Understanding that today’s youth is growing up technologically advanced really is no big secret. The boom in social media and mobile devices amongst other technological advances has not only defined a generation, it has created a generation of digital natives. And at the same time, these digital natives, the Millennials, have redefined the world we live in.
It should be no wonder that my grandfather is in awe of my incessant BlackBerry use. Nor should I be surprised that my parents understanding of the internet is significantly different from my understanding of it. What is seemingly natural to us is so obviously alien to them.
But in the midst of everything, a sense of organized chaos has begun to emerge. Though my grandfather and parents are impervious to adapting to my way of life and though they will only ever be minimalist, at best, of the things I use, they, along with many others, have found a way to effectively use what Millennials use everyday.
Naturally and historically, our learning patterns have always had a top-down approach. Our parents would teach us. Our teachers would teach us. Our jobs would teach us. Well you get the point. There was always a sense that we would learn from an already established source. With that being said, the Millennials have unmistakably become this established source that many of our elders will learn from.
Always being connected, always sharing and always absorbing information, it would be undeniable to suggest that Millennials don’t know a trick or two their parents aren’t aware of. After all, Facebook was invited by a group of Millennial for Millennials. Smart phones were once considered instruments of professional business women and men, and have since been brought into the mainstream by a generation of exuberantly minded youth.
Realistically, a Millennials way of life will never truly be incorporated by many of those older than them. However, should the need arise, of which it has become a growing and continuing need, my grandfather, my parents though themselves not inclined to many technological aspects have me as a means to an end. Millennials, and myself included, have become the biggest influencers of our parent’s generation.
And as our parent’s generation, the Baby Boomers, still represent one of the largest portions of the population with unquestionable spending power, the Millennials can bridge a gap advertising and marketing really can’t fill when it comes to all the modern advancements that are occurring. Those mediums simply create a sense of awareness. However, at that same moment, Millennials already have the inside-scoop. Forget about the sales woman or man, Millennials have become the sales personnel for their parents.
Their influence comes at a time of rapid change. To suggest that all those older than the Millennials aren’t “in the know” would be a mistake. But it would be a mistake not to know that Millennials have an unprecedented influence on their parents. After all, we’re on pace to own more materialistic objects and consume greater amounts of information than ever before. Not only have I single-handedly owned more cell phones than my parents combined, I’m aware of information and sales and deals and anything else before it even becomes a thought for them. It’s not that our parents aren’t capable of doing the same. In many instances they are. They just simply don’t have to be. Especially when we, the Millennials, are their children.
Stay tuned for Part 2, when jump into deeper, more creative and adventurous waters.
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