iY Generation - Part 2

Did you take time to watch and observe the young people in your life? What characteristics were you able to identify?  Who has purchased the book and started reading? It will definitely get you thinking and sharing the concepts with others.

Change happens so quickly. How many times have you experienced learning something new and then realizing that you were already behind. If you own a cell phone, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

The list below was what was going on in 2010 when Elmore published this book. It’s quite apparent that this list has already changed:

*music delivery went from CDs to iTUnes and MP3s

*primary communication went from cell phone calls to text messaging and now snapchat

*social networking went from email to MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and now Instagram

*Entertainment preferences went from watching TV to streaming videos on YouTube, Hulu and a lot of other sites

*Personal data went from blogs to Twitter etc

This week I want to focus on more specific characteristics of the iY generation and what may be contributing to the difference from those born in the 80’s.  “The younger members of Generation Y (born in 1990 and beyond) look different than the older ones. Earlier the kids were submissive, but today’s kids are more likely to be mavericks. They tend to be lethargic rather than active, and self-absorbed rather than engaged.”

Why the shift? Elmore suggests a few reasons which are dealt with in more depth in the book. One, reason is the “years of affluence and social liberation in America during the 1990’s. The second is the damaging parenting styles that prevent kids from preparing for the real world. All in the name of love and support but hasn’t prepared kids to be adults. Three, the media and technology show an unrealistic view of adult responsibility. Four, formal education prepares students for more school versus the marketplace. Five, we have a culture that values convenience more than commitment.”

You may or may not agree with the above list or even why this generation is in trouble and how we can help. That’s ok. My point is to at least bring up the fact that our iY generation is having difficulty in today’s world. Putting your opinion aside for the moment, I only ask you to remain open to new thoughts and maybe a few ah ha moments. Being a Baby Boomer myself, we also had our struggles, high and low points, and yes, our parents were worried about us as well. The difference? We did not have the high level social media world to contend with. If we wanted to talk with our friends, we called on the phone. Breaking up was face-to-face rather than texting. The internet has changed all that.

“One reason students are less empathetic may be that people are having fewer face-to-face interactions communicating and instead use social media such as Facebook and Twitter.” There wasn’t the cyber bullying where someone can remain anonymous. “Sexuality and pornography has been taken to a new level. The 13 billion dollar porn industry now has a new promoter: cell phones. Sexting, not texting, became the rage in 2008. 44% of high school boys have seen a porn photo of a classmate on their cells.” Heads up to all parents! Not only is this a huge problem and far more prevalent than most of us would like to think, but we also have young people involved with things their minds are not able to handle.

According to Elmore, this is like a Dr. Jekyll and Hyde population – a generation of paradox. He states a few of these:

Paradox #: they are sheltered yet pressured. “They are both growing up faster (in some senses), and growing up slower in others. Is it the high tech world that’s speeding up life’s exposure actually slowing down their maturation?”

Paradox#2: They are self-absorbed yet generous. “Typically, iYers have been raised to be consumers, and may have not matured to become contributors. By overemphasizing self-esteem and underestimating qualities like unselfishness and responsibility, adults have made it easy for these kids to be consumed with self.”

Paradox#3: They are social yet isolated by technology. “This very social generation is in danger of becoming one of the most isolated generations because so much of their relational contact comes via technology. Generation iY loves using technology to communicate, but they also enjoy the isolation and control that technology gives them.”

Paradox #4: They are ambitious yet anxious. iY’ers demonstrate far more ambition than Generation X did at their age. Thousands of them have created their own companies before they graduate from college eg. Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook. Why the confidence? Growing up they’ve been told that they’re winners and told over and over again that they can do it. Their high level anxiety, especially about their future, comes from the weight of the previous generation’s expectations which can paralyze them, and they fear they may not measure up. Their current world is full of support and encouragement, but that might not be true for them as adults – their bosses will likely not be clapping for them every week on the job.”

Paradox #5: They are adventuresome yet protected. “All too often, in fact, these kids have been rewarded just for coming up with ideas. Much of their time is spent in a protected, failure-proof environment in which they’re never given a chance to lose.” Elmore believes, and I would agree, that this sense of entitlement is our fault. We have shielded them from disappointment and didn’t say “no” about most things. Remember when we switched over to participation ribbons, medals etc.? We were afraid to give out those first, second, and third place designations for fear someone would feel bad.

Paradox #6: They are diverse yet harmonious. They’ve been taught to love each other and work in teams. “Many wore uniforms in school, and they’ve been taught tolerance for people who are different from them. They often date in groups and tend to be a harmonious generation much more than those of us who are Baby Boomer and Gen X parents. The problem is they tend to be connected mostly with each other. They typically spend over 50% of their day with peers and only 15 percent with adults, including parents. The result is many don’t learn how to interact with folks from a different generation.  How can you preview and prepare for grown-up life when you keep modeling yourself after other kids?”

Paradox #7: They are visionary yet vacillating.  “This generation is exposed to so many possibilities; they often have trouble settling on one for very long. They tend to hop from vision to vision and may never stay long enough to make a difference.”

Paradox 8: They are high achievement yet high maintenance. Though this is a confident, optimistic generation and as a whole are achievement-oriented, when they don’t receive the extra attention, or things don’t come easily, they give up. The exposure to large amounts of data, through technology, has sped up their cognitive growth. “They know a lot early, therefore, they seem so advanced. However, they are ill prepared for the real world of people, responsibility, conflict resolution, listening, and waiting. It’s easy to mistake one dimensional maturity for fully developed maturity.”

There is a great deal of information this week, so I will end here and give you an opportunity to think, rethink, ask yourself questions, and come to your own conclusion as to how you can use this information. Some of you will be able to high five yourself as you are already aware of many of these points and have been teaching your own children, your students, your athletes, your employees etc. in a way to support and mentor them to become responsible adults in the world today. Others will realize this information is coming at a good time in your life and you are capable of changing your actions with the young people you encounter.

Once again, as a qualifier, my blogs are only a short synopsis of parts of the book Generation iY Our Last Chance to Save Their Future by Tim Elmore. I encourage you to purchase this book so you can get the information in its entirety. 

Where ever you are in your world, I wish you a week of reflection on how you can continue to be a positive influencer or how you can strengthen your position as a mentor, coach, teacher, parent etc. of this iY generation. I always look forward to your thoughts and comments.