The Atlantic recently published an essay by Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me,  that contradicts much of what is thought to be common knowledge about the Millennial generation. The idea of the “green”, eco-friendly and socially conscious young adult is replaced by one that is narcissistic and uncaring about the world around him or her, with an emphasis on “ME” rather than “WE”.  

Whether or not you agree with Twenge’s new findings, her essay is worth a read. And lest you think it’s all negative, there’s the slightest bit of hope in Twenge’s closing line:

If we’re going to understand our culture and how it’s changed, we need to listen to what young people say.

It’s hard to tell at this point whether or not Twenge’s essay is a cheap ploy for increased book sales or a thoughtful and new spin on an old topic. But making sure to listen to young people is an idea I think we all can agree on.  

This month Venture Beat launched a recent study by Nielsen research group that found people between the ages 25-32 were almost a third more likely to own a smartphone than any other age group at 62%, dubbing us the Mobile Generation (Nielsen prefers Gen App) for that and our uninhibited mobile internet use. This signifies that those in their twenties and early thirties are the target market group for app developers. Makes sense when the most popular apps we see these days seek to gamify boring old adult task lists or exercise routines, even to help us learn to save. Hear our call app developers, help us help ourselves!

Filed Under: Out Of Touch

Last week Americans and pundits alike scratched their heads at what’s been dubbed as the “Herman Cain Smoking Ad.” Presidential candidate Jon Huntsmans’ daughters saw this as an opportunity to blow up their own JonGirls2012 campaign with the above parody ad. I find the girls’ video much more painful than the original mostly because it’s clear they’re trying to win over a younger vote for their father, but could not be more out of touch with their own generation. They fail to realize that they have an opportunity to reach young people who want an insider perspective, but instead their Twitter is like freshman sorority sisters posting hipstamatic photos of Panda Express and their Dad putting on makeup. They have the opportunity to connect with young people and talk about issues that matter but instead they’re connecting with the people through galla photos and could be dismissed by Gen Ys as out of touch fluff. So close, but so far. 

When most Boomers saw their kids or grandkids playing Guitar Hero and spending hours in front of the a TV trying to master a fake instrument, many came to the same conclusion: “Why don’t they spend that time learning how to really play a guitar?” Fretlight is looking to be the bridge between videogame guitars and the real thing. By putting lights in the frets and showing you where to put your fingers, they’ve displayed an understanding that Gen Ys are a visual generation that would rather be shown than told.

At Trendera we often talk about how Gen Ys want status reports to understand if they’re going in the right direction. With the use of the Fretlight software, which plugs your computer into the guitar, users get real time feedback on their progress. This is a great Gen Y product and we’ll be excited to see musicians inevitably hack the guitar and turn it into a performance piece. 

Social media expert Deirdre Breakenridge interviewed a sixteen year old and a seventeen year old about the differences between Tumblr and Facebook and posted it unedited on her blog. 

Theory: Could it be that Gen Ys are accused of acting entitled because we grew up watching so many cartoons where the adults were totally inept and the kids managed to save the day? Darkwing, Inspector Gadget, South Park, Rugrats….it was definitely a theme.