Does the Younger Generation Lack Substance?

Is the younger generation totally lacking substance? Many have argued that in the age of quick bites (or bytes) of information in place of intense and involved content consumption, the youth of today are completely one-dimensional. They only know what they read on the Internet, only appreciate the opinions of their peers, and think they know it all after watching a few news programs. But is this true?

I've often argued in favour of the teens today: just because they're communicating via instant messaging, speaking in choppy, bite-sized sentences that involve "like" as every second word, and often using cryptic Internet slang (lol, ttfn), this doesn't mean that they're stupid or lack the capacity to actually carry on an intelligent conversation (like, seriously!) But I'm beginning to wonder if all of this sporadic, digital consumption is in fact leading to a seriously intellectually (or culturally) deprived group of individuals.

What prompted this thinking? For the past few weeks, I've been reading and hearing about all the hoopla surrounding the movie Twilight, which is based on the hugely popular book series of the same name. Shopping mall tours are jam-packed with fans looking to meet the actors. Young girls everywhere are screaming at the top of their lungs at the sight of the lead actor, what's-his-name (and yes, he is an unknown actor). Wow, I've been thinking to myself. I know I've heard that these books are really good, and it looks like the movie is just as great. It was only recently that I found out the movie hasn't even hit theatres yet!

I understand why there was a lot of anticipation for the new Bond movie before it came out. Daniel Craig proved himself a great actor in the last one and, well, the Bond series has been around for decades and has built a longstanding reputation and fan base. The same goes for the latest Batman installment, Dark Knight. Heath Ledger was an actor known to always deliver a fantastic performance. But the young'ens today are going crazy for this new actor guy with clearly no clue as to whether he, or the movie, is actually any good! Apparently a brooding face, spiky hair, and smart marketing are enough to warrant a fan base these days.

Within the next few years, the early baby boomer crowd will slowly be moving into retirement, while these teens and tweens enter the workforce. Let's hope that by that time, some substance is injected back into the group as a whole, and they, like, learn a thing or two about true appreciation for the spoken or written word; and for someone's acting chops by actually seeing them act, not just crack a smile on the red carpet.

Analyzing the Gen-Y Worker

There have been tons of studies in magazines, newspapers, and Websites trying to analyze the true nature of the Generation-Y worker, which, according to Wikipedia, characterizes those born between about 1980 and 1994. Many say they're arrogant, others claim unprofessional, and others still report that many hang on to their parents for dear life, scared to get out into the "real world". Is this all true? U.S. advertising agency JWT set out to find out by surveying 1,250 Americans, 238 of which fell into the 21-29-year-old age group.

What JWT found was that some claims are indeed true. For instance, Generation-Y employees do like to "play" at work, engaging in activities like video games, and just plain joking around. Is this such a bad thing? If you ask me, a lightened up office environment can help foster more productivity than an uptight one any day! It was also revealed that millennials, as JWT calls them, pay more attention to the work-life balance than their older colleagues. "They want to schedule work around the rest of their life, not vice versa," said the study. Finally, according to JWT, millennials do in fact want their employers to adapt to them rather than the other way around. Interestingly, however, those in the 50-something age category weren't far behind, with 51% of them agreeing to this sentiment as well versus 46% of millennials.

Although these perceptions were deemed true by JWT's study, a few others were squashed as just myths. For example, although the perception is that many Gen-Y kids return to live with their parents after school is over, in actuality, only 15% of them do. In fact, 25% live with a spouse and children, and 18% and 19%, respectively, with either a spouse or "partner". Do Gen-Y workers feel like they should be able to wear whatever they want to the office? Not quite. JWT's study found that 67% believe that formal appearances are important, which was higher than any other age group! Forty-somethings ranked attire the lowest, with just 54% saying that dressing up is required.

One of the most interesting findings was that, despite popular belief, millennials rank employer loyalty high on their moral scales. Sixty-six per cent agreed that an employee owes loyalty to his employer, versus just 60% of 30-somethings, 67% of 40-somethings, and 72% of 50-plus. Another popular belief is that the young 'ens are just downright disrespectful to corporate America, and want to do things their way. Not so much. JWT found that 42% of Gen-Y workers have a high degree of respect for corporate America; compared to 36% of 30-somethings, 31% of 40-somethings, and 32% of those 50 and up.

Despite the rumours that may be squashed by this study, there's still no denying that there is a significant generational difference between Gen-Y (and even Gen-Xers!) and the older generation. The youngest workers of the lot can't imagine a world where a picture you just snapped doesn't instantly appear on an LCD screen for review, or when you couldn't "Google" something you needed an answer to right away. Likewise, the older generation doesn't understand the unjustifiable perceived sense of entitlement or increased focus on technology. Either way, based on the results of this study, it appears that there's plenty that every generation can learn from one another.