By CHRIS AGBOLA
Columnist
The millennial generation is making history.
The different names for this generation show its uniqueness and the inability to adequately express it using a single word. Some call millennials generation Y, the selfie-snapping generation or the technology generation. As biased as I sound due to my extreme praise for this generation, you will agree with me after I lay out what makes this generation special. Let’s take a stroll into the world of millenials.
Generation Y realizes from the start the world is a global village. Millennial neonates are exposed to technological devices and gadgets at infancy. The industrial nature of the world currently makes it so. Kids tend to spend much more time in day cares, with their nannies or iPads, kindles, playbooks and the like. Dads and mums leave for work early and return late, so baby is left alone with his or her iPad to keep busy while nanny looks on from afar to ensure baby doesn’t harm him or herself. The early exposure indicates why this generation is adroit and up-to-date with the technological trends of the world. It is no news now to see videos of babies or selfies of them on the internet. Is this the best that could ever be? Most definitely not! Awareness of the cyber world at a tender age makes one susceptible to all of its junk and irrelevant materials. However, looking on the bright side, children of the millennial generation have a broad-minded scope when growing up.
Furthermore, the stuff this generation likes is remarkable. What comes to mind quickly is the social media craze. The obsessions of generation Y are extraordinary. Millennials have nerdy and abstract obsessions. When you find a kid who enjoys talk of mutants, UFOs, aliens, zombies, Kyle XY, vampires, werewolves, dinosaurs, magic and comic fiction, you have met a true millennial. They spend much time on these things and feel self-fulfilled. The fifth season of the ‘Walking Dead’ series premiered this past Sunday. Its hype was all over social media and could be likened to the feeling a person could get should he or she win a million-dollar lottery. The language of the technology generation is likes, retweets, reblogs, favorites, selfies and hashtags. Social network status is a relevant affair when it comes to our world. Should you not be in the flow of social media, you are considered archaic or do not know what the real ‘ish’ is. To a millennial, fun is all about partying, binge drinking, playing video games, going to concerts, relationships and all the wild things you could ever envisage. The interesting fact is that adults are trying to be more juvenile. Grannies and Grandpas join Facebook and all that. How awesome is it to spearhead a world revolution.
On the other hand, researchers have stated that the millennial generation is less motivated and more apathetic when it comes to the world of work. The claims are that because of the easy ways of doing things that we’re socialized with, we do not want to think and stretch our minds when need be. I’d rather be indifferent to that subject. The only comment I have is that the millennial does not enjoy routines. We are a generation that desires to be left alone to explore and focus on our own business. Even in school, the most effective way to teach a millennial child is through edutainment.
Finally, an interesting characteristic of the generation is its sense of humor. In a way or another, the millennial kids are all funny. Do not be deceived by looks. That kid with the meanest look actually has the greatest grin. You will be mesmerized when they turn their funny mode on.