By Peter Biggs

“They must be wearing wigs!”

Such was the genuine belief of many parents of Baby Boomers when they first saw the Beatles in the early 1960s. Much about the new generation was incomprehensible to them. Their worldview simply wouldn’t let them accept long-haired men.

Today, parents of senior high schoolers may find kids behaviours very different from their own experience.

Every 20 years a shift takes place. Since World War II, we’ve witnessed the advent of Baby Boomers (1945 – 65); Gen Xers (1965 – 85); and now Millennials (1985 – 05).

The defining dates are not exact ‘margins’; in addition, there are ‘transitional generations’ that combine some of the thinking and values of both the preceding and the coming generation.

Just how does their view of life and way of doing things differ from those who have gone before?

Generalizing

We all hate being stereotyped. “How can you generalize about all of us? We’re individuals, we’re all different,” we may say in response to the notion of generalizing our generation.

It may be that Canadians born in 1985 and later are indeed a more diverse group than previous generations.

Andrew Clark stated in Maclean’s, “They are by far the most racially diverse generation in Canada’s history.” The net result, Clark maintains, “is a teen culture without a single overriding identity.”

Nevertheless, a picture is emerging of ‘Millennial’ youth with a distinct generational identity.

Why Millennials?

Just where does the term Millennial Generation come from? It can be traced to Peter Jennings of ABC. On the World News Tonight program, in 1997, he said “Several thousand people sent suggestions to abcnews.com. Some thought that gen.com would be a good idea. Others said Generation Y, Generation Whatever, Gen–D was one. The Boomlets. The Prozac Generation.

“When everyone got talking about it online, the second largest number thought there should be no label at all, and the greatest interest was in the Millennium Generation, or the Millennials.”

Diane Oblinger, author of Boomers, Gen-Xers, Millennials – Understanding the New Students, writes: “A new group entering higher education, the Millennials, exhibit different characteristics from those of siblings just a few years older . . . Millennials gravitate toward group activity [and] identify with parents’ values.”  

Millennials have been described as the most watched-over generation in memory. Educators have coined the term ‘helicopter parents’ – parents who hover. According to Michael Coomes and Robert De Bard – writing in Serving the Millennial Generation: New Directions for Student Services, Millennials tend to exhibit these characteristics:

• They perceive themselves as special.

• They have been sheltered by parents and society.

• They are confident of their abilities and optimistic about their future.

• They possess highly conventional perspectives.

• They focus on teamwork.

• They need to succeed in what they do.

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Pressure & stress

The authors of the influential Millennials Rising – The Next Great Generation (millennials-rising.com) identify several problems faced by these young people. Neil Howe and William Strauss write: “Pressure – on time, on achievement, on living up to the high expectations of adults and friends.

“Polls show that today’s kids’ biggest worries are grades and college admissions. Most kids say they fear homework and grades far more than they do school violence.”

This is the most ‘medicated’ generation yet, in the treatment of depression, eating disorders, ADD and anxiety disorders.

This may reflect an increase of stress; however, it may also reflect better diagnosis of such problems. Stress and pressure are measurable realities for Millennials. In the 2004 National College Health Assessment, Simon Fraser University recently reported that 12.7 percent of students have been diagnosed with depression.  

According to UCLA professor Alexander W. Astin, co-principal investigator for a national study of 3,680 third-year college students at 46 colleges and universities, students’ sense of psychological well-being declines significantly during the college years.

In Canada’s Teens: Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow,  popular author and University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby cites evidence which indicates that Millennials have another characteristic which makes it easier for them to adapt to pressure.

Bibby writes: “Millennials . . . have been exposed to dramatic technological innovations. . . .  All this change, according to youth and culture expert Dawson McAllister, is something with which they are comfortable: ‘For Boomers, change was a mandate . . . Change was threatening to Xers . . . Millennials, however, thrive on change. It is the air they breathe – and the more of it, the better.’”

‘Normal’ for Millennials

This generation has never had to adapt to the information age. Technology is a natural part of their lives. What is normal for them may seem excessive for parents.

In ‘The information Age Mindset: Changes in Students Implications for Higher Education’ (Educause Review),  Jason Frand outlines the way technology is completely woven into the Millennials lifestyle :

• Multi-tasking is totally normal. Parents are commonly baffled and irritated by kids who simultaneously do homework, instant message three friends, and listen to music on their iPods.

• Zero tolerance for delays.  They are used to ‘click and find’; web pages must work, or they will likely be dismissed in seconds. This extends to other areas of life. Some question whether this has produced truncated attention span, and an inability to reflect upon issues, or listen to spoken presentations.

• Staying connected is essential. Most have 24/7 broadband computer connection with instant messaging, Skype (free voice transmission over the internet) and email; some maintain weblogs. Cell phones are ubiquitous, with text messaging sometimes preferred to voice. Millennials often have extensive ‘networks’ of friends.

• Computers aren’t viewed as ‘technology.’ Rather, they are a key component of an assumed way of life.

• Internet is preferred to TV . Interactivity and hypertext linking are preferred to channel surfing.

• Doing and experiencing  is a large part of ‘knowing.’ This may reflect the information overload we experience; the half-life of information is now so short, words alone are not trusted.

Not all individuals in this age range may identify with all the elements described above. But careful study of this generational group is helping schools adjust their environment and teaching models to better fit the Millennial mindset.

Understanding and then encouraging Millennials to appreciate their own uniqueness can greatly help them in their youthful quest for self understanding and achievement.

August 2007