The Future is Theirs
Emerging Technology Infrastructure and New Generations - Trends and Expectations
In Millennials Rising, Neil Howe and William Strauss describe how today's teens are recasting the image of youth from downbeat and alienated to upbeat and engaged. The authors also show - how Millennials are held to higher standards than adults apply to themselves - how they're a lot less violent, vulgar, and sexually charged than the teen culture older people are producing for them - how, over the next decade, they'll entirely recast what it means to be young - and how, in time, they could emerge as the next great generation.
by David Brooks
A few months ago I went to Princeton University to see what the young people who are going to be running our country in a few decades are like. Faculty members gave me the names of a few dozen articulate students, and I sent them e-mails, inviting them out to lunch or dinner in small groups. I would go to sleep in my hotel room at around midnight each night, and when I awoke, my mailbox would be full of replies-sent at 1:15 a.m., 2:59 a.m., 3:23 a.m.
In our conversations I would ask the students when they got around to sleeping. One senior told me that she went to bed around two and woke up each morning at seven; she could afford that much rest because she had learned to supplement her full day of work by studying in her sleep. As she was falling asleep she would recite a math problem or a paper topic to herself; she would then sometimes dream about it, and when she woke up, the problem might be solved. I asked several students to describe their daily schedules, and their replies sounded like a session of Future Workaholics of America: crew practice at dawn, classes in the morning, resident-adviser duty, lunch, study groups, classes in the afternoon, tutoring disadvantaged kids in Trenton, a cappella practice, dinner, study, science lab, prayer session, hit the StairMaster, study a few hours more. One young man told me that he had to schedule appointment times for chatting with his friends. I mentioned this to other groups, and usually one or two people would volunteer that they did the same thing. "I just had an appointment with my best friend at seven this morning," one woman said. "Or else you lose touch."
They are hyper-informed. They are worried about the state of the world around them. They believe it won't be easy to secure a happy life, but are prepared to fight for it. In short, they are the next generation of global teens, and they are unlike any generation that came before them.Certain experiences transform the outlook of an entire generation. In the case of today's 13 to 18- year-olds, events since 9-11 have acted as a shot heard 'round the world. Global conditions changed overnight - from a world filled with the optimism and endless possibility of the Internet boom, to a dark and anxious place threatened by global war and international terror. These dramatic changes could only logically result in equally important shifts in global teen culture.
The GenWorld global teen study set out to explore the recent changes in global teen attitudes, lifestyle and values. Conducted by Energy BBDO in Chicago, GenWorld is the largest and most comprehensive public study of its kind in recent years.
Seven Seismic Shifts that we believe will be known as the hallmarks of a new generation.
1. Zeitgeist: From Optimism to Determination in a Dark World Far from the exuberant optimism of teens in the 1990s, just 14% of global teens today say, "I think the world is becoming a better place." Yet rather than resignation, teens are finding a new will to fight. They are facing the future with courage and determination. How can brands follow suit?
2. Success: From Entitlement to Self-Activism Forget the "whatever" detachment and sense of entitlement that defi ned the 1990s. A new attitude reigns in this generation: "I would fight for a cause I believe in." Their number one cause: hope for their own future. Today's teens are striving for mature, long-term goals like security, balance and enjoyment in life. Can brands act as an antidote to the serious challenges of contemporary teen life?
3. The Vanguard of Cool: From USA Teens to Creatives American teens once represented the vanguard of global youth culture. But in today's world where authenticity matters most, a new group of teen leaders has emerged. Defined more by values than geography, Creatives are curious, altruistic, open to new ideas, and actively engaged in creating youth culture. How can brands leverage their one golden rule: express yourself?
4. American Teens: From Edgy to Traditional Where the last decade of American teen culture seemed dominated by gritty urbanism, American teens today poll among the most conservative in the world - valuing religion, hoping to get married and become parents and striving to live by high moral standards. How can brands authentically tap growing conservatism in a normally no-holds-barred market?
5. Wired Teens: From an Elite to a Mass Market In the 1990s, being wired was limited to a global techno-elite (wealthy kids in the developed world). Today technology is a hallmark of mainstream cool. How can brands follow the lead of SuperConnectors, teens who use technology to create vibrant social networks and are constantly engaged in a whole new, virtually connected world?
6. Global Brand Leaders: From American Brands to World Brands While American brands still top the charts in terms of overall awareness, overall likeability for global giants such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola has slipped. A new guard of world brands (including Sony, Nokia and Adidas) seems to be winning teen popularity contests. Why? Evidence suggests they are better equipped to meet the desires of this burgeoning generation.
7. Brands: From Symbols of Status to Drivers of Apathy Marketers face big trouble: 62% of global teens are apathetic about marketing and advertising. That is, they are not anti-brand, but perhaps more dangerously, they just don't care - don't care about wearing brand logos, don't believe advertising, and feel there is too much advertising in the world. For a brand, is taking a stand yourself the only way to get a rise out of this generation?
The 18-year-olds who entered college in 2005 have been raised in a world where digital cameras have always existed, movies have always been available on pay-per-view, voicemail has always routed their phone calls, Bill Gates has always been a billionaire, and TV has always blurred the distinction between news and entertainment. They are part of the Millennial generation-born since the early 1980s in the United States and a bit later in other countries-and they're growing up in technology's fast lanes.Their parents have nurtured and pushed Millennials from their first moments, engaging their infants with Baby Einstein toys and piping Mozart into the womb. Average is not OK. Baby Boomer and Gen X parents are demanding more of their children than their own parents asked of them, expecting good grades and behavior along with greater accountability. They are obsessed with safety. And their unprecedented levels of parental protectiveness do not abate as their children move through elementary and high school to college and the workplace.
Millennials, characterized by their emphasis on teamwork, achievement and respect for authority, relish the challenges their parents have set for them. As they head into adulthood, today's young people are likely to find the world's frenetic pace energizing rather than overwhelming. They have a confidence about the future that is unparalleled, according to educators, sociologists and kids.
These young people are digital natives, fluent in new media. They create blogs and vlogs; they text message, instant message, Google their research papers, download music files, personalize their ringtones and web pages. Their educators struggle to incorporate new technology into the classroom; on the whole, schools have not kept pace with students' interests and expertise. As the leading edge of the generation enters the workforce, their employers sometimes struggle to understand and take full advantage of their unique talents. To become relevant and essential to their lives, HP must understand how Millennials are reshaping education and how they will affect the business world.
The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent nonprofit research group. We work with organizations of all kinds to help them make better, more informed decisions about the future. IFTF provides the foresight to create insights that lead to action.
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Global business trends
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