Obama series 3/3: User Generated content and Community

In the final part of the three-part series on Obama we’re looking at User Generated Content and Online communities. 

Community

Obama used, very effectively, 16 social networking sites – ranging from ‘Facebook’, ‘MySpace’ and ‘Twitter’ to ‘AsianAve’, ‘Faithbase’ and ‘Eons’ – to build a community of supporters aggregated in one place to whom he could blog (well, someone on his behalf we imagine), and importantly with whom he created a two-way dialogue (as opposed to a web-based corporate bill-board of promises summed up in values, behaviours and future projects).  Our generation probably learned more about Obama from social media than we did from his website, or any written document. Log on to any of these and we can rate him, tweet and retweet him, vlog in response to his vlog or offer an opinion.  In so-doing we felt listened to. Furthermore Obama espoused the generation y motto ‘ask, don’t tell’.  It’s genius.  Generation Y wants a ‘conversation’, not just a static page of content and a load of promises.  In these communities we can find out more about him whenever we want. He appears ‘transparent’.

Obama won this race with our generation because: his story had ‘viral’ quality (and we passed it round); He gave Generation Y a vision (and asked for their support to achieve it).  He gave us ownership for achieving it (and used social media incredibly well to create a dialogue) with this voter demographic. Oh, and did we mention that behind every successful president is a 27 year old speech writer?         

Generation Y and the Political Sphere

In school, in business, in their online communities, Generation Y is known as optimistic, idealistic, passionate, and eager to make a valuable contribution. But not in politics it seems. In the political sphere, they are perceived to be cynical, apathetic and disengaged. This is reflected in the voting statistics: in the 2001 and 2005 General Elections, of the 18-24 age group there was only a 39% and 37% turnout, respectively (as compared with a 60% turnout in 1997 which were the younger Generation X). Additionally, in 2005 16% of those aged 18-24 were not even registered to vote, as compared with 2% of voters over 65.

What is the reason for this apparent incongruence? Some reports state that the apparent lack of political interest is down to age – as one’s age increases, so does awareness of how political policies impact life’s decisions. However, this does not explain the sudden drop in voter turn-out between the 1997 and 2001 elections. The Electoral Commission (2005) and the IpsosMORI report (2008) argue that Generation Y cares about political issues, but feels powerless to make a difference.

Indeed, Generation Y has experienced a government that appears not to listen to its needs. For example, tuition fees have been publically and widely discredited, yet they continue to create a generation debt-ridden from the outset. Another example was the 2003 Iraq War, which incurred the biggest protest march in British history - the largest participating age-group being 18-24 year-olds, at 16%.

This is a tragedy, since the passion of Generation Y, plus its considerable size (7 million in the UK), suggests that political parties would benefit from engaging with this population. In the US, President Obama used social media to empower young people during his Presidential campaign, with outstanding results: Obama won the votes of those under 30 by 68% to 31%. Of the 10% new voters, 72% voted for Obama, and 69% of those under 30 also voted for Obama. This kind of engagement sounds like the optimistic and idealistic Generation Y we know and love. And it can work in the UK too: if empowered by a political party and encouraged to vote, Generation Y could prove a formidable force in the 2009 General Elections.

What Dreams May Come

“Young people born after 1982 are the most narcissistic generation in recent history”.

Dr Jean Twenge’s Generation Me (2006) marks her research into narcissism in Generation Y. As a result of over-indulgent and undeserved praise lavished on them by Boomer parents, Generation Y is apparently self-absorbed, lazy and entitled.

According to Dr Twenge, a key manifestation of this narcissism – and ironically the cause of pain and misery to Generation Y – is the pursuit of one’s dreams encouraged by parents and teachers. She argues that a lifetime of pampering has created a generation deluded in the belief that it can achieve anything without making the effort. This ‘delusion’ is revealed for what it is in business, when Generation Ys do not receive the quick promotions and recognition they expect for just turning up, causing them anxiety and stress. Life in business requires effort and dreams can fall quickly to ruin.

While controversial, Dr Twenge’s observations of Generation Y behaviour aren’t narcissism, but signs of naivety.  Indeed Generation Y was brought up believing it could achieve anything, but as discussed in our last blog, educational institutions do not sufficiently prepare students for life on the outside; they don’t equip them with the business tools required to succeed.

3M empowered its employees with such tools with its “Permitted Bootlegging” policy, which enabled scientist Art Fry in 1974 to spend a portion of his working day to put colleague, Spencer Silver’s adhesive to practical use; thus inventing the Post-it Note.

