The Millennial Social Disposition

• by Dan Bailey

So much of what I’ve read about our varied generational cohorts points to the unique attributes of the Millennial generation (current children through college students; some sociologists claim through late 20s). Millennials for example can embrace the transparency of social media today without fear (of identity theft, security, etc.). It has been said that Millennials see little difference between their school or work persona vs. their individual or social identities. And we’ve all heard story of Millennials fired for anti-company Facebook posts.

I’ve been enjoying reading The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace by Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman, which clarifies why and how Millennials might project these attributes. The authors point to a projected co-dependence, where Millennials often seem comfortable and dependent on parents or mentors; more so than previous generations. Likewise this generation’s social disposition expects collaboration (in the workplace, socially, etc.) and egalitarian treatment. The authors point to a new, heavy “coaching” mentality by the parents of Millennials as key formation for such a disposition.

We generalize and attribute social media as the new, natural technology tools of this young generation; yet there is something to be said for the social orientation as well. For a generation raised on collaborative, encouraging discussion and feedback from parents, web software for sharing – well, everything – certainly seems natural.

Jake Aull  | Web and Creative Marketing Strategy | @jakeaull
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