dubbed Generation X, this new generation was la-
beled Generation Y. Most frequently, the children of
the baby-boom generation (those born between
1946 and 1964), this new group appeared notably
different from their immediate predecessors and
were treated quite differently by their parents and
society as a whole. Some researchers even suggested
that the term “Generation Y” be replaced by the
term “Millennials,” since these children would be
the first to come of age in the new millennium. Re-
searchers began pointing out how the members of
Generation Y seemed to be developing social, moral,
and behavioral characteristics antithetical to those
of Generation X.
Reasons for these differences were manifold. Un-
like the children of Generation X, those in Genera-
tion Y were being watched over by parents who made
them the center of attention. Virtually every mo-
ment of their life was being scheduled for them. At
the same time, “Yers,” as they were called, were show-
ing signs of optimism and confidence and were al-
ready demonstrating that they valued relationships
with family and friends more than individual
achievements. As they grew older, this translatedinto a rejection of the obsession with
work that characterized previous
generations, especially their baby-
boomer parents. This cohort was
the first to grow up comfortable with
technology and to rely on it as a
means of achieving both indepen-
dence and connectivity. As such, the
mobile phone became the symbol of
Generation Y, an instrument that at
once freed them from being tied to
any location while allowing them to
remain in constant contact with
those for whom they had concern.
Paradoxically, they exhibited a will-
ingness to conform to rules and dis-
played a sense of moral outrage at
the behavior of elders whose sexual
promiscuity and unethical business
behaviors repulsed them.
Every generation seems to have a
defining crisis. The crisis for Gener-
ation Y came in 1999, when two stu-
dents massacred twelve classmates
and one teacher (and later killed
themselves) at Columbine High
School in Colorado. Generation Y’s confidence in
their own generation was severely tested as they saw
the impact of their collective values on those non-
conformists who were shut out from the group. Nev-
ertheless, they continued to maintain a belief in
their collective ability to make positive changes in so-
ciety and the environment.Impact Even before they reached adulthood, Gen-
eration Y brought about significant change in soci-
ety. Campaigns marketing products and services
were shaped to cater to their interests, laws were writ-
ten or revised to provide greater protection for
them, and parents’ lifestyles were often modified to
accommodate them. Their willingness to criticize
the values of their elders brought into focus the
shortcomings of preceeding generations and led in
some cases to a reconsideration of values that had
guided society for decades.Further Reading
Howe, Neil, and William Strauss.Millennials Rising:
The Next Generation. New York: Vintage Books,
2000.The Nineties in America Generation Y 359Marketers for the consulting firm U30 pose in Tennessee in November, 1999. The firm
surveys teenagers and twentysomethings on their likes and dislikes and markets the infor-
mation to companies.(AP/Wide World Photos)