millennials

When I first saw the headline “Will Millennials become the chump generation?” I was gearing up for another intergenerational throw down. I wasn’t exactly sure what we were being accused of this time, but last time I checked with Fred Durst, being called a chump was not a good thing. After reading Robert Samuelson’s column in the Washington Post, I realized that it was a more of a warning than a criticism. Samuelson discusses the recent Pew research on Millennials which shows that our generation is taking the effects of the recession hardest of all. Thirty-seven percent of Americans 18-29 are out of work, and proportionally more Millennials have lost jobs during the crisis than those over the age of 30.

Says Samuelson: “The adverse effects could linger. An oft-quoted study by Yale University economist Lisa Kahn found that college graduates entering a labor market with high unemployment receive lower pay and that the pay penalty can last two decades.…As baby boomers retire, higher federal spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid may boost Millennials' taxes and squeeze other government programs. It will be harder to start and raise families. Millennials could become the chump generation. They could suffer for their elders' economic sins, particularly the failure to confront the predictable costs of baby boomers' retirement. “

Having repeatedly heard the suggestion that Millennials might be the next great generation, I’m much less excited about this new potential tag line. Millennials: The Chump Generation is not a phrase I want to see inscribed on anything. While we may be saddled with some unfortunate economic circumstances, both now and in the future, I hope that we can do something more than sit back and watch it happen.

The traits of our generation may give us an advantage in facing these economic challenges. We are a tech-savvy, collaborative, upbeat, pragmatic and innovative generation, so, with the right resources, we should be able to dodge oncoming bullets…especially if some of said bullets are coming from 20 years down the road.

According to Pew, we are bound to be the most highly educated generation in America. I hope this means we should also be the most prepared to face some of these challenges. But education isn’t everything, so what else can we do now to ensure that we don’t end up looking like chumps?

We respect older generations and recognize we can learn a lot from them. Even if they’re not going to balance the national budget, perhaps the generations before us could try to atone for their economic sins by helping to prepare us now for the challenges to come. They could invest in us through career development, helping to make sure we get the opportunities for collaboration, resources and learning experiences that will help us thrive. Or they could provide advice and funds for Millennial start-ups, both in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Since we respect those who have gone before, we would be happy to have Boomer and Gen Xer mentors and partners.

We not only adopt new technology at astonishingly high rates, but we’re helping to shape it. Many of both the most used and most innovative technologies were created by Millennials - Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook, Jack Dorsey's Twitter and Chad Hurley and Steve Chen's YouTube being the most obvious. And others are applying technology and new platforms to bring about social change. There's a great list of our generation's social entrepreneurs started on a previous post, and there are surely more to come.

We are the most diverse generation, respect those who are not like us, and hope this leads to a more just and open society. After use of technology and music/pop culture, Millennials reported that our liberal and tolerant outlook made us distinct as a generation. The Pew study confirms that we are the most open to interracial and same-sex couples, immigrants, and nontraditional family arrangements. Maybe our openness will translate to a willingness to work in nontraditional ways and arrangements to face the coming challenges.

What else can Millennials, and Boomers and Gen Xers for that matter, do to help prepare us to face a potentially shaky economic future?

Today's topic: oversharing. I will admit I'm a repeat offender. I can't count the number of times I've been enjoying a meal with a new acquaintance and inexplicably started sharing personal information in excessive detail. Before I know it, the words are just rushing out of my mouth like water from a broken dam, and there is literally nothing I can do to hold them back. Usually my oversharing is forgiven; occasionally I'm delighted to find it matched, or even one-uped, by the person across the table; and, yes, every now and then, it's met with visible discomfort and the notable lack of a follow-up get together, but overall, it's a relatively harmless vice.

Having slightly more potential for harm, however, is the habit of oversharing online. It's no secret that we at Social Citizens are all for being active online. We love to see people blogging, tweeting and posting videos about their thoughts on issues, brands, and experiences, but is there a point where all that social networking is TMI?

When I helped my dad sign up for Twitter over Christmas break, we had an exchange which demonstrates what I think is a common generational difference. He was a little bit horrified by the public nature of everything he was being asked to post on Twitter. He was not so sure about sharing his location, his photo, nearly anything he was doing or even his real name. ("Kristin, you have heard of identity theft, yes?")

