Time Magazine's recent "Me Me Me Generation" cover story put a bolder, if exhausted, print on the complaints swirling around Millennials -- narcissistic, lazy, selfish -- ever since trophy manufacturers apparently experienced their massive 1980s business boom from all the awards that these generational pontificators claim were bestowed on us from birth.
As a member of this demographic that no, will not get off your lawn because we're too busy Instagramming your grass, I don't recall many of these memories I have since been assigned. My parents didn't swirl above me with the interfering sound of helicopter blades. They were more like stealth Nighthawks. So, while these Gen Y assertions aren't completely wrong, they are as nuanced as any other overgeneralization. Yes, social media has taught 20-somethings to socialize differently; the Internet has given us a way to learn differently; and both have showed us how to work differently.
And I, despite my un-Millennial resistance to change, realize that this is a necessary evolution. Companies that don't respect this shift are likely to be left in the dust, as Millennials change jobs frequently. This was mentioned during Ernst & Young's recent "New Rules for Career Success" event, along with the debunking of a myth that Millennials only want to work for companies with hip perks like foosball tables. They value mission more, said Daily Muse founder Kathryn Minshew. I tweeted her sentiment, and the retweets offered a funny blend of Millennial behavior: One man agreed these lures were often transparent attempts to recreate The Social Network, but the tweet was "favorited" by two corporate accounts -- both of which promote foosball. The interns maintaining the accounts might've missed the full message. They weren't so much distracted by "me me me!" as "brand!" The loyalty does, in fact, extend beyond our navels.
