8/21/2010
Kay Steiger: New York Times Article on 20-Somethings Escapes Being Too Insulting
This weekend in the New York Times Sunday magazine, they're featuring an article titled, "What Is It About 20-Somethings?: Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?" by Robin Marantz Henig. Oh boy. Here we go again.
Let's face it: The New York Times doesn't exactly have a great track record for talking about young people. Their coverage of Millennials seems to range from Tom Friedman's accusation of lazy young people in his now-infamous "Generation Q" column to its constant coverage of "hipsters" in the paper.
But this weekend's magazine cover story actually looks at all kinds of factors for "growing up," including the science behind brain development. "Neuroscientists once thought the brain stops growing shortly after puberty, but now they know it keeps maturing well into the 20s," Henig writes. The idea that young people reached a point of maturity at 18 or 21 — or even 25 — seems to be an outdated one from a scientific perspective.
The article also looks at many of the "traditional" markers for adulthood: "completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having a child." Henig notes that psychologists and sociologists are beginning to recognize that such rigid milestones may no longer be relevant in the modern day.
In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had, by the time they reached 30, passed all five milestones. Among 30-year-olds in 2000, according to data from the United States Census Bureau, fewer than half of the women and one-third of the men had done so. A Canadian study reported that a typical 30-year-old in 2001 had completed the same number of milestones as a 25-year-old in the early ’70s.
They're beginning to call this longer period of transition between adolescence and adulthood "emerging adulthood," or a time when many of these milestones aren't for everyone. After all, fewer women than ever are having children and the average age of marriage is creeping ever upward (in addition to the LGBT folks who aren't allowed to marry in most states).
The whole idea of milestones to adulthood seems silly in a modern culture. Financial independence might be the only admirable goal when it comes to getting young people to transition from adolescence to adulthood. But with the economy in the dumps and young people experiencing higher unemployment than the rest of the working population, such a marker these days seems an impossible standard. As Anna North at Jezebel writes, "Maybe what we need is not to define a new phase of life but to accept that life doesn't really have concrete phases."
The article does note that the idea of parents supporting their children (instead of the way it was a century ago, when children generally helped support their families) is nearly universal these days:
According to data gathered by the Network on Transitions to Adulthood, a research consortium supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, American parents give an average of 10 percent of their income to their 18- to 21-year-old children. This percentage is basically the same no matter the family’s total income, meaning that upper-class kids tend to get more than working-class ones. And wealthier kids have other, less obvious, advantages. When they go to four-year colleges or universities, they get supervised dormitory housing, health care and alumni networks not available at community colleges. And they often get a leg up on their careers by using parents’ contacts to help land an entry-level job — or by using parents as a financial backup when they want to take an interesting internship that doesn’t pay.
The stereotype of Millennials as a generation that is entirely dependent on his or her parents for all needs — ranging from looking for jobs to paying for rent — is tiresome. It's also insulting to young people who come from poorer families.
The difference here is a matter of scale. Young people from worse-off families are contributing to their children's futures, but they can't contribute nearly as much as their wealthier counterparts. As long as young people are entering the job market with different advantages, the disparities between the rich and poor seem ever more evident — especially when unemployment among college grads is so much lower than college or high school dropouts.
Rather than thinking of all Millennials as young people are overly privileged, it might be worth our time to consider those who, even with their parents' help, still qualify for Pell grants and can’t afford that prestigious unpaid internship.
Generations in the Desert – Thoughts from Aspen « DigiDave
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Much like FooCamp, the Knight Focus event in Aspen was very invigorating. FooCamp had a “FrieNDA” policy about blogging (I went ahead and assumed things were off the record). This event was the opposite and while I could never fully capture every brain spark on this plane ride home, I do want to try a brain dump. (Some of it was written on the plane ride to Aspen and much of it is personal ramblings).
ON GENERATIONS
One personal thread to the last three weeks of my life is a continuing fascination of generational theory. I’ve never blogged about this here (I put these thoughts on my side/lazy blog) but the story goes like this.
I am on the cusp of generations. I am either the youngest of Generation X or the very oldest of the Millennials. I prefer to think of myself as the later, a leader of a new generation. But the fact is, I am older than the heart of the Millennial generation (which are actually still in high school or entering college).
To put this in concrete terms: I am old enough to remember watching re-runs of Gilligan’s Island and young enough to remember seeing Power Rangers after school. But I was never in the age demographic that these shows were aiming for. I was either too young to understand (Giligan’s Island) or too old to care (the appeal of Power Rangers dropped off after 13). Another example would be Kurt Cobain – a cultural signifier for Gen X. When he died I was 12. Too young to really understand the cultural significance. At the same time – it impacted my early teen years. Younger Millennials only know of Kurt Cobain in a historical context.