Employers who recognise the pursuit of dreams as the desire to achieve can help Generation Y develop a personal vision or dream, which aligns with that of the company, and provide the tools to empower Generation Y (and so the business) to thrive.

To finish off, President Obama, arguably the mascot for achieving one’s dreams, had this to say at his address on Tuesday:

“...In my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary.” 

Get Generation Y to engage with your brand

One of the key complaints about Generation Y is how naïve they are about how business works. There are already concerned discussions happening about Generation Z and how they will transition from the education system to the working world. The younger generations seem to be hugely unprepared for the life that awaits them upon exit of the education system, often to the dismay of employers who have to foot the enormous bill to fill this skills void.  There is a need to create transparency and visibility so that expectations are matched on both sides.

In our previous blog we left you with the story of Electronic Arts, which has a Facebook page to attract and recruit the iGeneration, onto which student Mohammed Elnaiem asked for advice about which university to attend in order to increase his chance of getting a job with EA.

This signals the eagerness of Generations Y and Z to prepare for their future, but also the distinct lack of relevant career advice or training provided by education institutions – thus defeating the object of education. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Some businesses have taken to doing presentations inside schools, or sponsoring excellent candidates (much like the British ARMY sponsoring graduates through their university degree with the guarantee of a recruit after graduation).  However, this conjures up futuristic images of ‘Google/ Goldman Sachs-sponsored children’s school blazers’ – which we don’t believe is the way forward.

The answer to the dilemma is for employers, rather than waiting until students are in their final year of university before trying to attract and train them, is to get involved with this population early on, engaging them in captivating experiences (to which they can contribute), which in turn may encourage them to tailor their educational choices towards a future career with your brand. A recent example is Nokia’s ‘Dreams Workshops’, which engages children globally in ‘sustainability’ events, designed to improve life skills and raise environmental awareness. So far Nokia has reached over 30,000 young people – that’s 30,000 potential employees worldwide.

Previously we have mentioned Coca-Cola’s efforts and another example of where this has worked is the iPhone applications:  within 6 months of the launch of the Apple iPhone 10,000 ‘collaborators’ had created third-party applications for the mobile device.  Most recently a 9 year old boy created one! (Thomson Reuters).

Establishing an early (experiential) relationship with potential consumers and employees, will both reduce the high training costs upon entry into the business, and greatly increase loyalty in the long term. It’s a win-win situation that can be created for any business.

Jon Favreau: boY GENius

In the struggle to cut costs and grab what little resources are still available, many businesses are tightening their belts and changing their management strategy, from a ‘looser’ style, as preferred by Generation Y, to a more ‘authoritarian’ approach - thereby exerting maximum control relieving the feelings of fear of wasting precious time and money.  Jobs have also suddenly dried up for Generation Y: 40% of the predicted three million unemployed at the end of 2009 will be under 25[1]. Does this mean that Gen Y needs to both ‘pipe’ and ‘knuckle down’, at least until the storm has blown over?

Well, how does this sound? Working most days till 3am and doing vast amounts of research in personal time, breaking only to spend a few hours gaming;-[2] This is the work pattern of Jon Favreau, the 27-year-old speech writer for President Obama. Hailed as ‘boy genius’[3], Favreau is the youngest Director of Speech writing to the White House on record.  As a Generation Y, by all accounts he should be making ‘unreasonable’ demands of an employer; flexible hours, Facebooking his friends during work, and generally openly questioning the command of authority. Instead, Obama’s ‘mind reader’ works day and night for his ‘master’[4].  Jon organised a team of talented researchers, spending weeks gathering information from which he worked into the early hours crafting Obama’s speeches. And the result? From a little-known politician, Barack Obama succeeded against all odds in winning the Presidential election in November 2008 and is now taking his throne as, essentially, world leader.

This should send a strong message to employers that if their Generation Y really believes in the organisation, and that they feel trusted, they will reveal themselves to be an incredibly loyal, productive and all-round powerful workforce.

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[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/10/graduate-employment-crisis-rescue-package

[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/20/barack-obama-inauguration-us-speech

[3] http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/adaf9610-e708-11dd-8407-0000779fd2ac.html

[4] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/20/barack-obama-inauguration-us-speech

 

Inside the Knowledge Generation Brain

Lifelong learning is a known characteristic of Generation Y, manifested in business as a persistent thirst for a challenge and a demand for continuous training and development.  Surprisingly, the cause of this approach to learning is not often discussed in popular blogs and literature.

