More discussion on that report about GenY being too self-absorbed.
I work at a university, and consequently I’m around college students on a daily basis. I’m almost 29, and these students seem *ridiculously* self-important compared to people my age. Obviously, there is some ageism on my part (damn kids!), but the behavioral difference is striking. The recent article about this “generation gap” could not be more accurate – I’m only (at most!) ten years older than most of these students, and I feel quite alienated from the social influences that drive them – and, consequently, the students themselves.
While self-esteem parenting may play a part in this “new narcissism”, I think the real culprit is the (cough, semi-hyperbole alert) new media reality we live in: 24/7 cell phones, reality TV shows, tabloid-driven “news”, iPods, and social networking sites. It’s no longer about being a part of society, it’s all about me, and the media and technology of our age foster this on a massive scale.
Leave a Reply