Generation "Next"

[Nimbostratus]

A new generation has come of age, shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad. They are Generation Next, the cohort of young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change. Generation Next is made up of 18-25 year-olds (born between 1981 and 1988).

-They use technology and the internet to connect with people in new and distinctive ways. Text messaging, instant messaging and email keep them in constant contact with friends. About half say they sent or received a text message over the phone in the past day, approximately double the proportion of those ages 26-40.

-They are the "Look at Me" generation. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and MyYearbook allow individuals to post a personal profile complete with photos and descriptions of interests and hobbies. A majority of Gen Nexters have used one of these social networking sites, and more than four-in-ten have created a personal profile.

-Their embrace of new technology has made them uniquely aware of its advantages and disadvantages. They are more likely than older adults to say these cyber-tools make it easier for them to make new friends and help them to stay close to old friends and family. But more than eight-in-ten also acknowledge that these tools "make people lazier."

-About half of Gen Nexters say the growing number of immigrants to the U.S. strengthens the country more than any generation. And they also lead the way in their support for gay marriage and acceptance of interracial dating.

-Beyond these social issues, their views defy easy categorization. For example, Generation Next is less critical of government regulation of business but also less critical of business itself. And they are the most likely of any generation to support privatization of the Social Security system.

-They maintain close contact with parents and family. Roughly eight-in-ten say they talked to their parents in the past day. Nearly three-in-four see their parents at least once a week, and half say they see their parents daily. One reason: money. About three-quarters of Gen Nexters say their parents have helped them financially in the past year.

-Their parents may not always be pleased by what they see on those visits home: About half of Gen Nexters say they have either gotten a tattoo, dyed their hair an untraditional color, or had a body piercing in a place other than their ear lobe. The most popular are tattoos, which decorate the bodies of more than a third of these young adults.

-One-in-five members of Generation Next say they have no religious affiliation or are atheist or agnostic, nearly double the proportion of young people who said that in the late 1980s. And just 4% of Gen Nexters say people in their generation view becoming more spiritual as their most important goal in life.

-They are somewhat more interested in keeping up with politics and national affairs than were young people a generation ago. Still, only a third say they follow what's going on in government and public affairs "most of the time."

-In Pew surveys in 2006, nearly half of young people (48%) identified more with the Democratic Party, while just 35% affiliated more with the GOP. This makes Generation Next the least Republican generation.

-Voter turnout among young people increased significantly between 2000 and 2004, interrupting a decades-long decline in turnout among the young. Nonetheless, most members of Generation Next feel removed from the political process. Only about four-in-ten agree with the statement: "It's my duty as a citizen to always vote."

-They are significantly less cynical about government and political leaders than are other Americans or the previous generation of young people. A majority of Americans agree with the statement: "When something is run by the government, it is usually inefficient and wasteful," but most Generation Nexters reject this idea.

-Their heroes are close and familiar. When asked to name someone they admire, they are twice as likely as older Americans to name a family member, teacher, or mentor. Moreover, roughly twice as many young people say they most admire an entertainer rather than a political leader.

-They are more comfortable with globalization and new ways of doing work. They are the most likely of any age group to say that automation, the outsourcing of jobs, and the growing number of immigrants have helped and not hurt American workers.

-Asked about the life goals of those in their age group, most Gen Nexters say their generation's top goals are fortune and fame. Roughly eight-in-ten say people in their generation think getting rich is either the most important, or second most important, goal in their lives. About half say that becoming famous also is valued highly by fellow Gen Nexters.  

http://people-press.org/report/300/a-portrait-of-generation-next

Generation [cyber] meek, really.  More liberal,  more centralist, more interested in richness and fame, much more capable of transmitting banalities, but not very far from generation X. I've noticed that a lot of people think that we're heading somewhere better (and very fast) with Internet, but essentially, things are not gonna change just for having this technology...

...unless some spiritually healthy dissidents use it as a tool.

[Orange]

This article is already 3 years old, if this Generation Next is about rapid change then how much of this is still valid? A Lot has happened in the last 3 years - especially in internet technology.

