Let’s take a closer look at what defines the Millennial Generation

How is this key demographic reimagining the contour of social, political, and economic engagement?

Millennials are people who were born roughly between 1981 and 1996. Their formative years were during the early 2000s also known as the turn of the Millenium.

Gen Y (also called millennials) are an interesting generation because they’re so different from previous generations.

Let's take a closer look at what defines the Millennial Generation
Two Millenials laying on the floor

This new generation is redefining the rules of interaction with both the world outside themselves and within themselves.

Every generation tends to think they’re happier than previous generations were. “Those were the days” is not an unusual phrase used in everyday conversations.

The younger generation too may have its own ways of doing things that may not be accepted by the older generations.

But, no one can say for sure whether live-in relationships, casual dating, instant food, virtual pokes, and online shopping will eventually become looked at as “the good old days”.

Acronyms such as LOL, LMAO, LMFAO, BFFS, FOMO, IDK, AND STFU are supposed to mean something to everyone.

The purist may be shaking his head in disappointment, but he would have to admit that it’s much easier than before, isn’t it?

There’s an entire industry centered on emoticon usage. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

All these changes are due to this particular generation of people known as millennials.

Millennials and the new workspace life

Millennials are eager and ready to take advantage of new opportunities to earn a livelihood.

Blogging, event management, photography, video editing, and stand-ups are very mainstream jobs today.

There are ways to turn your passions and interests into full-time jobs.

With the rise of the millennial generation, there has been a significant shift towards freelancing and self-employment.

It was never expected that there would be someone who calls themselves a Data Scientist at their workplace. It sounds weird.

The employment relationship has changed tremendously.

With so many different choices available, smart companies are often the first ones to adapt when change comes knocking at their door.

To keep attracting and keeping the best people, these changes are important.

It is just as important for an employer to meet their employees’ personal ambitions as it is for them to meet the company’s business goals.

Millennials are always looking for opportunities that offer them greater fulfillment.

There is also a growing tendency for companies to adopt flexible working hours.

Millennials don’t just spend their time working; they spend their time doing things.

Millennials’ work lives must be flexible enough to allow for time off from work to spend with their families, pursue their own personal interests, and enjoy leisure

A balance between work and personal time is important now more than ever.

Freelancing, which used to be frowned upon by employers, is no longer considered an undesirable job option.

It rather shows the employees’ willingness to keep up with new trends and skills.

Early retirement and wealth creation have become popular concepts in our time.

With smart investments, millennials make money work for themselves and keep their financial security.

Flat hierarchies are common.

Today, the open-door policy is widely accepted.

Today, a boss is an enabler, a mentor, and not someone who shouts out orders that must be addressed right away.

The change is from working for pay to earning one’s living through one’s own efforts.

Failure is not something to be ashamed of anymore; instead, it’s an important part of success.

The knowledge gained from that failure has become extremely important.

Entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly popular among millennials and younger people.

Today, organizations cannot afford to ignore the millennial generation, which makes up a significant portion of their productive workforce.

Recently, we’ve seen an increase in the number of companies moving away from traditional employment relationships toward more empowering ones.

Millennials have changed the way society works

The way people make and retain friends has changed significantly since the millennials came into existence.

They don’t make new friendships any more; instead, they add people to their social networks.

Social interactions are more about liking, commenting, and sharing than they are about direct communication.

They have friends in every country around the world.

Weird as it may sound to others, conversations actually take place in hashtags.

Millennials’ attention spans and memories are shorter than those of older generations.

YouTubers are becoming famous for their videos.

Most people who attempt to grow an online business never succeed beyond their 15 minutes of fame.

Because people want instant satisfaction, they don’t want to wait for things any longer than they need to.

The source of entertaining and informative content must be crisp, concise, and yet rich in content.

There are some downsides to this trend too.

At times, this leads to people feeling insecure about their online presence and the fact they’re not always active on social media.

If people don’t “like” your posts, you might feel less confident in yourself. It’s unhealthy when your self-esteem is determined by your appearance to others.

Online trolling has become a real problem.

There have always been some individuals who derive sadistic pleasures from insulting, humiliating and abusing other individuals.

They have a platform now and they’re playing on an even bigger stage than before.

They take advantage of the fact that their perceived “anonymity” makes them feel less accountable for their actions.

Since information moves so fast, there is always the risk of false information spreading quickly without anyone bothering to verify its veracity.

Due to the lack of time, and people’s general lack of desire to verify any claim that they read, everything found online could be taken at face value.

Rumors and gossip quickly spread through word of mouth and social media.

The public’s opinions become the upholders of the laws and the judges decide cases at lightning speed when they’re posted online.

At such times, lives and careers may be ruined.

Millennials and politics

Growth in technology has allowed rulers to become more accessible to the people they rule.

Citizen charters and online communities have changed the way we interact with our elected officials.

The accountability of the government has increased.

With this “woke” generation, there is nowhere to run. They know their rights better than ever before.

Mistakes in government are duly noted and must be corrected, so it would be idiotic not to listen to the voices of such a large and political group.

There are some people who are strong supporters of nationalist sentiment and value systems while others believe in the importance of uniting to solve global environmental concerns like climate change, refugee crises, and global wealth distribution.

This generation is more woke and argumentative than any other generation.

Each side has strong opinions and refuses to concede.

It’s quite obvious in online discussion boards and comment sections.

Even discussions on innocuous subjects such as sports, culture, and arts often turn into political debates.

It’s ironic because the Internet has made the world smaller by bringing us together, but we’re choosing to go further away from each other.

Conclusion and the “Post-Millennial” world

“Post millennials” are already here.

The technological advances made by millennials in the social, economical, and political realms are here to stay; they’re just too strong for their parents’ generation to stop them.

The giant strides in human progress achieved by this independent, brave, self-confident but at times very insecure generation are surely destined to be remembered for generations to come.

The initial steps taken by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies towards creating new possibilities lead to a better future!

Will new relationships be formed between humans and intelligent robots?”

Will marriages and families as institutions survive in this future?

We don’t know yet.