Millennials are self-centered, addicted to their phones, have a false sense of society, are unaware of the political system and, my favorite, lazy.
I’ve heard this my whole life. It usually comes from the direction of older generations, more specifically from those who don’t spend time or understand young people.
The young people I have met in the last four years prove that this description is not an adequate representation of millennials. How could it be? To classify every person who was born between 1980-2000 as this description is preposterous. Sure, I know millennials who fit into every one of these descriptions. But I know old people who fit this as well.
Don’t think I am making up this description either. On a Time Magazine cover, they printed a young woman taking a selfie with the title – “The Me Me Me Generation: Millennials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents.†This description of Millennials can be found in just about every article about millennials in the New York Times and other publications as well.
The criticism against millennials really has no basis. I won’t spend time disproving these criticisms. But if you’re interested in hearing how this description is ridiculous, type this into YouTube – “Millennials Don’t Exist! Adam Conover at Deep Shift.â€
With that said, one criticism I do find absurd is the “PC†one. I’ve been told countless times that myself, and my generation, is too “PC.† Don’t you love this one? We get criticized for trying not to offend people.
The emergence of millennials is something I look forward to most. It has already begun, and people are starting to take notice of our influence in society. Even if you’re not a Bernie Sanders fan, you must admit that his following and growth was greatly due to millennials. Also, what he has done in his campaign is especially notable because he influenced young people around the country to get involved with politics.
It’s funny to see companies and politicians try to connect to millennials through marketing strategies. Some of my favorite strategies are those of Hillary Clinton’s campaign. She has tried to connect with young people through Twitter, using hashtags like #yas or urging her followers to tweet their feelings on student debt in three emojis or less. My favorite is when she posted an article on her website titled “7 things Hillary Clinton has in common with your abuelaâ€. Companies try to connect with young people all the time, and most of them completely miss. For example, McDonald’s tried using #McDstories in a campaign, which backfired when Twitter users used it to express their negative experiences.
Corporate and political campaigns aimed to engage with millennials just come off as tacky. If you want to engage with millennials, it’s simple – don’t try too hard. You can’t expect to engage with people who are vastly different just because they were born within a 20-year range.
I know this article is scrambled and all over the place, but the point of this is – don’t buy into the criticism of millennials, and be proud of this generation. I know I am.