4 Ways Gen-Y Sets Itself Apart From Those Before And After Us

I remember the day my mom bought an iPhone all too well. It was around the same time she made a Facebook account. On both of those days, I cringed.

“No, Mom. A ‘home button’ is not a feature that instantly dials home.”

“Oh,” she said, disappointed.

The perplexed look on my mom’s face during her run-ins with today’s technology is kind of cute. After all, you can’t blame Generation-X for not knowing how to keep up with today’s fleeting advancements. We’re the ones who grew up this way; Gen-X is just trying to adjust.

Then, there was the day my 60-something-year-old boss asked, “What’s a Vine?” I explained with no hesitation. “Do you have one?” my smart boss then asked. Stupid me replied, “Yeah!”

Before I knew it, I was changing my Vine name to something like “xgmsleielakdiucm.” It was either that or hide while the entire office watched videos of me making out with my best friend’s duck figurine on the Fourth of July.

Sure, like Generation-Y, our elders have the tools to find the answers they are looking for, but why would they do that when they can just ask the Millennials (geniuses) among them?

I know my mother and former boss aren’t the only ones struggling to keep up with today’s society. It seems everyone but Millennials is confused, which can only mean one thing: Generation-Y basically runs the world.

We’re changing traditions, and we've set ourselves apart. Aside from being masters of social media, there are countless reasons why today’s generation is untouchable:

We don’t settle.

A majority of the people in the generations before us were all about fitting into the mold. The Baby Boomers all have a similar story to tell; they married young and birthed young. Gen-X grew up with two goals instilled in their brains: 1) raise a family and 2) maintain a career.

Generation-Y, on the other hand, is full of misfits. We don’t follow trends, we set them. We don’t take no for an answer, unless no is our answer.

We don’t tolerate less than best. If we don’t like something, we’ll tell you, and then we’ll change it. If we’re more miserable in our jobs than happy, we'll find something better. It’s not called giving up; it’s called not settling.

We express ourselves through fashion and art.

We dye our hair different colors. We choose our destinations based on the quality of pictures we can take when we arrive. We know an outfit that does not match perfectly makes us look more dynamic. We purposely rip our jeans.

We get a thrill out of digging up vintage photos and putting filters on them. We create memes and love when they go viral. We make our own websites. We love statement necklaces. We search for the perfect angle. We shave our heads. Our tattoos are our greatest accessories. We love a good flea market.

We don’t make decisions based on the future.

“Don’t you know that’s permanent?” “Do you know what that’s going to do to your future?” “You did what?” Ah, the common questions Millennials hear from day to day.

Yes, our tattoos are permanent, and we like them. Of course we know quitting our job is something that’s going to have to be explained at some point. Yup, we took out a loan so we could backpack through Europe. Why? Because Millennials don’t let fear get in the way of our actions; we own the moment.

We don’t know how to shut up.

If Millennials don’t agree with something, they’ll either tell you to your face or come up with a better way to express their thoughts. We’re the generation behind subtweets, and there are more social media outlets than we have fingers and toes. Blogging is the new black, and our music can be heard before we drive into the neighborhood.

Bottom line: Harboring thoughts is a useless tactic to a Millennial. Why hold something in if you have a way to let it out?

Photo Courtesy: Tumblr