Discover the traits of this generation

1. Gen Y: Who They Are and How They Learn
Dr. Michael England
Southwestern Adventist University
February 6, 2010

2. Still too young to have forged
a name for themselves, they
go by a host of taglines:
Generation Y, Echo Boomers,
or
Millennium Generation.
Who are the Gen-Y’s?
Born in the mid-
1980's and later,
Generation Y are in
their 20s.
At 70 million strong, more
than three times the size of
Generation X, they're the
biggest thing to hit the
American scene since the 72
million Baby Boomers.

3. This generation
is more racially
diverse:
One in
three is not
Caucasian.
Three in four
have working
mothers.
One in four lives in a
single-parent household.

4. Nurtured and pampered by parents who did
not want to make the mistakes of the
previous generation, Generation Y is
confident, ambitious and achievement-
oriented.
They have high expectations of their
employers, seek out new challenges and are
not afraid to question authority.
Generation Y wants meaningful work and a
solid learning curve.

5. 1969 2010
Caucasian All races and ethnicities
Majority were men Majority are women
Aged 18 - 22 Ages 18 and older
Graduated in four years from
college
Graduated in six years or
more
Presumed heterosexual All sexual orientations
Native-born to United States Increasingly number of
immigrants
Middle class Increasingly diverse cultural,
economic, and geographic
backgrounds

6. 1969 2010
Politically more liberal Politically more conservative or
independent
Family/self-financed Government/family/self-financed
Academically prepared Lacking basic skills
Competitive Collaborative
Worked and studied alone Group work, team work
Lack of experience with diversity Acceptance of diversity, more tolerant
Unsure of self Assertive and confident
Low debt after college High debt and defaults on loans after
college
Friendships bound by proximity Friendships not bound by geographical
limits
Idealist—any problem can be solved Cynical—aware of global warming and
other world issues but still hopeful
Rejection of organized religion Growing importance of spirituality and
religion

7. Took responsibility for self Growth of helicopter parents who
hover and assume responsibility for
college-age children
Acceptance of institutional structure
(i.e., food, dorms, etc.)
More demanding consumers with
customer expectations of immediate
service
A privilege to attend college An expectation to attend college;
entitlement
Family stability Family instability
Physically fit Growing problem of obesity
Rejection of values of parents and
society
Sharing values of parents and society
Mentally healthy Less mentally healthy
Dependent upon note taking; paper
and pencil
Dependent upon technology; “digital
natives”
1969 2010

8. “Digital Native” = dependent upon technology
Fluent in acquiring
and using
technological tools
and learning this
technology quickly
with an intuitive
understanding of
digital language,
seem to use these
tools as an
extension of their
brains.
Since birth, Gen Y
has been surrounded
by visual electronic
media, from Sesame
Street to MTV and
from home computers
and video games to
cyberspace, networks,
and virtual reality.

9. They’re already busy adopting new
systems for communication (instant
messaging), sharing (blogs), buying and
selling (eBay), exchanging (peer-to-peer
technology), creating (Flash), meeting
(3D Worlds), collecting (downloads),
coordinating (wikis), evaluating
(reputation systems), searching
(Google), analyzing (SETI), reporting
(camera phones), programming (modding)
socializing (chat rooms), and even
learning (Web surfing).

10. Digital natives
multi-task and
prefer visuals to
graphics and text.
They are intricately
connected or
networked via cell
phone, blog, Facebook,
and YouTube, thriving
on instant gratification
and preferring games
to work.

11. Although Gen-Y seems to
prefer social isolation it
works well collaboratively
and is comfortable and
eager to contribute to the
knowledge bases.
Ironically, Gen-Y may be
simultaneously the most-
socialized generation in the
digital world and the most-
isolated generation in the
physical world.

12. Despite Gen Y’s familiarity
with computer technology,
students rely heavily upon
search engines, view rather
than read, and lack many
critical or analytical skills
needed to evaluate the
information they find.

13. Some believe that
the human brain’s
digital input has
rewired it, helping
it to respond
faster, sift out
information, and
recall less.
The sheer mass of
visual, auditory, and
verbal information in
today’s world is forcing
digital natives to edit,
shift, and filter more.

14. Gen Y is used to and needs multiple streams of
information. It is an energetic generation in need of
constant stimulation and challenge, and one that is
often bored in traditional classrooms.

15. Today’s student simply plunge in and learn
through experimentation and active
participation.
Their learning is non-linear, epitomized by
jumping from one Internet site to another.
Instead of reading an entire chapter in a
text, they may detour to track an idea or
specific information of interest and never
return to the starting point.

16. The way in which Gen Y learns
has been called “mediated
immersion.” It is characterized
by greater fluency in media use,
more collective sharing and
learning, and a cooperative
design of learning experiences.

20. Mindset for the Class of 2010 Graduating From College
For most of their
lives, major U.S.
airlines have been
bankrupt.
Manuel Noriega has always
been in jail in the U.S.
There has always been only one Germany.
They have never
heard anyone
actually "ring it
up" on a cash
register.
A stained blue dress is as
famous to their generation
as a third-rate burglary
was to their parents'.
A coffee has always taken longer to
make than a milkshake.

21. They have never had to distinguish
between the St. Louis Cardinals
baseball and football teams.
DNA fingerprinting has
always been admissible
evidence in court.
They grew up pushing
their own miniature
shopping carts in the
supermarket.
They grew up with and have
outgrown faxing as a means of
communication.
Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite,
has always been the most trusted
man in America.
Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards
and snail mail to retail items.
Phantom of the
Opera has always
been on Broadway.

22. Carbon copies are oddities found in
their grandparents' attics.
They grew up in mini-vans.
Reality shows have
always been on television.
They have always known that
"In the criminal justice
system the people have been
represented by two separate
yet equally important
groups."
Young women's
fashions have never
been concerned
with where the
waist is.
They have rarely mailed
anything using a stamp.
Brides have always worn
white for a first, second,
or third wedding.
They have always been able
to watch wars and revolutions
live on television.

23. Retin-A has always
made America look
less wrinkled.
Green tea has always been
marketed for health purposes.
Most of them never had the
chance to eat bad airline food.
They have always been
searching for "Waldo."
They never played the
game of state license
plates in the car.
They have always preferred
going out in groups as
opposed to dating.
They have never put their
money in a "Savings & Loan."
Bad behavior has always
been getting captured
on amateur videos.

24. Beach volleyball
has always been a
recognized sport.
Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have
always been luxury cars of
choice.
Television stations have
never concluded the
broadcast day with the
national anthem.
Diane Sawyer has
always been live in
Prime Time.
Disposable contact lenses
have always been available.
“Oh, The Places You'll Go” by Dr.
Seuss has always been the perfect
graduation gift.
The U.S. has always been studying global warming to
confirm its existence.
Professional athletes
have always competed
in the Olympics.