My friend, Nathanael (good little connected Gen Yer that he is), tweeted the following gem this morning:
Why Gen Y Is Going to Change the Web (I ticked all the boxes
http://tinyurl.com/57brbb #
The link points to this post on the very excellent ReadWriteWeb.
It’s a good read, discussing many of the attributes we see as common amongst those tagged as Gen Y - digitally native, non-TV watching multimedia consuming, media savvy/anti-advertising, interested in real work-life balance, socially aware. But as someone who is solidly early Gen X (I’m a 1968 baby), I exhibit every one of these traits particularly strongly. So what’s the story?
I attribute this (unscientifically) to much about the way I choose to live my life and the work that I do. I’m an early adopter. I’m technically adept. I work in a job where change is a constant. There’s solid research that suggests the generational divide is at least in part less about age and more about life situation. I agree that as a group taken in aggregate, Gen Y exhibits these traits. And, again as a group they will ultimately be the catalyst for change societally and in business (and I can hardly wait).
Alli has an interesting and insightful post on the same issue.
Agree wholeheartedly. I’ve known people in their 60s and 70s who love all this stuff too.
Thanks for tweeting and posting this, Stephen! I may have missed it otherwise. (and thanks to NathanelB also)
I certainly changed my attitude to Gen Y-ers after listening to John Hartigan’s comments about embracing them, which he gave during the 2007 Andrew Ollie Lecture. From memory, the main thrust of what he was saying that these are highly valuable employees and organisations should quickly realise that Gen Y-ers can play a valuable part in the creative process and their ‘different’ outlook/approach should be integrated and encouraged, rather than shunned and (in many cases) mis-managed.
Of course, if management structures weren’t predominantly hierarchical, then this may not be such an issue, but that’s another conversation, of course!
As I shared with Sarah Perez (the author) over Twitter, broad Gen X, Gen Y comparisons by and large leave me with a foot in both camps and part of neither.
I wish I could find the research that postulates a ‘gatekeeper’ or bridge generation of about 5 years that acts as interpreter and buffer for the generational shifts that occurred either side of their birth. The gatekeepers understand what’s going on on both sides and often end up as mediators or, if they’re lucky, leaders and unifiers as neither generation can understand the other and struggles to work together.
Being born in 1978, I don’t identify with Gen X (although I understand much of what they do) and I don’t identify with Gen Y (although once again, I at least think I understand what’s going on there, too).
Having rambled all of that, I agree that a lot of it is state of mind and circumstance, not to mention a case of perspective. I’m sure I look Gen Y to the 50+ in my workplace but I definitely feel out of place when talking to the early 20s around me as well who, I am fairly sure, lump me, my mortgage, cynicism and young family firmly in the Gen X camp
So. I’m a gatekeeper. There better be a keymaster around here somewhere or I want my money back…