction writer Douglas Coupland in his 1991 book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture.

Millennials

One name sometimes used when referring to this group is "Millennials[1] this term relates to the generation's young age during the turn of the millennium.

Echo Boomers

The name Echo Boomers[2] relates to the size of the generation and its relation to the Baby boomers generation.

Other Names

  • Backpack generation [17]


See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Shapira, Ian (2008-07-06). "What Comes Next After Generation X?". Education. The Washington Post. pp. C01. Retrieved 2008-07-19. Cite error: The named reference "Shapira" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm
  3. ^ "Australia's Generations - The Definitive Classification". Fast Facts. McCrindle Research. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  4. ^ a b McCrindle, Mark. "The ABC of XYZ: Generational Diversity at Work" (PDF). McCrindle Research. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  5. ^ Rout, Milanda (2006-10-16). "Junk Food Bans at Schools". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  6. ^ Males, Michael (March 1996). The Scapegoat Generation: America's War on Adolescents. Common Courage Press. ISBN 1567510809. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Rothberg, Steven (2007-03-30). "Gen Y: Community Focused or Money Hungry?". College Recruiter. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  8. ^ Pleffer, Andrew (2007). "Generational Warfare" (PDF). Snapshot. McCrindle Research. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  9. ^ "(title not known)". The Wall Street Journal. 2005-07-28. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ Harris Interactive 2003 Youth Pulse(SM) Survey
  11. ^ "Work 2.0 Survey - My Generation". MT FreshMinds. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  12. ^ Morley Safer (2007-11-08). "The Age Of The Millenials". 60 Minutes. Season 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |ulr= ignored (help)
  13. ^ Berreby, David (1999). "The Hunter-Gatherers of the Knowledge Economy: The Anthropology of Today's Cyberforagers". Strategy+Business. New York: Booz & Company: 52–64. ISSN 1083-706X.
  14. ^ Devine, Miranda (2006-10-19). "Gen Ys Dish it Back, for the Right Reasons". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  15. ^ Junco, Reynol (2007-03-29). Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students (1st ed.). NASPA. ISBN 0-931654-48-3. Retrieved 2008-07-19. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Przybyla, Heidi (2007-05-07). "Obama's 'Youth Mojo' Sparks Student Activism, Fueling Campaign". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  17. ^ Curtis, James M. (Spring 2001). "The Backpack Generation and Art History". Journal of Aesthetic Education. 35 (1): 31–44. doi:10.2307/3333769. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
Preceded by
Generation X
(1964-1982)
 Millennials (Generation Y)
(1983-1997) 		Succeeded by
Generation Z and/or Internet Generation
(1998 –2020) [1]
  1. ^ Who is Generation Z, McCrindle Research Pty Ltd, retrieved 2008-07-21
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