To everyone who has been disrespected by being called a millennial, I have some light to shine on the generation subject, as well as the critiques we get. Many people between the ages of 15-25 are currently are being labeled as millennials, studied as millennials, and judged as millennials. However, we actually make up the next generation; Generation Z,also known as the iGen. Those categorized as Generation Z were born between 1995-2012. Despite the common belief of our age range belonging to the Millennial generation, we posses our own complex generation label that should be studied and treated as such.
Millennial stereotypes include, but are not limited to; being lazy, entitled, undeducated, and easily distracted. Older generations and the media critique these traits and assume these stereotypes reign true for almost every young person they see. The attachment of that stereotype upon young people allows endless slander and assumptions to be made. Studies of generations are conducted to observe the changes in character and the development of the country, falsely labeling an age range interferes with that study and our own individual study of who we are and what we are bringing to the table.
This misunderstanding of who we are as a generation is connecting us to negative ideologies, when in actuality we carry almost none of the millennial stereotypes. Generation Z is known to be; great multitaskers, bargain hunters, individuals, and entrepreneurs. We are the only generation that has grown with such great technological advances. In elementary school, we were being introduced to how to use computers, while millennials were learning the same skill in high school. The blessing of growing with technology is that we are constantly learning and adapting, while those older than us struggled with the introduction of the internet.
Being the iGeneration has molded us into wonderful individuals. We use the internet to take in all the information we could ever want and apply it to any situation we are in. As multitaskers, we can handle technology while in class, mid-conversation, and almost any other daily activity. Being that we grew up in the recession, our generation focuses on smart budgeting/bargaining. (Hence the rising support of thrifting) We are also extremely individualistic as we value differences. We get this value from being able to study so much on the internet. We are able to see what we like, what we want to borrow from the past, and how we want to execute our various aesthetics on social media as well as in real life. As entrepreneurs, we have it easy. We can start businesses by simply advertising our work through social media and building connections/followings.
Unlike generations before us, we have a lot handed to us, and we use it well. Although the assumption is that our internet dependency is hindering us as people, it’s actually contributed to many successful traits of our generation. It is important to note the separation between Millennials and Generation Z because there is huge difference in progressiveness and innovative nature. Like I mentioned earlier, generations are studied to see the impact we have on each other and our surroundings. We currently make up a majority of the country’s population, meaning we are a huge demographic to keep in mind. We are the working future of the country and should be acknowledged for all we have to offer.