According to the recent Pew study on Millennials, we're actually more wary of others than previous generations. Perhaps our penchant for transparency and our comfort online overcome this stated mistrust and lead us to post too much information about ourselves online because I hadn't really given much thought to the dangers of talking about myself in such a public way, and based on some of my friends' online activity, apparently neither have they. Whether it's airing private grievances, posting pictures I wish I'd never seen or just making your daily routine public, oversharing online can lead to discomfort and danger.

Foursquare is a fun application encouraging people to check out new places in their city, but we might need to think twice about how we use this and other location-based applications. Perhaps in an effort to rack up badges, some users have taken to checking in literally everywhere they go. (I am of the opinion that if someone cannot join you there, it's not kosher to check in.) In addition to annoying their twitter followers, these overzealous check-ins are also establishing their itineraries by chronicling when they get to work, when they go out for lunch, back to work, at the Dupont Circle metro (where they're clearly starting their commute) at the Clarendon metro (where they're clearly ending their commute) and at their apartment building. You do that every day for two weeks and as PleaseRobMe.com tries to demonstrate, you are giving opportunistic evildoers a leg up.

A recent survey indicated that the majority of Americans think it's wrong to friend your boss on Facebook. Likewise, an even higher percentage of bosses (62%) think being friends with their employees online is weird. I tend to disagree, but I'll concede that I have a particularly social media-friendly office environment. But the survey results touch on a common concern about sharing too much via social networks with coworkers, as well as potential employers, clients, students, exes or parents.

This concern is complicated by the fact that many people don't even realize who they are sharing all their information with through Facebook. Every now and then, there's an uproar about Facebook, and the changes to its privacy settings - who owns your information, who can see your information and whether you can really remove your information might surprise you. Nick O'Neill has a helpful list of privacy settings every Facebook user should know, or if you prefer, you can watch the video version. 

Where do you draw the line on talking about yourself online? And how do you take advantage of the utility and fun of social networks without putting yourself at risk?

With the economy still in uncharted territory and families struggling to make ends meet, we have watched as individuals and organizations alike have been forced to do more with less.  At the same time, we are witnessing what many believe to be the beginning of a new era of problem solving and social entrepreneurship – as Millennials demonstrate that it’s not just one sector that will help solve some of our most challenging social problems, but rather a look at blending sectors and structures to create meaningful impact.

Howe and Strauss, authors of Millennials Rising, predict that based on generational trends, the Millennial generation’s “complete breakout” will be around 2010. We should be hitting our peak right now, really coming into our own, and attracting a lot of attention for it. And I think, in many cases, we are. Many of the conferences and affinity groups in our sector are starting to provide significant roles and development opportunities for the “next generation,” our generation’s role in the 2008 election is still being analyzed by experts, and let’s not forget the hubbub created around the Morgan Stanley superintern’s report about How Teenagers Consume Media.

Next, however, will come the ebbing of public interest, when people are tired of hearing about who we are as a generation, what we care about and how we are different from those who have gone before. Based on the cycles of previous generations, Howe and Strauss say this should happen in the oh-teens, although it’s possible that social media will speed up that timeline a bit. Then what will we do with ourselves??

This reminds me of a post I read last year by Len Kendall about why he stopped writing about being a Millennial and why he advises others to do so as well. Len practically begs Millennials to distinguish themselves as something great, regardless of age and to resist the urge to use the gimmick of being young, while we can. Yes, there is another generation behind us. Yes, they’ll start getting more attention than us in a few years. They will be the new twenty-somethings with great ideas and new ways of doing things, and we may, for a moment, feel like the forgotten middle child.

Rather than exploring how I am personally distinguishing myself beyond my youth or how this blog is going to stay relevant when the next generation is the hot topic, I’m concerned with how our generation is going to continue to be relevant, influential and impactful. Our true relevance isn't based on youth. As we’ve discussed before, social citizens can be any age, but the Millennial generation has defined the social citizen. Millennials’ relevance is now, and will continue to be, based on our unique way of looking at problems and shaping our society. And rather than lamenting our generation's inevitable fade from the list of hot topics, I’m frankly looking forward to being a person with a unique way of meeting a challenge and not a YOUNG person with a unique way of meeting a challenge. We don’t need youth as a novelty to gain a seat at the table.

