There has been quite a bit of discussion about Generation Y as of late. And if you’re wondering Y this group of people—born somewhere between the early 80s and the early 2000s—is garnering so much attention, well, it’s probably because they’re the current movers and shakers in our youth-oriented culture. They’re the first really tech-friendly generation. They’re the ones getting married and forming families (or not), making their fortunes (or not) and ultimately shaping the country’s financial and political future (or, well, not). And everybody wants to know just how this youthful gaggle of up-and-comers is doing.
If you look at the many articles and studies about the Yers, it would appear that they’re doing pretty well. But according to an blog called “Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy,” that blew up on the Internet recently from a site called waitbutwhy.com, Millennials aren’t all that content.
Why? According to the blog (beware, the post does contain some crass language), it’s because Generation Yers were raised as kids in a relatively happy time with lots of financial opportunities, new technologies and things-are-looking-up perks. On top of that, while they were growing into adulthood, they were also being told by their parents that they were, hey, pretty doggone special and deserving of great things.
With that rosy, perfectionist pedigree, the blog suggests, there’s really only one surefire outcome: A whole lot of people with wildly ambitious expectations for a fabulous unicorn-filled life. But then these kids ride their galloping unicorns smack dab into reality. And when that reality includes an economy where only 44% of 18-to-31-year-olds have a full-time job, 12% are unemployed, a big chunk just gave up on a job search altogether and over a third of their Gen Y peers still live with their parents … well, that ain’t a happy place.
Whether the blogger’s hypothesis is spot on or just in the ballpark, it all kind of makes sense. But the part that stood out to my Plugged In sensibilities was a discussion of how a typical Millennial (a female Yer the blog personifies as “Lucy”) would have all those job woes and dashed expectations magnified by a little wonder called Facebook.
Lucy, on the other hand, finds herself constantly taunted by a modern phenomenon: Facebook Image Crafting.
Social media creates a world for Lucy where A) what everyone else is doing is very out in the open, B) most people present an inflated version of their own existence, and C) the people who chime in the most about their careers are usually those whose careers (or relationships) are going the best, while struggling people tend not to broadcast their situation. This leaves Lucy feeling, incorrectly, like everyone else is doing really well, only adding to her misery:
The blogger augments the article with this handy-dandy illustration:
The blogger continues: “So that’s why Lucy is unhappy, or at the least, feeling a bit frustrated and inadequate. In fact, she’s probably started off her career perfectly well, but to her, it feels very disappointing.”
Makes you feel sorry for poor Lucy, but it also makes the Wait But Why blogger’s closing words all the more important.
Other people’s grass seeming greener is no new concept, but in today’s image crafting world, other people’s grass looks like a glorious meadow. The truth is that everyone else is just as indecisive, self-doubting, and frustrated as you are, and if you just do your thing, you’ll never have any reason to envy others.
That’s good advice for just about anyone. Stick-figure Millennial with a dead yard, or not.
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