1.1. A MILLENNIAL PORTRAIT
The millennials are fast on their way to rivaling the baby boomers as the most studied generation. They are sometimes referred to as "echo boomers" because many of them are the offspring of boomers, who have helped shape them and continue to play a major role in their lives. Whether they will affect the world as much as the boomers did remains uncertain, of course, but they are certainly promising to make waves.
The trophy kids have generally enjoyed financial and emotional security in their close, comfortable relationships with their families. But their lives also have been touched by a succession of momentous events, including the Columbine High School shootings; the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Hurricane Katrina; and the wave of corporate scandals that began with the collapse of Enron Corp.
One of the most avid watchers of millennials has been Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. Between 1997 and 2004, it put millennials under the microscope for five research studies on "America's emerging leaders." Some of the earliest surveys detected an unusually optimistic, self-assured generation. But among the findings in Northwestern Mutual's 2004 survey of 21- to 23-year-olds: heightened anxiety because they're living in a world in conflict. Indeed, the millennials surveyed consider growing up faster and a lack of innocence as two of the chief disadvantages of their generation. They also were pessimistic about America's direction and its leadership, but enthusiastic about their connections to family and friends.
Their dissatisfaction with political leaders obviously has motivated the millennials to action. They were quite active during the 2008 presidential primaries, with more young people voting than in recent years and especially strong support for Barack Obama and his campaign theme of "change we can believe in." In a survey of 18- to 24-year-olds in fall 2007, Harvard University's Institute of Politics found that 41% definitely planned to vote in a 2008 primary or caucus and 61% intended to vote in the general election.
Although the threat of terrorism has shaken the millennials as it has all the generations, young people still tend to have high self-esteem and plenty of hope and ambition. That's certainly the case with Steffen Ringelmann, a graduate of Vassar College who is happily pursuing his artistic passions in New York City. After graduation in 2004, he floated around a bit, waiting tables so he could paint and do volunteer work at a free monthly publication in Brooklyn and an art gallery in Manhattan. Feeling a bit exhausted and overwhelmed, he spent three months chilling out on the coast of Maine, then headed to Berlin, Germany, for four months. Now back in New York City, he works as an assistant at a furniture and design gallery and builds furniture in the evenings and on weekends for a major advertising agency and other customers.
"My goal is to be a tastemaker and have an influence on style," he says. "I have found my path in life in design and can see myself succeeding financially, as well as emotionally and creatively." He agrees that his generation is self-involved and less willing to join the rat race. "I want to explore, deconstruct, and understand my own sense of self through the act of creation," he says. Then he adds, laughing, "It's about me, me, me, me, me!"
Not content to be simply their parents' trophy kids, many millennials dream of riches and world renown. In a 2006 study of 18- to 25-year-olds labeled "generation next," the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC, found that they believe that their generation's top goals in life are being rich and famous. Similarly, in a 2007 Harris Interactive survey, 56% of 13- to 21-year-olds said their dream is to be a millionaire, and about a third aspired to become a famous musician or singer. About 40%, however, envisioned a nobler achievement: curing diseases.
Whether or not stardom is within their reach, this digital generation clearly loves attention and cyberfame. It's a celebrity-obsessed group that grew up on American Idol, entertainment tabloids, and Internet gossip. The millennials share the most mundane—and most sensational—aspects of their lives on such social networking sites as Facebook and MySpace, opine in blogs, and post their personal video creations on You Tube. They are so casual and indiscreet that much of their life is an open book online, where they display racy photos, boast about their sexual exploits, and try to rack up the most virtual "friends" or connections. Older adults believe they have no sense of privacy and warn them that their exhibitionism could ultimately hurt their careers and personal lives.
Ringelmann finds MySpace and Facebook "guilty pleasures" and incredibly valuable ways to connect with new people and possibly promote his furniture designs. But he also finds the connections rather shallow. "My generation is very social and gets to know a lot of people online, but we don't have many good friends through our networks," he says. "I think we're a very socially distracted generation because of the Internet."
The avid social networking is but one manifestation of the tremendous influence of technology on the millennials. Always connected to cell phones, iPods, laptops, or videogame players, this generation—sometimes called the MyPod Generation—has mastered multitasking skills better than any other. At the same time, however, educators and employers complain that the informal, shorthand style of text and instant messaging has impaired young people's writing abilities and interpersonal communication skills. What's more, the digital generation's tendency to do multiple things at once may be resulting in shorter attention spans.
Another hallmark of the millennial generation is its prolonged adolescence. Many young people like Ringelmann are drifting awhile, delaying marriage, children, home ownership, and even a steady career until well into their 20s or even their 30s. But they aren't being frivolous Peter Pans; they're just taking longer to explore the possibilities before assuming major responsibilities. They want to control their destinies and are afraid of making choices that could prove to be mistakes. Failure to them, in the end, is never finding their true passion.
Consequently, they tend to be job hoppers, often living at home with their parents, who provide a financial safety net. In a 2005 Pew Research Center survey, nearly three-quarters of 18- to 25-year-olds had received financial help from parents in the previous year, and nearly two-thirds said parents had assisted with errands, housework, and home repairs.
The trophy kids remain much closer for much longer to their doting parents than earlier generations and generally enjoy better relationships with their families and other older adults. Even as the millennials head off to college and take jobs, their parents remain their trusted advisers. That is creating havoc in the workplace as some hovering "helicopter parents" try to get involved in job interviews, salary negotiations, and even performance reviews. Clearly, millennials and their parents need to strike a better balance so that this generation learns to think and act more independently.