The Millennial Generation and Popular Culturehttps://www.prowritersdom.com
The Millennial Generation and Popular Culture
Thanks
to digital communication and popular culture, the millennial generation is the
most connected generation of the 21st century. They are the first generation to
be born digital and grown with modern technology. Often referred to as
Generation Y, millennials comprise individuals born between the late 1980s and
early 2000s. This group of people is considered the digital natives who have
grown in a world full of technology. Their attachments to technology and
obsession with social media than real-life interactions make their life
different and unique from baby boomers.
This
essay examines the millennial generation's representations in contemporary pop
culture, including television, movies, music, and the internet.
It also discusses how millennials are
nfluencing the world through different media.
Figure 1:”Pixabay’’. Playing with a phone 29
April 2020. https://pixabay.com/photos/playing-with-phone-cellphone-5103236/
Technology
plays a large part in the millennial sphere, with many pop culture references
defining them. Everything they do is influenced by what famous people are
doing, helped by the easy access to technology. As a result, their dressing,
eating habits, and popular brands are influenced by their celebrities in movies
and television. The internet has made it easy for millennials to instantly
slice pop culture into individual moments through memes and GIFs. Social media
has given people the ability to build friendships from across the globe and has
become an essential aspect of society. Hashtags on social media have become a symbol
used to group content together and for Black Lives Matter campaigns.
In
recent years, the generation has been popular with selfies, TikTok videos, and
the desire to change the world. With the invention of the front camera on
smartphones, millennials use selfies to control how they look. At the same
time, the iPhone is an integral part of the millennial generation that has
replaced books, cameras, and in some aspects, computers. Everyone is waiting on
the new iPhone to come out with a brand war against the Android.
Cinema
is also an essential element of the millennial generation that has changed with
technology, providing a cosmic fantasy while influencing how and where to watch
the film. Notably, reality television has been popular with millennials, as seen
with The Kardashians, one of the world's most famous families. This aspect of
reality television has influenced millennials' language and approach to life (Burns 2017). Pop culture is shaping
the gender and cultural factors among millennials. TV shows such as black-ish
and Atlanta are typical among the millennials as they explore different social
issues that affect the world. Because of technology, millennials view the world
as more connected and agree with any initiative to make it peaceful.
Today,
podcasts and video streams that address to the audience and less to the broader
world are popular (Adgate 2019).
Popular culture is being defined by streaming battles between Netflix, Apple
TV, and Disney+, among other platforms. Disney Channel is the network that
millennials knew throughout their childhood and remains popular when talking
about growing up. Today, popular shows such as Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and
The Simpsons are still popular among millennials as they are with the baby
boomers (Rabbani 88). Other
TV shows such as hunger games, harry potter, Batman, and The Lion King
represent millennials' core.
Despite
their popularity with technology, this generation has struggled with the
burdens of global warming, economic inequality, and a ravenous social media
that thrills them while stripping away the tender gifts of their youth.
Millennials are still wandering through the wreckage of sexting, mass shooting,
body shaming, and their lives playing out on smartphones. However, these events
have been crucial in defining the whole millennial culture. Anxiety over the
future has been seeping into the cultural landscape of millennials as they
participate in social movements. This generation has taken part in the Black
Lives Matter movement and MeToo walk showing solidarity with the race and
gender minorities (Ince, Rojas,
and Davis 1814).
Image
source: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-man-guy-millennials-2562050/
The
millennials are said to be more informed and aware of their environment than
the baby boomers. They accept all types of people and believe everyone should
get equality without discrimination. The gender and cultural equations are now
redrawn along with the generations with millennials the most accommodating.
Their worldview includes striving for a more peaceful world, accepting changing
gender roles and relationships, and increasingly aware of social issues.
Millennials are likely to embrace diversity than the baby boomers. While baby
boomers are afraid of the demographic changes, millennials have been at the
center of fighting for racial justice.
Because
of their expertise in using social media, millennials have a strong sense of
social power. The group can influence the actions and decisions of the previous
generation due to their social reach. For example, they can use their
smartphones to initiate discussions about critical social topics. Rising tides
threaten the existence of certain countries due to the recklessness of some
world leaders. As the subject of climate change continues to shape
conversations, millennials are taking the mantle to restore their planet (United Nations 2019).
Politically,
millennials are more democratic than previous generations, though less than 1
in 4 individuals vote. The 2008 recession had a significant impact on the
millennials, causing them to get married and have children later in life.
However, the high cost of living and the obligation to pay school fees force
millennials to push back homeownership and marriages because they cannot afford
it. High unemployment among millennials with huge school debts defines their
lives.
Image surce: https://pixabay.com/photos/demonstration-show-me-5267931/
Therefore,
the millennial generation serves to bridge young generations as they look to
shape the world. There is a generational gap between baby boomers and
millennials because of social issues such as higher approval of same-sex
marriage and marijuana legalization. Compared to the older generations,
millennials have loosened boundaries of religion and are increasingly leaning
towards atheism. Individuals are encouraged to seek their faith as they redefine
religion with exposure to various religious views.
This
is the generation that is not waiting for permission to be invited to the
table. They are ready to represent the communities they live in and educate
older generations to understand the rapidly changing world. For example, they
are aware of the dangers of global warming, as seen with climate activists,
courageous enough to admonish their leaders for failing to take charge of their
planet. There is also a growing aspect of the cancel-culture, allowing
millennials to reveal the prevailing sins of those in power. The restless of
the millennial generation has spread to the country's politics as more young
people venture into politics. Soon, they could be a millennial in the white
house as the president of the United States.
Millennials
are optimistic about the future and believe in the American Dream. They are characterized by technology,
immediate gratification, confidence, and acceptance of religion and
relationships. The last of the millennial generation are still in their teens,
but their connectedness makes them crucial to the world's future. There will be
more tolerance and open-mindedness that will do away with discrimination and
inequalities in the next world. Imagine growing up in a social media world
where everything revolves around the internet.
Works Cited
ABC. "Diane Confronts Her Family -
black-ish." YouTube, ABC, 16 Jan. 2019,
youtube.com/watch?v=fB812yqDwPM
Adgate, Brad. "Podcasting Is Going
Mainstream." Forbes, 18 Nov. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2019/11/18/podcasting-is-going-mainstream/
Burns, Sydney. "A Decade of the Kardashian’s Influence
on Teens Today – Triton Times." Triton Times – Student News Site
of San Clemente High School, 27 Sept. 2017, tritontimes.com/14182/artsentertainment/a-decade-of-the-kardashians-influence-on-teens-today/.
Butler, Bethonie. "‘Blackish’ tackles ‘light-skinned
privilege’ in an emotional episode about colorism." The
Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/01/16/blackish-tackles-light-skinned-privilege-an-emotional-episode-about-colorism/.
Ince, Jelani, Fabio Rojas, and Clayton A. Davis. "The
social media response to Black Lives Matter: How Twitter users interact with
Black Lives Matter through hashtag use." Ethnic and racial studies 40.11
(2017): 1814-1830.
Rabbani, Farhanaz. "The millennial generation and
popular culture in EFL classroom." Indonesian EFL Journal 1.1
(2017): 88-97.
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