Earlier this week I attended one of the RSA’s lectures, which explored the Science of Lifelong Learning. According to speaker Usha Goswami, Director for the Neuroscience in Education at Cambridge University, the brain is like a bank and investment from an early age can significantly increase learning ability later in life. She argued that babies brought up in a supportive environment are positively affected in terms of learning capacity and complexity.

Indeed, Generation Y is known by Strausse & Howe (2000) as the most watched and protected generation[1], where ‘helicopter’ parents packed their children’s lives with a myriad of learning-based hobbies, such as musical instruments, sports and extra-curricular school activities. Technological advances, such as the internet, have further increased this ability and desire for learning.

Now eager Generation Y has entered the workplace, expecting the same level of mental simulation from its employer. This can be highly beneficial to the alert employer, as when provided with a supportive environment, this population of young workers can be highly efficient and creative problems-solvers and aggregators of information in what we call ‘online knowledge ecosystems’ - thereby helping to reduce costs in the downturn and increase participation, ownership and innovation in the next boom.

‘The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled’
- Plutarch 

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[1] Strausse & Howe (2000), Millenials Rising. Pg9

Accidental Betrayal

Michaela (a Generation Y) began working in a company after university, with an idealistic view to how she could create a successful career, based on the promises made by the company. She soon discovered that the reality was different to her expectations: espoused corporate values were not adhered to and her eagerly anticipated career opportunities were not as she had imagined. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Michaela left.

In late 2008 Naked Generations worked with a client, who was genuinely upset at their Generation Y turnover rate. They had made both a financial and emotional investment into their graduates, many of whom were leaving. The client felt hurt and betrayed.

From the outset the trust has been accidentally broken on both sides, creating a culture of distrust which is incredibly costly to business. The economic climate is tempestuous and treacherous, meaning that more than ever that employer and employee must unite in order to steer through the storm.

It must begin before graduates join, with employers setting crystal clear expectations about the job and of the employee. They also need to fully understand the expectations of their Generation Y in order to attract, retain, and leverage their skills into the business, thus rebuilding trust between employer and employee and strengthening a company from the inside out.

The Grass is Greener Where you Water it

I recently had coffee with the MD of a significant fine jewellery company and we were discussing the retention of Generation Y and the costs of training this group. Although keen to leverage the skills of Generation Y, he repeated a line which I’ve often heard from older generations: “train them and they’ll leave”. Indeed, if an employee is well trained, they become more valuable and so more employable. And many businesses have suffered the blow of up-skilling graduates on training schemes, only for them to take their skills elsewhere shortly after.

There are two things going on here. Generation Y sees learning as a lifelong process[1], so if training stops, they will seek it somewhere else. Indeed, PwC’s 2008 Generation Y report revealed that training was three times more important to this population than cash bonuses, with 98% believing that mentors were an important part of their development. On top of this, the training will cause Generation Y to seek trust from the company to allow them apply what they have learned to their daily work.

Unfortunately, too often Generation Y is given a whiff of what they can have, such as increased responsibility and the opportunity to make a significant contribution, but are then informed it will be a number of years before this can happen. This is training for the sake of training, which serves no purpose in business. It’s like learning to drive and then being told you will have to wait five years before you can get behind the wheel of a car. What would this motivate you to do? Leave.

The moral of the story: keep them challenged, fulfil expectations created by the training, and in return they will give you loyalty, improved productivity, and a great return on your investment.

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[1] http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=191002&d=pndpr&h=pnhpr&f=pnfpr, http://www.grb.uk.com/generation_y.0.html

Youth, Risk and the Virtual Realm

High risks can reap high rewards, but they can also end in costly failure. So should employers welcome or shun risk-takers? Research has shown that Generation Y has a seemingly high risk profile. For example, Beck & Wade (2006) observe that online game-players are strongly encouraged to take risks, with trial and error seen the best strategy for success. They also argue that risk aversion accrues with age, following an increasing number of unpleasant experiences following failure.

So does this make Generation Y a liability to employers? While the evidence suggests that this population is naive around risk in the real world, it is important to observe Generation Y’s approach to risk-taking. An oft-used strategy for success, game-players mitigate risk by ensuring a transparent flow of information through the team and distribute responsibility amongst the other players according to their skill sets.