The point of this generational ramble – every generation has its own signifiers. Some of them small, some of them big (see “On Television” section)
At the Aspen Institute event there were only two people under 30 years old at the table. I am not a big believer in the old vs. new media debate. I think it is lazy thinking and it’s even lazier to pit this in terms of age.
But I did feel a potent disconnect between the way I envisioned some of the issues and how they were being discussed. This could be simply because I run a small nonprofit whereas the other attendees ran organizations you’ve probably never heard of called “NPR” “PBS” “The Washington Post” “The FCC,” etc. Another reason could be because there is a gap between the older empowered generation and the younger upcoming generation. The signifiers of media for me have been different than the signifiers for this group in power. A perfect case in point would be Napster and Friendster (My thoughts in audio at Poytner).
Generations In The Desert – Journalism
One interesting person I met began talking to me about the Torah. At first I was internally rolling my eyes. Yes, my last name is Cohn – but I’m more of a cultural Jew (think Woody Allen, Jon Stewart). I am not religious. But I can appreciate a humanist interpretation of the story this individual told. So here we go: From Torah to Media in three paragraphs. Note: I don’t really know the details of the religious story so if this interpretation has no merit – call me out.
When God lead the Jews out of Egypt it was originally going to be a two week trip. Instead God lead the Jews through the desert for 40 years. An odd thing if you think about it. Earlier in the story God caused the plagues and parted the Red Sea and now this God wouldn’t perform some miracle to swoop up the Jews to someplace with air conditioning? No, he left them in the desert with flat bread.
The humanistic interpretation is that an entire generation who had only known life as slaves had to live and die before the Jews could truly move on. This generation had a slave mentality and the memories of their time in Egypt needed to live and die in the desert before the Jewish people could move to the holy land as a new people.
And that’s when it became relevant.
I’ve said before that professional journalists, in one interpretation, can be thought of as a diaspora. Their “home land” in newspapers has been compromised. If there is a promised-land for media, considering generational theory, it might be that this transition we are in will last much longer. I joked that unless I live to be as old as Moses (120) I won’t live to see the dawning of this new digital age. I am doomed to be part of that cusp generation that must wander in the desert with the elders who remember something long passed and can’t settle into something new. Meanwhile acting as a steward and trying to head north to a new land with a younger generation to take over for me.
To be fair and a side note: I am not suggesting that newspapers or reporters from newspapers have a “slave mentality.” The role newspapers played historically was important, noble and meaningful. But it is gone and dated.
It still leaves us with the question, however, of what is that “something new”?
I don’t propose to know – but I am increasingly convinced that journalists need to remain open even if that means the “profession” of journalism never returns and the loaded word “journalism” is replaced with something else. This could be the case but it wouldn’t stop this “new land” to have people who take upon the responsibility of informing their communities.
In other words – In the future we may not even call it journalism – but if it serves the same functions then I will be satisfied. Furthermore, I’d feel as though my generational role, to act as a steward of something during a tough time in the desert, would be a well fought battle.
ON TELEVISION
An example of a quick thought: Bill Kling from American Public Media mentioned that some statistic predicts by 2014 over 70% of people will view television content online.The catch, of course, is that once it becomes more than 50 percent they aren’t watching television content online – they are watching video online. There is a BIG difference.
Whether or not this figure is high it is a growing trend. I personally haven’t had a working television in years. Neither do many of my friends. For me television is similar to a telephone land line (which again many people under 30 don’t own). If you have a cell, it makes no sense. With Netflix, Hulu and more coming online – a working TV becomes a burden. A giant box in the corner collecting dust.
This would be a continuation of our move from an industrial age to an information age. If newspapers think they got hit by the digital transition – just wait till the shift to online television happens. Broadcasting journalism has a higher overhead and, from my view, is even less open to participation.
Re-cognizing your life and taking stock
In a time of momentous life changes one cannot help but turn their head and peer back at where they’ve been.In the last few months I’ve gotten engaged (hooray!) and I’ve made plans to move to Missouri for an academic fellowship at the Reynolds Institute of Journalism that will let me continue my work with Spot.Us.
The first of these events is permanent. The second will be for an academic year, but is certainly a life experience. I’ve never lived outside of the coasts or a major metropolitan city.
Recently upon a trip to Los Angeles (born and raised) I watched home videos of my childhood. Then, for technical purposes, I browsed every single blog post I’ve written since 2005. From my moving to NY, my freelancing, getting into Columbia j-school and graduating, the passing of my grandparents, the start of Spot.Us and more.
