Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. ~George Orwell
Generations are defined as cohorts of people who were born in the same date range and share similar cultural experiences. Generations have typically spanned 20 years, but as the Internet, apps, and technology become faster, the exposure to cultural experiences from around the world become a 24/7 feed directly into the front pocket of your skinny jeans. This increase in exposure is cutting the 20 year generational span drastically, and its only going to continue to shrink.
Younger generations are becoming more behaviorally and culturally diverse.
The current generation that is really shaking up the marketplace are the Millennials. These are individuals born between 1980 and 1999. They are 80 million strong and are the largest generation on the planet.
In 1993, Advertising Age was credited with creating the term Generation Y, which has since been replaced with Millennials. William Strauss and Neil Howe, influential authors of American generations, used the term Millennials because the members of the generation did not want to be associated with their predecessors, Generation X. Further solidifying the term, Millennials, Advertisers Age recently threw in the towel conceding that Millennials is a better name than their coined Generation Y.
Millennial simply refers to the generation who came of age during the 2000 millennium.
Here is my best shot at answering wtf is up with the Millennials (wtf stands for "what the F*#!" for those behind on their acronyms):
The Millennials are an over achieving, innovative, self-possessed, and optimistic bunch of tech savvy individuals doing their best to operate within the established rules set forth for them while practicing their calling of saving the world.
You may not agree with that statement....yet. However, if you stick around long enough to this blog I hope to equip you with that same perspective. I believe the organizations positioned to leverage the largest generation on the planet will thrive in the new era of business.
Question: How would you best define the Millennial generation?