This demonstrates that, in order to succeed as a team, online game-players must take individual accountability for their actions and the risks they take. This implies a level of understanding, perhaps by even the youngest players, of responsibility distribution as an effective risk management strategy.

Indeed, the virtual world is not the same as the physical realm, in which Generation Y may not have the experience of older generations, but their risk-facing attitude combined with a strategic understanding of risk mitigation learned from online games could reap big rewards for businesses too.

Thatcher's Innovators

Generation Y is often perceived as arrogant and self-centred, traits not well received in business. The first of ‘Thatcher’s Children’[1] were born just as Margaret Thatcher’s government came into power in 1979. During this Conservative reign, educational and social reforms were introduced, which directly affected the lives of Generation Y.

One such reform was the 1989 Children Act, which focused on the child’s relationship with the government. For the first time in British history the law recognised the child as an independent individual with rights and choices, whose voice would be heard above that of the state[2]. For example, if a social worker was considering removing the child from its parents, the outcome would depend on the wishes of the child, whose opinion was given more weight than that of the social worker.

Another significant policy was the Education Reform or ‘Baker’ Act of 1988, which again aimed to empower the ‘consumers’ of education – the children.[3]

These reforms encouraged children to believe that they were important members of society, whose opinions were to be taken seriously by authority; parents, teachers, and employers alike.
This mindset is arguably connected to Generation Y’s entrepreneurial spirit[4], a fiercely independent mindset, where they believe that their individual ideas can change society. And why not? Einstein discovered E=MC2 when he was 26[5], Frank Whittle invented the jet engine when he was 21[6]. If employers listen to Generation Y – the first generation to be recognised by the law as relevant individuals of society – they have the potential to develop innovations which will reap enormous rewards for business.

[1] Pilcher, J. & Wagg, S. (1996). Thatcher’s Children? Falmer Press, p1.
[2] Winter, K. & Connolly, ‘Keeping it the Family’: Thatcherism & the Children Act 1989, in Pilcher, J. & Wagg, S. (1996). Thatcher’s Children? Falmer Press, Pp29-42
[3] Wagg, S. Politics, Childhood and the New Education Market, in Pilcher, J. & Wagg, S. (1996). Thatcher’s Children? Falmer Press, pp8-28
[4] http://www.grb.uk.com/generation_y.0.html
[5] http://resource.npl.co.uk/docs/educate_explore/posters/bg_einstein_poster.pdf
[6] http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-83959095.html

Temp Generation

One of the recurring complaints we hear about Generation Y revolves around the issue of ‘job-hopping’ as we have said elsewhere on this blog (“Gen Y playing leap-frog”). The Generation Y population seems to find it tough stay in one place for any length of time and it is giving employers a headache, putting a strain on both finances and morale. “It would be really helpful, especially in our line of work [relationship management]... if they could stay for at least five years” says one Investment Bank relationship director.

According to the RBS/ NatWest Student Living Index, the number of university students that also take on part-time employment is up at 42%, of all those in Higher Education. This is a sharp rise over the last few years, where previously there was a downward trend, and has gone up to as many as 750,000 in the UK per annum.[1] Student work also revolves around seasonal contracts (Christmas, Easter, Summer holidays), meaning that the concept of full-time work on a long-term basis may be quite an alien concept to most graduates, when they leave university – they’re not used to it.

This increase in contract work is supported by the expansion of the temporary work industry, which has grown five times more than national employment since 1990,[2] which correlates with the unprecedented numbers of redundancies during the 1990s (also well documented in previous blogs). From a commercial perspective, these two events suggest that many businesses believe it to be cost effective to hire some employees on a temporary basis. From a cultural perspective, however, the diminished idea of a ‘job for life’, plus the increasing availability of temporary work does not encourage a mindset of working for a corporate firm on a long-term basis.

This suggests that Generation Y graduates, rather than being lazy or disloyal, are merely working as they always have, on a short-term basis.

All of this supports the kinds of client requests that we see, who are asking us to build longevity into mindset and career paths of Generation Y inside their own businesses.

[1] http://www.easier.com/view/Finance/Household_Bills/Spending_Habits/article-195278.html
[2] http://www.salary.com/personal/layoutscripts/psnl_articles.asp?tab=psn&cat=cat011&ser=ser032∂=par362

Naked profiled in Sandbox blog

Naked Generations was profiled in a blog about the CWC conference event where we were invited to share our vision about 'next generation leadership', by Sandbox, an international network of 'Future Talents' (sub-30, aspiring leaders). Sandbox's Christian Busch, said: 'Old management paradigms ... are outdated; New leadership models are emerging around Generation Y', and, referring to Naked Generations: 'Who could teach or rather share these insights and models better than those who have already employed them in practice?'