Just as Boomers continue to be relevant, we will stay relevant as we come of age. We will always be Millennials. As the buzz around our generation is dying, we will also begin taking the reins in business, politics, government, media and nonprofit work. I get all tingly dreaming about some of the ways the characteristics that make us Millennials will continue to impact all aspects of our society.

We prefer partnership to hierarchy. Will we improve the way that our organizations, and even governing bodies, work by releasing more control, collaborating more than we are competing and eliminating careful bureaucracy? How will we treat the generation entering the workplace behind us, and how will that spur innovation?

We blend the sectors and structures. As is already being demonstrated with our affinity for social enterprise and cross-sector partnerships, we connect our values and causes to our jobs and our shopping habits, and we reject the belief that doing good is the responsibility of just one sector. As our buying power increases, will we force business, more broadly, to make more environmentally and socially responsible decisions? Will we demand that nonprofits function more like businesses? Will models like TOMS Shoes replace business models that are purely profit-driven? What will the new standards be for Corporate Social Responsibility?

We value transparency. With online personas created by all of our blogging, facebooking, and tweeting, it’s nearly impossible for individuals to set a hard line between professional and personal and for organizations to limit the information circulating about them to what comes out of their communications shop. Will our standards be compromised as we knock down the walls between our personal and professional lives? Or will we set new standards for transparency and openness?

We are globally aware, globally connected and globally concerned. The effects of globalization and technology have helped us to realize that it IS a small world after all. Will our increased concern, connection, and sense of responsibility regarding our neighbors in other countries and cultures make a significant impact on their lives? Will our institutions be more active and quick in preventing genocide, oppression, and other injustice around the world? Will we be more peaceful?

We are idealistic and optimistic. Having rejected the cynicism of the generation before us, we are convinced that change is possible and that we can make a difference. Will this lead us to try outrageous things that others haven’t? Will it increase our willingness to put trust in each other and institutions to do the right thing?

This week Mobilize.org announced it would acquire the assets, staff and programs of Generation Engage. In some ways, it’s surprising to see this merger because it’s not something done every day. In other ways, it’s not surprising at all.

Generation Engage has worked since 2004 to encourage youth civic engagement and to fight the political isolation of youth, particularly those in community college systems. Mobilize.org was founded in 2002 to get the youth of America engaged in the political process and empower them to influence public policy. Their missions are basically identical. They were both founded and are run by Millennials. They are both based in Washington, D.C. The organizations have worked together on a number of projects, including the 80 Million Strong coalition last year. Their similarities might make you wonder why they didn’t merge before now. This merger will save thousands of dollars every year and, if all goes as planned, truly make the resulting organization “more powerful than the sum of its parts,” as Maya Enista says in her announcement letter.

They are doing what many organizations are unwilling to do – recognizing their many commonalities and merging to form a more powerful organization. While there will undoubtedly be growing pains, I’m interested to see where they are six months or a year from now and how they are able to leverage each other’s strengths to move the dial on youth civic engagement. I’m especially glad to see this move from two Millennial-driven and Millennial-focused organizations. One of our strengths as a generation is our collaborative way of working toward change. And this collaboration is not without sacrifice. Generation Engage chairman Justin Rockefeller put the values and mission of the organization he has spent five years building ahead of his personal ego and his organization’s legacy. Much like I have asked Millennials to consider whether starting a new nonprofit is the best use of their resources and passion, Justin seems to have recognized that his team could better serve its mission and have greater impact as part of Mobilize.

Since the economic crisis, financial necessity has driven more organizations to consider and discuss mergers like the one announced this week between Mobilize and Generation Engage. Twenty percent of nonprofits polled by Bridgespan last year said mergers could play a role in how they respond to the economic downturn. But as Bridgespan points out, tight budgets are not the only reason for considering a merger. Just as hardship and necessity often push people to innovations and inventions they would benefit from under ordinary circumstances, mergers can be a smart strategy for healthy organizations as well. Just because two groups of people can afford to run extremely similar organizations does not mean they should.

