Social media plays a prominent role in society today, and is inevitably taking over our lives, but why does that have to be viewed as a negative? The digital age would not be adequately assessed without addressing millennials. Millennials are known as a progressive generation longing for societal improvement and evolution. Due to the changing times, social media is a giant factor in the digital age, and millennials know that. Despite the stereotypes and the older generations that do not always approve of millennial ideals, they actually have accomplished and are trying to accomplish many things to bring about societal change.
Due to the fact that millennials are known for always using social media and constantly being engulfed in a screen, there are several stereotypes regarding this generation. The blame for the overuse of technology has often been placed on millennials, but I personally don’t think this is fair. The article The 14 Most Destructive Millennial Myths Debunked by Data brings up an important fact. If you google millennials are, several negative stereotypes come up. Why is it fair to pick out one group of people and blame them for things that aren’t necessarily their fault, and weren’t in their control? If individuals in older generations were born during the time of millennials, I’m sure they’d have the same stereotypes. It’s not the people, it’s the time they were born in and the advancements in technology that were brought about. Also, millennials are referred to as digital natives, which can be defined as, “Someone who was raised in a digital, media-saturated world.” Digital native is often used synonymously with millennials, but not all millennials are digital natives. “There are many members who had limited access to communications technology while growing up.”
There’s a lot of confusion about who’s considered millennials. A lot of people view millennials as young adults and are often referring to them when talking about the stereotypes, but “the Pew Research Center, perhaps the most authoritative perspective, puts Millennials between 1977 and 1992.” That means there are forty-year-old millennials out there. I personally don’t think about forty year olds when I hear the word millennial, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Some words this group often get called are worthless and entitled. They don’t care about anything but themselves, yet do the people using these stereotypes when referring to this generation realize the positive changes they’ve brought about? One myth about millennials is that they’re referred to as the “me generation”, yet the fact is the boomers are considered the “me generation.” Another myth is “Millennials aren’t equipped to handle the world’s challenges and need a corporate parent.” According to The White House 15 Economic Facts About Millennials, no generation has been better equipped to overcome challenges than millennials. They are skilled with technology, determined, diverse, and more educated than any previous generation. There are dozens of myths that aren’t true regarding millennials, such as the fact that they aren’t educated, but maybe the people who are using these stereotypes when referring to this generation need to be educated.
With the help of technological advancements, millennials have been able to bring about societal changes in different ways. “Millennials like Emma Gonzáles and Sonita Alizadeh, for example, have used the influence and capacity of social media to call attention to issues like gun violence and human rights issues and to show there are steps that can be taken to make a change.” Emma, for example, is a known activist, who’s Instagram bio reads, “Emma’s the name, gun reform’s our game.” Here, she’s demonstrating to her followers that yes, she as an individual feels this way, but gun reform isn’t going to be done on her own. Also included in her bio is a link to march for our lives, a march dedicated to gun reform. Gonzales also uses twitter as a voice to the public. Below is a tweet published by Gonzales regarding her stance on the issue, and indirectly encouraging others to join the fight, or at least understand her stance to create a bigger conversation.
Likewise, Sonita Alizadeh is a human rights activist who speaks out about forced child marriage, as she was nearly forced into a marriage herself. She posted a music video of her rapping on youtube, speaking singing about the damage that this forced marriage can do to someone. Her song, which is titled “Bride for Sale,” went viral, and has led to large conversations about this issue.
There’s no denying the fact that we are behind a screen for several hours a day, arguably too often, and it could be argued that this started with millennials. With that being said, it isn’t fair to blame this one generation who has allowed people to speak their minds, especially to a wider public. Being behind a screen allows people to learn more about the world, and hear about daily news, news they wouldn’t necessarily have access to if it weren’t for these social platforms. This is the world we live in today, so rather than fixating on the negatives, we should embrace and utilize what technology has to offer.
Citations
- Moran, Kate. “Millennials as Digital Natives: Myths & Realities.” Nielsen Norman Group. Accessed February 03, 2019. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/millennials-digital-natives/.
- Norton, Richie, and Richie Norton. “The 14 Most Destructive Millennial Myths Debunked by Data.” Medium.com. January 19, 2017. Accessed February 03, 2019. https://medium.com/the-mission/the-14-most-destructive-millennial-myths-debunked-by-data-aa00838eecd6.
- Trillo, Crystal. “How Millennials Have Helped Spark Social Change With Social Media.” Arcadia Weekly. July 12, 2018. Accessed February 03, 2019. https://www.arcadiaweekly.com/millennial-feed/how-millennials-have-helped-spark-social-change-with-social-media/.
Sami Wills: Social Media 