Maslow and Generational Motivation

Why do we work? Security? A sense of identity? Self-fulfilment? Each generation is motivated by a set of needs and thus creates an environment which satisfies them. From this new world the next generation arises with a different set of needs. The causal relationship between generations’ motivations can be mapped onto Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow explains that different needs grow out of each other, beginning with physiological, then safety, belonging, esteem and finally self-actualisation.

Baby Boomers (1946-1964), cultured by Builders (1925-1945) grew up in aftermath of the Second World War, so when they embarked upon their career, they sought security and a sense of belonging (as a result of scarcity). The world had stabilised by the time Generation X (1965- 1978) entered the workforce, satisfying the lower three needs, meaning they were motivated by a need for esteem. Generation Y (1979- 1995) has grown up in an affluent society, with all four lower needs cared for, so they are seeking work which 'fulfils' them.

Companies created by Baby Boomers and Generation X cater for their needs, but not for Generation Y. If employers want to retain and motivate this population, they need to target their desire for self-actualisation, such as encouraging and realising innovative ideas, ownership of projects and helping them understand their identity within the organisation.

Generation Y enjoys security, money and status like everyone else, but they are reaching for something more.

Another world?

So, what’s all the fuss about ‘online’ and Web 2.0? What has changed? The World Wide Web (WWW) has fundamentally shifted up a gear in terms of what it can do now. Web 2.0 has changed the online experience from being ‘talked at’ to being able ‘to be in conversation’. It is perhaps this ongoing concept of interaction that is most distinctive. Web 2.0 has opened the door (for example) to Collaboration (Wikis/ Blogs), Recommendation (Tagging/ Digg’ing), Convergence (MySpace/ Second Life), Casting (Narrow/Wide/Video/Pod), and VOIP (Skype). What impact does that have on the average business in the real world? Take for example the ‘futuristic’ (but nonetheless, here today) world of Second Life [created by Linden Labs (http://lindenlab.com/)]. Just wasting time? Well, not so for Rob Hof of BusinessWeek who went ‘in-world’ and discovered a whole new parallel world with an economy that genuinely crosses over into our ‘real’ world. Hof (a Baby Boomer) found creating his avatar (Rob Cranes) very involving. He describes the ability to have a ‘...social experience. You can do almost anything… Create homes, buy islands and create a resort...” “ This is not just a business phenomenon… it’s entertainment at its root [but] there is an economy developing here…[Linden Labs] not only let people create their stuff (e.g. clothing)… they have ownership of the intellectual property they create [inworld]… they can sell it… it gives them an economic incentive to create it…” and they can turn it into real product outside ‘Second Life’, explains Hof. There is an internal online currency that is in fact exchangeable into real world money. The currency online is ‘Linden dollars’. The rate to exchange it into real dollars is roughly 300:1 (Lindens to USD). Money is exchanged back and forth through the creators ‘Linden Lab’ and Hof reports some people are taking out ‘thousands of dollars a month’. People could do this for a profession! Too far-fetched? Well, you aren’t alone – not everyone is a fan.

Next time: What about ‘real’ businesses? How is this relevant?

The Power of Online

So, Can any of this online 'stuff', blogging, discussion, have an impact on anything like the scale of a multinational corporation. Well it seems so. Aided by the eternal 'opinion-based valuation' nature of the stock exchanges, a group of 'cyber coolies' (young graduates in call centres across India) have set up an 'e-union' that promises to attack clients and investors of their companies in response to the sacking of 400 of their graduate peers. By threatening to release information from inside the business to investors, they hope to incentivise firms to re-employ or compensate their peers. They claim the information would sabotage the share price of these firms significantly. The BPO ('Business Process Outsourcing') union claims that members of the Indian BPO industry were unlawfully sacked and should receive compensation or be reinstated.

It seems as though some of the loyalty to an organisation has left a generation and their loyalty to the management team has left too. Can it be restored? Watch this space.

