Under Pressure: Overcoming Stereotypes of Generation Y
BY: KAT HARLAN
Hey! Up-and-coming generation! Are you feeling some pressure? Good, because you should be, right about now. This is your wake-up call talking, your warning, that soon, your generation will be the leaders of the world, the ones making the most impact on what the world is going to be like in a couple of decades. Are you ready? Let’s hope so.
Our world is changing so fast that the generation that is preparing for the future have to adapt to everything around them. Even though technology is becoming more advanced and our ways of thinking are seen as more sophisticated in their manner, the generation that is on the rise in society has much to think about and many difficult decisions to make about the future they want to lead and the path they want to see themselves, their peers, and others around the world, take. On this path, a mountain of problems that embodies economic issues, environmental issues, and living during a time of war and not peace, is standing in the way of the next generation, and it doesn’t really matter how they get there, they just have to get to the other side.
But, who are the children of the next generation? The up-and-coming generation, the leaders that shall soon emerge, are considered to be those who are studying and learning everything they need to know right at this moment. The next generation is represented by students who are studying in and graduating from college as you are reading this.
And the college town of Gainesville, Florida, has a myriad of them.
The University of Florida was moved to Gainesville in 1906. And today, some of the students are looking forward to the arrival of when it will be their time to shine. However, others are worried.
“I really do think that our generation is making a difference, but older people sometimes think we’re dumb. Sometimes I agree with this, but other times I think we are more responsible,” UF student Alyssa Williams, 19, said. “A lot of what we do, I think, is influenced by the recession that we are going through right now, and seeing what our parents are suffering, and wanting to make a change to that.
Other influences that are involved in this include, but are not at all limited to, such events as the technology boom in the 90’s with the entrance of personal computers and internet and the era of the Bush Presidency and the Iraq war.
“The historic election of Barack Obama saw a huge swell in young voter participation, a sign that my generation has truly awakened and decided to act on how the past five years have influenced us,” Duke graduate and Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania Gene Peir, 24, said.
Looking at the big picture, there is more to the anticipated adults of the 21st century’s generation than just the ones who will play a passive role in the world as it progresses. We must have faith that the aspiring generation will succeed in finding their place and carrying out their role.
“I think that we are very concerned with world problems, like global warming and the AIDS epidemic, so I think that especially with increasing access to technology, our generation will work hard to help with issues and be the people to find cures for things like AIDS and cancer,” UF sophomore, Jake Van Hise, 19, said.
However, that advanced technology plays a huge part in the way we think, especially the ones who actually use it.
“A lot of the time, my generation is stereotyped as being dependent on technology and too much influenced by the media,” UF student, Josh, 20, said.
This stereotypical view is considered to be that of the older generation who did not experience first-hand the results of the technological boom of the 90’s.
“They don’t understand the technology in some ways, and therefore cannot understand us. It’s hard to say that we are not influenced by the media at all,” UF student, Jingjing Liu, 24, said.
Mass media, television, and internet have shaped a lot of the views of this generation of college students. It helps them to be active participants in the hopeful future that awaits them.
“We look at celebrities for how to look and dress! And this last election had the most voting by young pe ople probably due to the intense publicity,” Van Hise said when asked about what influences his and his friends’ views.
Although this often stereotyped age group is, time and time again, misunderstood, they are the future whether it’s accepted or not. What generation “Y” decides to do and how they decide to approach the opportunity to reach their full potential isn’t just up to them, it’s up to everyone. When past, current and future generations come together, the most successful final product can be reached and passed on, continuing in the cycle.