Okay, I admit -- I'm writing a similar essay for my English final. I would feel bad for shamelessly recycling, but I have so many things to say on the topic of Millennials and only about 4 people are ever going to read my essay. Particularly, I am focusing on how history is going to remember our generation far into the future.
We all know that Millennials have a certain addiction to technology, tending to treat spendy tech as a right they have; an entitlement. I have noticed this becoming true with rich kids, of course, but recently middle class Millennials have seemed to take to this idea too.
I see far too many Millennial kids dropping their spendy phones, breaking delicate screens like they're $0.99 candy bars. Most of them don't even fix the screens. Why bother when each phone variation comes and goes about once every year or so? Technology devalues so quickly when the new model is always around the corner. Instead, it just becomes a necessity that companies use as a medium to rip you off.
On the flipside, Phones are super important in our everyday lives.
In several aspects of my life I have caught myself over-relying on technology, especially my phone. For instance, I have no idea what I would do without Google Maps or the notepad at the tip of my finger. However simple and useful these tools are, I just know that Millennials will be remembered for their borderline-abuse of these technologies.
Remember when math teachers everywhere would force us to long-divide, asking if we expected to carry around a calculator in our pockets our entire lives? Kind of ironic now, isn't it? As the calculator app on our smart phone now takes up a few milibytes of storage, even people who suck at math (such as yours truly) can adapt to a society in which it is increasingly important.
As I should clarify, I don't think this “addiction” is a bad thing. I do, however, believe Millennials will be remembered for it. Whether that carries a bad or good connotation will possibly be revealed later in our lives.
In addition to our tech-addiction, I believe Millennials will continue to be remembered for our increased acceptance of minorities. I think this is a great step up from generations before it – the Boomers and Generation X arguably helped reduce racism in the United States, but there were leaps and bounds to go before homosexuals and other such minorities were accepted in the same way. Why did it take so long for homosexuals to be able to marry? Because religions, certain religions in particular, were 100% against it. In fact, some of them still are, like viruses infecting the minds of people just looking for help.
Now things have changed, however; more Millennials, especially younger ones, can be found fighting for the rights of the LGBT community in a variety of ways. For instance, the openness of the internet and social media means more connections are being made faster than ever before. I know I never got to know a wide variety of people living in little Mitchell, South Dakota, but I feel like access to the internet has brought with it an easier means of getting to know people you wouldn't have otherwise.
Take, for example, Hope Willard, the infamous Fred Willard's daughter. If you haven't heard of Fred Willard, just imagine the most closed-minded, sexist, racist, shrewd individual on the face of the planet and you'll have a pretty good idea why the world hates him. Hope, after the death of her father, must have realized that people aren't so bad once you get to not hate them. Now, Hope is an activist for racial and other minority rights, a feminist, and, on top of it all, a generally nice girl.
Cases such as these make it apparent that the Millennial generation will be remembered in the years to come as a truly impartial kick-starter; Millennials may be the generation to begin a revolution of acceptance.
To end on a generally positive note, I think, overall, Millennials will be a generation remembered for their unity. As a majority of the biggest news stories from around the world often land at our feets on TV, Facebook, Twitter, etc., it's easier than ever for individuals to participate in the discussion, if not the solutions to the problems that matter to them. Sometimes this can be a great thing, such as the outrage over the bill passed in North Carolina (Unless you were planning on going to that Bruce Springsteen concert that was canceled in opposition to the bill). Other times things that don't really matter can get blown out of proportion as long as it tugs at your heartstrings. Remember KONY 2012? Yeah, they never caught that guy. The guy took all his money and ran off to do drugs and indecently expose himself on the streets of California, laughing all the way to the police station.
If that doesn't exemplify the importance of social media in this day and age, I don't know what does. In fact, we will probably pass this hobby and the cautions that come with it on to our children, who will likely continue to use similar applications to keep track of current events. One thing is for sure: Millennials' attention spans aren't getting any longer, and the “next big thing” to innovate social media could be even more ADHD-driven than Twitter. We just may be the generation remembered for starting it.
Overall, the hope is obviously that Millennials will be remembered for great things in years to come. You just know there are writers and artists who are dying to tear us apart, but together we can pull through and make this life a good one, right?