[Nimbostratus]

This article is already 3 years old, if this Generation Next is about rapid change then how much of this is still valid? A Lot has happened in the last 3 years - especially in internet technology.

I'd like to know what has changed in the last 3 years regarding the attitudes of people born between 81-89, since a Lot has happened.

[Time Curator 23]

I'm a peace-loving, gaming-playing, laid-back kind of guy... and even I think my generation is too flabby, flaky, dramatic, decadent, misinformed, and most of all meek.

However I don't completely blame them as they're just having an emotional reaction to a dying empire. The idea is to keep hinting the few who listen toward eternal truths.

[Conservationist]

This is the same they've said about every generation:

* More social
* Fewer values
* Less culture
* More "current"

It's all true.

The family/friends bit is bad; it means they're swayed by social pressures more than learning.

[Prospero]

My parents, heroes? Get out of here!

[Werewolf]

A war with China will fix this right quick.

[Nimbostratus]

While books are sequential, argumentative and, abstract, Television is instantaneous, fragmentary and already digested for watchers. We, humanity, found a way to make written text as dull as TV: the Internet.

I don't know you, but I think that it is a good reason to explain why a lot of students can't concentrate more than 10 minutes in a book, but are able to keep reading (and writing) for hours in facebook.

What an advanced generation we are.

This is the same they've said about every generation:

* More social
* Fewer values
* Less culture
* More "current"

It's all true.

Yes, summarizing, every new generation is more "open-minded". We are in a journey to "openness", a relative opennes, in opposition to what's not open-minded, intolerant towards what is "intolerant", closed to what's not open-minded...but open-minded!

[Conservationist]

I don't know you, but I think that it is a good reason to explain why a lot of students can't concentrate more than 10 minutes in a book, but are able to keep reading (and writing) for hours in facebook.

Entertainment reading is spoon-fed, easy, "fun" and distraction-based. It doesn't require following a train of thought; it shows you the train of thought and constantly reminds you what's going on. A far cry from reading Plato or even Agatha Christie.

[the spine]

More and more painfull stagnation. It seems almost like a lost cause introducing better ideas and values to the crowd. Most people are raised on telivision and video games, they have never had to use their brains to understand their world - everything they know was spoon fed to them. They are not stupid, they just dont have any immagination or creativity. Try talking about art or philosophy with a stranger, not only is it completly lost on them, but it has no importance either. Maybe they will look back ten years and see how meaningless their way of life is, and then try to strive for something better. But I doubt it, our culpture is so obseesed with comfort and avoiding conflict, it will just mainifest in an even more detached, neurotic and disorganized world. People need to wake the fuck up to reality and challenge themselves - I think the best way of making the greatest possitive change in society is getting involved in education and attempting to drive something of a back bone into students, as well as inspiring others and yourself to do better...

My generation seems completly inept at overcomming the problems our modern world faces, overpopulation, diminishing resources, massive enviromental collapse, existentialy depressing lives, ect. Us "generation nexters" are one weak, sad fucking crowd.

[Antihuman]

The family/friends bit is bad; it means they're swayed by social pressures more than learning.

This is a big one.  Many do not question the things they are told, or the assumptions under which they have been raised.  Our generation is frightfully passionate about the societal dogmas of diversity and equality.

...our culpture is so obseesed with comfort and avoiding conflict, it will just mainifest in an even more detached, neurotic and disorganized world. People need to wake the fuck up to reality and challenge themselves - I think the best way of making the greatest possitive change in society is getting involved in education and attempting to drive something of a back bone into students, as well as inspiring others and yourself to do better...

Agreed.  Though it seems impossible at this point for an individual to change the world (the fraction is 1/7 billion and diminishing), we must focus on ourselves in order to benefit the whole.

I would say the most frustrating thing about my generation is its overall lack of self-awareness.  Perhaps it comes from too much time spent absorbed in mindless entertainment, as has been stated here by many, as well as the increasing focus on social activity.  It makes us dependant and weak.  What happens when everyone is dependant and no one is motivated?  Reassurance becomes the ultimate goal (also note the increasing concern for self-esteem; so we all be confident in our spoon-fed ideologies?).  Anything that might point out personal flaws or encourage self-improvement is seen as the enemy, or at least 'depressing'.