While for-profit mergers and acquisitions are often incentivized and orchestrated by strategic planners and financial backers, nonprofits cannot always find the same type of support. This may be changing a bit (for example, The Knight Foundation is helping in the Mobilize and Generation Engage partnership), but nonprofits interested in the possibility of a merger may have to get creative as well. In the Stanford Social Innovation Review last year, consultant Jean Butzen suggested nonprofits look to current donors, capacity-building grant programs in your community, national funding opportunities, and pro bono services. For additional resources on nonprofit mergers, check out the Lodestar Foundation and LaPiana Consulting. For now, I tip my hat to Mobilize and to Generation Engage, wish them the best of luck and will be looking forward to reporting on their progress later this year.

Last month Allison Fine started an interesting discussion on her blog about women, social media and influence. Allison wondered if social media might be the X factor that would help women make real strides in closing the leadership gap. Among commenters, there seemed to be a general consensus that women, as well as other groups, have been able to circumvent, at least in some instances, the glass ceiling and constraints placed on them by the traditional business world. Women have been able to use social media to get their thoughts out to the marketplace without having to get permission or backing from an organization.

The Women of the Year list by She Takes on the World is full of women who have used social media to champion all manner of causes from the global water crisis and microcredit to idea-sharing and motivating young people to succeed. While all of these women would probably be making a difference without laptops and iPhones, they have been able to multiply their efforts with creative social media use.

Organizations like Blogher work to help women online by create opportunities for exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. A 2009 Blogher study reported that 42 million American women are using social media regularly both to share and find information and advice. The survey also found that more than 60 percent of these women use blogs and social networks to find information about social activism.

A recent Vanity Fair article, America's Tweethearts, discusses how previously unknown women representing different sectors and interests have been able to use social media to gain a unique kind of fame on Twitter. In the article (whose author doesn't seem to be entirely sold on with Twitter) one of the "twilebrities" featured, Felicia Day, points out: “Doors were closed to us before. Now the tools for success have been democratized. It’s just me and whoever wants to talk to me, wherever they are in the world.”

It doesn't take a celebrity spokesperson or even a twilebrity spokesperson to leverage social media for wide reach. Like an online flashmob, scores of women (and oddly, some men) began posting one-word status messages yesterday. "Black," "lavender," and "red" were littered among our news feeds, and quickly people began asking, explaining and commenting over the colorful posts, not only on Facebook, but on Twitter and other social media platforms. The Case Foundation's Allie Burns wrote a post discussing both the buzz and the criticism around the campaign. Whether a quietly orchestrated awareness by a breast cancer organization or a prank by a group of young women, it has created a discussion carried on by common women which has permeated the social media world.

It's exciting to see that social citizen gals are using social media to share their ideas and passions and to advocate for the causes that are important to them. And since Millennials may be the most active and engaged online, Millennial women - as individuals and as groups - may have a greater opportunity to be heard and wield influence at a younger age than the women before us. I hope, and trust, that we will continue to take advantage of this opportunity - not to grab self-serving fame for it's own sake, but to change the world with our creative approaches, open and transparent conversations and inspirational acts.

As we this decade draws to a close and we prepare to ring in a new year, there are many perspectives about how the 2000s will be remembered. In the last 10 years, we've seen many defining moments, including the Sept. 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, a recession, the inauguration of our nation's first African-American president, incredible advances in technology and a social media revolution that has been compared to the Industrial Revolution.

However, what also defines this decade is the fact that our generation, the Millennial Generation, truly came of age during this time – and these events and many others have helped define who we are, for better or worse (although we hope the former). As we look forward to whatever lies ahead in 2010, Kari and I thought it would be a great opportunity to invite some of our diverse and interesting Millennial friends to offer 100-word predictions on what lies ahead for our generation in the coming decade. Take a look at their thoughts, and add your own in the comments.