Growing up

Nurture. The Baby Boomers were brought up by the ‘Builders’ or ‘Veterans’ (generally those born 1925 – 1945). Many having been through World War I (‘WWI’) as children and all will have experienced in some way World War II (WWII). They were naturally conservative with food and possessions, taught to reuse and conserve what they had. ‘Builders’ were guided by the military discipline instilled through the course of the military action; were affected directly by the economic events of the Wall Street Crash in October 1929 and the years to follow, so named the ‘Great Depression’. (Rightly or wrongly) they communicated these learned values to their children – the ‘Baby Boomers’. Born in ‘two chunks’ (in the UK) between the generally accepted range of 1946 – 1964, the Boomers formed their own identity too. The preceding 20 years had made starting families challenging (not least because of the physical separation of families as they went on duty with their various military ‘outfits’), but now with men returning to handle the economy women were able return to raising a family. Boomers took on these learned values and pursued careers – taught by their Builder parents that a job provided income security – Boomers forged for themselves 20 or 30 year careers with one firm. Generation X witnessed the collapse of this trust as long term ‘expectations’ of job security between employer and (Baby Boomer) employees was shattered in the 1987 stock-market crash. Within 2 days the FTSE 100 had lost 22% of its value and panic struck (even thought the FTSE 100 actually finished two percentage points higher overall that year[1]! Look at this FTSE 100 (1985-2005) chart[2] from Yahoo! Finance and see how the index had been rising for the previous seven months and then ‘corrected’).
This was happening as this X-er Generation was entering the workplace! Loyalty, as you might expect, towards (multi) national firms went down the scale considerably. Gen X-ers were much more independently minded, ensuring their survival they learned ‘transferrable skills’. And it wasn’t just business shaping the minds of Generation X: the birth of the single-parent family became acceptable and this generation thus carries the ‘latch-key’ tag as parents in single-parent families were forced to work to provide for their family. Generation X was cultured to be independent and in work will ‘ring-fence’ their ‘bit’ and look after it. This is also the generation that started to interact with the Internet and online communication – at least as ‘early adopters’.So what about Generation Y? “Self absorbed” “Brash” “Divas[3]” “Ambitious[4]” “Demanding” “Confident” – Yes!


[1] The Motley Fool UK: Market Comment 19/10/2001, ‘Learn the Lessons from Black Monday’ (19 Oct 2001)
[2] http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EFTSE&t=my&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=, ‘FTSE100 basic chart’ (15 May 2008).
[3] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/recruiter_forum/article1813031.ece, “How to Connect with Generation Y” TimesOnline (20 May 2007)
[4] http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/786810/mt-freshminds-work-20-survey-generation, “Work 2.0 Survey - My generation” (29 Feb 2008)

Is Gen Y ‘for real’?

We have been hearing about the Generation Y and Baby Boomer stuff for some time now. My question remains, what are the real differences? I can get inside the head of Generation Y, after all, I am one! What separates a Gen Y from a Gen X or a Baby Boomer though? Is it so clear cut I can put a marker in the sand?
On 19 May 1986 TIME magazine published an article entitled “Growing pains at 40”[1] – the article announced the coming of age of the Baby Boomers, they had reached middle age. In the article Senator Al(bert) Gore (then 38 and Democrat of Tennessee), said “We wanted to change it all, to do it our way”. Sound familiar? Sounds like what Generation Y are shouting out right now. They have the energy and the passion to do so. With little to worry about apart from themselves they have the mobility to move around whenever and wherever they like. The article continues by referring to the Baby Boomer as the ‘enelegant’: "Pig in the python," a moving bulge that distorts and distends everything around it as it rumbles through the stages of life. Locked together in a crowded race, many Boomers have learned to use their elbows. The most outspoken members retain a kind of generational arrogance… Again, sounds familiar. Well, what about loyalty? ‘…Not only that, long absorbed in themselves, the Baby Boomers are a generation that has avoided or postponed commitment to others. Many have little loyalty to their employers and less to political leaders or ideas…[2]’ You can draw your own parallels I’m sure but allow me one just briefly; This is exactly how Generation Y are being described by Gen X and Baby Boomer commentators right now: ‘arrogant’, ‘self absorbed’ and ‘increasingly mobile’.
So are there any differences? Of course there are. And Yes, they are dependent on how they were raised, and Yes they are dependent on the environment in which Generation Y is growing up, and Yes it does have to do with Technology and the WWW.



[1] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961401,00.html “Growing Pains at 40”, TIME Magazine (19 May 1986)
[2] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961402,00.html “Growing Pains at 40”, TIME Magazine (19 May 1986)