[Dedrater]

This generation is no different from any other; it has simply transitioned from previous delusions to new ones. Whether you're obsessed with getting rich or going to heaven, you're going to die either way. TV, materialism, and video games are to this generation what LSD and passive aggressive rock was to their parents', and while that generation is a paranoid mess of government-hating whiners, they are neither any better off in terms of understanding nor have they demonstrated themselves to be totally inept.

People have been removed from direct involvement in their livelihood for centuries, now. iPods and Twitter are exacerbating this, but weak Christian values and compartmentalized economies have been around for a long time.

I will concede that there has been a stark fragmentation of social spheres in recent years, though. This is a huge problem, but I don't see what it has to do with this generation's capacity to deal with global issues.

There is still hope.

[Cargést]

Solution: kill everyone.  If there are no people left, then there won't be a next generation which will be even worse than this.

Edit: people keep saying Darkthrone, Metallica, etc. should have quit before they started making bad music.  Shouldn't the "Human Race" have quit before it started making bad people?

[Antihuman]

This generation is no different from any other; it has simply transitioned from previous delusions to new ones. Whether you're obsessed with getting rich or going to heaven, you're going to die either way. TV, materialism, and video games are to this generation what LSD and passive aggressive rock was to their parents', and while that generation is a paranoid mess of government-hating whiners, they are neither any better off in terms of understanding nor have they demonstrated themselves to be totally inept.

People have been removed from direct involvement in their livelihood for centuries, now. iPods and Twitter are exacerbating this, but weak Christian values and compartmentalized economies have been around for a long time.

I will concede that there has been a stark fragmentation of social spheres in recent years, though. This is a huge problem, but I don't see what it has to do with this generation's capacity to deal with global issues.

There is still hope.

The notion that our generation is 'no different than any other' is a dangerous one.  You acknowledge that iPods and twitter are exacerbating the problem: things of that nature have produced a generation of many more human beings than previous generations in which it is becoming increasingly easier to tune out and fall into place somewhere in a crumbling society.  Our civilization is in decline, and those living within it cannot help but be affected by this.

Also, our weak Christian values have grown weaker over the years, to the point that our generation sees through them and no longer has the ability to consciously uphold any values.  People look to their culture to define their values and personalities.  Past generations were no different in this regard, but we must acknowledge that the constructed illusions of mankind are increasingly more pervasive than the world at large, and that the only means of accessing the world at large is really through illusory, entertaining, emotionally stimulating means.

I meantioned before the increasing focus on self-esteem.  All of the college students I know are conditioned to think they should receive an 'A' for every course they take; if they are given a lower grade, they blame it on the professor, saying they did nothing that would lower their grade.  Our generation truly believes that all people are equal, but that they somehow deserve more than the rest.  While they hold the position that there are 'C' people out there, and have no trouble criticising others for their behavior, they become very hostile when criticism is directed toward them, and shut out or misconstrue what is being said.  This may be a trait common to humanity as far back as we can trace it, but as our population increases, and as our capacity to tune out reality increases, standards are lowered for ourselves and those around us.

Solution: kill everyone.  If there are no people left, then there won't be a next generation which will be even worse than this.

Edit: people keep saying Darkthrone, Metallica, etc. should have quit before they started making bad music.  Shouldn't the "Human Race" have quit before it started making bad people?

As much as I like this solution, it is unfortunately as unrealistic as the idea of treating everyone equally.  And 'bad people' are made over time, as a result of unfortunate and deadening cultural circumstances, which contribute to a gradual decline in the genepool.  Nature and nurture work together, but it all comes back to the ideals we uphold.  Sadly, the overarching message is that one should take pride in his mediocrity.

[The internet shelters weaklings.]

While books are sequential, argumentative and, abstract, Television is instantaneous, fragmentary and already digested for watchers. We, humanity, found a way to make written text as dull as TV: the Internet.

Well said.

As for the generation being more family oriented, my guess is that it is because there are more peasant-type people and less leaders. Kind of like Italian or jewish populations.