I know enough to know I haven’t the foggiest what the 2010s hold. Rewinding back to 1999, very few among us could have predicted the anthrax scare, Twitter, sexting, “not on our watch!,” or Matisyahu. But I will posit that in the next decade, the social graph is likely to become an indispensible engine of social change. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. Every Millennial is empowered – like no member of any generation before them – to rally 100s, or 1000s, to catalyze positive change in the world. I have no doubt these social citizens will continue to amaze us.
- Jason Rzepka, VP of Public Affairs, MTV

I spend a lot of time thinking about how technology and social media can bring people together locally and globally. In the next decade, innovative ideas using the web, particularly mobile will radically transform our concept of volunteerism and giving. There is something powerful that happens when you can see the direct impact of your involvement. I view social networks and communication tools like Twitter as an evolution of the physical role a church or community centre once played. It has never been easier to find ways to get involved, meet others offline and use your skills for good.
 - Amanda Rose, social entrepreneur and Twestival organizer

At some point over the last ten years I became an adult – and found out very quickly that being an adult is hard. There is no manual or guide to reference. You are on your own. By comparison, changing the world isn’t so difficult. Ten years ago, there was little that one individual could do that would produce meaningful, measurable changes in our society. Today, there are websites and widgets to help you navigate and a global community to join or help to mold. Being an adult will always be hard. Changing the world is getting easier by the day.
 - Brian Reich, communications specialist and Media Rules! author

Next decade, giving money will become less important than giving voice, giving time and giving work.
 - Ben Rattray, founder and CEO of Change.org (who challenged himself to predicting in 100 characters...exactly)

In 2010, the oldest of Gen Y will be 30 years old. No longer the "baby" in the nonprofit workplace, the "next" generation will quickly become the "now" generation and the whole world will be watching to see if we will step up to lead with compassion, innovation and a sense of urgency to fix the myriad of problems we've inherited. 2010 does not ask that Gen Y get "ready to lead.” It demands that we actually lead. What I think we'll see in 2010 is more young people answering that call. And I hope to God that you're one of them.
 - Rosetta Thurman, writer, speaker, professor and consultant

Expect a re-examination of ideology in the sphere of millennial-directed activism. It is unsurprising that millennials – having grown up in the shadows of astronomically sloppy ideological doses – so strongly gravitated towards the pragmatic Barack Obama. However, we must re-imagine, not turn away from, ideology. Without an agreed upon and articulated set of ideals, we will find ourselves paralyzed, forever on the defensive. Algorithm-calculated action coupled with social-network-organized dissent makes for a dynamic revolutionary body, but if we do not birth universal and flexible guiding philosophies into which we can package our intentions and actions, it will live soullessly.
 - Alex Steed, Millennial Generation activist and enthusiast

The 2000s handed society a new set of tools. In the 2010s, we face the burden and the opportunity of figuring out how and when to use those tools for social good. Social networking tools could create homogenous online ghettos—or bridge cultures and communities. Online philanthropy tools could reinforce reactive, inefficient giving—or increase impact and reward performance. To succeed, we’ll have to innovate. But innovation is not an end in and of itself. Innovation is a means to reach our goals. Let us hope that the 2010s are nicer than the naughty 2000s—and that we learn to use the tools we’ve been given.
 - Jacob Harold, Program Officer at the Hewlett Foundation

The coming decade will see the demise of traditional political constituencies/Parties- to be replaced by The Cloudists. Cloudicrats/Cloudicans will create+push major policy agendas with cash, GOTV etc. using free G-software and no "national headquarters." They will organize via amazon-like algorithms ("voters who liked this initiative also voted for.....") and will change the very mechanisms of government/ing in ways we can't even imagine.
 - Ari Wallach, cofounder of The Great Schlep

My generation, the Millennial Generation, is staring off the edge of a tall cliff – Democracy, Society, Economy, pick your metaphor – and we’re deciding; collectively and through the use of technology, whether we are going to fall off or take a running start, jump and soar. I promise, we’ll run, jump and soar and in this decade we will innovative, create, collaborate and build a new definition of leadership, for all of the metaphors above. We are facing obstacles, no doubt, but we will best them. I am energized by what my generation will build if we invest in each other.
 - Maya Enista, CEO of Mobilize.org and cofounder of the 80 Million Strong campaign