how we talk about millennials: the good, the bad, and the empty

It turns out millennials are smart! Well, maybe.

Last week, Pew Research published their findings on millennials and their relationship with libraries and books and such. Turns out, we’re pretty nerdy. Not surprising considering we live in an era called the Information Age, but cool to know that nerds stay winning.

Before we get to the stats, read how Pew Research describe millennials to preface their findings:

“Younger Americans—those ages 16-29—especially fascinate researchers and organizations because of their advanced technology habits, their racial and ethnic diversity, their looser relationships to institutions such as political parties and organized religion, and the ways in which their social attitudes differ from their elders.”

That’s a lot to unpack (not to mention quite a bit of pressure), but at least some adults think we’re good people (feel free to skip to the good stuff on the “millennial conversation”). Here’s some of the data I want to highlight:

–We like the Internet, but it’s not our bible: 98% of us use the internet and 90% use social media, which emphasizes how integral it’s become in our lives, but 62% of millennials believe “there is a lot of useful, important information that is not available on the Internet.”

–We do get outside and see the world: Millennials attend sporting events, go to concerts, plays, or dance performances, and even go to a bookstore more than those 30+. Take a better look yourself below, but like a true *critic*, let me cherry-pick one specific stat to prove a point: 34% of people ages 25-29 report visiting museums, art galleries, or historical sites compared to 31% those ages 30+. Take that, parents. We are edumacated. [Ignore my college kid age group (18-24) and high schoolers (16-17) on that one. You know what, let’s ignore high schoolers altogether because they’re still finding themselves (didn’t you watch Boyhood?) and don’t know any better.]

We like books and libraries: Across the board, we read books more often than those 30+. [Another thing to ignore: Those ages 16-24 are more likely to be assigned a book to read for academic purposes.] Also, we like libraries quite a bit: 57% of ages 16-29 report using a library in the past year compared to 53% those 30+. That stat makes the most sense to me—the library was a prime dating locale. I probably went on more “study dates” to the library than any real dates anywhere else. It’s simple why: The library is super non-threatening and it’s a way to “get to know each other” under the guise of studying and working, two activities every college student constantly feels pressured to be doing.

So yeah, it’s justified to feel okay about ourselves, millennials.

***

Turns out that last statement might ring a little false, depending on who you ask. Last week, Politico ran a cover feature about millennials titled “Stop Talking ’Bout My Generation” by Ben Schreckinger. Unlike most essays and coverage written regarding millennials, this one was penned by a real-life millennial, which is a feat in itself. So what do we have to say once given the mic? Not much apparently.

With regards to millennials, two competing opinions have emerged: a) we are the “new” greatest generation, with the power to change the world or b) we’re lazy, stuck in our phones and computers, and quite self-absorbed. I think both arguments hold weight*, but that’s not what Schreckinger or I’m arguing here. No, what’s up for debate is if there should even be a debate.

*I feel a) needs time to develop, although more of my generation does discuss ‘changing the world’ positively and optimistically, just not in the typical civic-duty kind of way, while b) seems more true of our society in general, which leads back to a) and why our way of changing the world is different than previous generations. Then again, reading history, it does seem every generation wants to ‘change the world’ somehow.

The headline to Schreckinger’s piece “Stop Talking ’Bout My Generation” is all the piece eventually says and wants. Schreckinger details the history of how we’ve arrived at the millennial moniker and these two differing opinions surrounding this generation quite well. He points out inconsistencies and erroneous reporting by legacy media like Time and NBC properties and the New York Times (pinch me if you haven’t read that sentence before), and how it informs their off-based claims about millennials being the “Me Me Me ” generation or how “Millennials are Selfish and Entitled.”* The piece admits that there are some “useful nuggets” and such, but by and large, the piece contends they don’t know what they’re talking about. And it might be better if they kept their mouths shut, until they get some better data.

*Although he ‘forgets’ to add the rest of that Time article’s headline: “…and Helicopter Parents Are to Blame.” Don’t worry, although he criticizes these articles for “cherry-picking” stats, Schreckinger does the same thing and doesn’t show that these articles tend to be pretty balanced.** Also, if you look as lazily as you possibly can, those same publications promote millennials just as much.

**But in Schreckinger’s defense, any article that quotes Mark Bauerlein at length rightfully should be dismissed. Any ‘fair’ journalist human being can see Bauerlein is a dick who has a highly unnecessary opinion. 

Schreckinger crescendos to this climax:

“I’ll refrain from holding forth on what older Americans do need to understand to, like, really know us, but I will say this much: Gen Xers and baby boomers better hope we’re smart and civic-minded and hard-working, because we’re going to be in charge sooner or later, and they’re creating a hell of a mess for us.”

Admittedly, that caused this reader to “lol wtf?” pretty hard. My intention isn’t to “take down” Schreckinger or even defend the people he’s criticized, but to question sincerely just what millennials want to say about ourselves. Here we have a well-informed writer, who has a pretty big platform to lead the discourse a different direction, and he actively chooses to say nothing. Maybe that part was edited out, but I highly doubt it. His motives and thesis are pretty clear throughout.

Again, I’m not trying to bash Schreckinger (although I fear that’s how it’s coming across). I’ve gone as far as I have because I’ve seen this article populate my feeds frequently by millennials with some variation of the comment “he gets it” since its publishing. What is “it”? Beyond a middle-finger to adults who utilize data and quotes and figures to promote a certain philosophy about a generation, in the same way their parents did to them, and in the same way I just did above, I’m not sure. We live in a “selection-bias” era where everyone uses facts to reinforce their viewpoint, not inform them. I mean, is it really that surprising what legacy media says about us? Really?

Anyway, I’ll leave it with this: Millennials want to change the world, improve it in some way. It might be corny and maybe generations previously did too, but now we have the awareness and tools available to us unlike ever before. What’s more, we know what we’re worth now. Hell, we know we have a worth. We’re a little narcissistic, kind of cocky, but in today’s world, that might be necessary to survive and stand out. Time to shine, I guess.