All of these things lead to where I am today and yet sometimes I still can’t believe it. I recently uploaded a video of me at 23 year’s old living in San Francisco. I was a year out of U.C. Berkeley and still very much an urban beatnik/hippie. From the age of 19 to 25 I could seldom be seen without a brown beanie, brown jacket and wearing the one pair of brown shoes that I owned. I am still very much that person. I care not for style – I go with practicality and utility.
And yet there are parts of that young person which have faded. At one point in my life I was a talented musician (that video doesn’t really show it). I would play guitar at least an hour or two a day. I recorded roughly two albums. I played the drums in various bands. All that slowly disappeared the day I moved to NY. I am not sad about the fading of my musical life. I still play from time to time. But the spark in me that needed to play daily is gone.
I’m on my way now to the Aspen Institute for the Knight conference on news and information for communities where last year Madeline Albright was a speaker among others. Now I’m rubbing my head thinking – what can I offer. And yet when I publicly confess feeling out of my league I’m assured by friends and colleagues that I indeed have something to offer.
Life is a gas.
My intellectual fascination with the distribution of information in a digital age does create a bit of a narrative. Still, I never would have predicted any of this when I first got turned on to journalism (story behind that here). If I’m honest, I wrote a majority of my rhetoric honors thesis while stoned living in a studio apartment in Berkeley (edited it sober of course). In the last two to three years, following that same intellectual curiosity, I’ve had the opportunity to travel across this country. Even weirder I am given the opportunity to speak my mind on a subject I believe is important to myself, my community and communities across the world to people who, without patting myself on the back too much, seem to care what I think.
And life continues.
I have no idea what awaits me while I’m in Missouri. I know my passion remains with the organization Spot.Us and the idea of making the process of journalism participatory and transparent.
Sometimes I feel like great progress is being made both for the organization and the movement (I will go ahead and call this a movement). Other times I feel drained and concerned that it is all for nothing. That the industry will find a way and that the journalism industries’ main concern has nothing to do with journalism but its own survival.
And so for now. I eat, I pray and I love (HA! I hate shit like that).
New Edition of Millennials Incorporated at Amazon Shows Managers How to Recruit, Retain, and Manage Gen Y Employees in the Workplace
New Edition of Millennials Incorporated at Amazon Shows Managers How to Recruit, Retain, and Manage Gen Y Employees in the Workplace
Millennial (Gen Y) and Generation Relations Expert, Lisa Orrell, has just released the Second Edition of her popular book, Millennials Incorporated. Orrell explains how to effectively attract, recruit, manage, and retain Gen Y. The new edition also includes a chapter about Gen Y from a global perspective, and a Bonus Chapter from Robert Half International and Yahoo! HotJobs' Special Report, "Success Defined: What Gen Y Wants in a Career."Author Lisa Orrell explains how to recruit and manage Gen Y/Millennials in the workplace
"It has been almost a year since my First Edition was released, and I have gathered more great info since then that I wanted to share," explains Orrell. "The response from HR professionals, recruiting executives and front-line managers has been amazing."
Continues Orrell, "So I know the additional info in my Second Edition will greatly benefit anyone responsible for recruiting and managing Gen Y employees."
During the past year, many companies have hired Lisa to conduct her seminars on recruiting, retaining and managing Gen Y, such as: Paul Mitchell Schools, Heald College, Cisco, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. And well-known organizations, like the Professional Business Women of California and Linkage's Women in Leadership Summit, have invited Lisa back a second time to speak at their annual conferences this fall.
Also, Lisa's book, seminars and expertise have attracted significant media attention. Most recently she was a featured expert on MSNBC, and her commentary has been featured in (partial list): Human Resource Executive, HR World, Diversity Business, SMB-HR magazine, Recruitment & Retention, Employee Benefit News, Pacific Business News, Black Enterprise, The San Jose Mercury News, and NewsDay New York.
Lisa will also be writing a featured column called "Recruiting & Retention Roundup" for Career Magazine. Her column will offer Human Resource, Diversity and Recruiting professionals, and managers in any department, useful tips on all aspects of recruiting and retaining today's multigenerational workforce.
For more information and media inquiries, please contact Lisa Orrell at The Orrell Group. Contact info: Lisa @ TheOrrellGroup.com, phone 1-888-254-LISA (5472), or visit www.TheOrrellGroup.com.
Author Information
Lisa Orrell
The Orrell GroupUnder Air Pollution Control Equipment market August 21st, 2010
Inner Child Inspirational quote of the day. | Soul Hangout
Have a soulful and playful day/night. You and your Inner Child my friend on both sides of the sun.
2008 June | Soul Hangout
Failure doesn't mean you are a failure it just means you haven't succeeded yet.Robert H. Schuller This one resonates with my article: How to read the Perfection in Your errors~ Enjoy!