Love without commitment. Freedom without responsibility. Innovation without action. Contradictions or the characteristics of the new status quo? In an alluring article, the New York Times dared to budge the boulder of a question that produced an avalanche of answers: what is it about twenty-somethings?
Aptly dubbed “the peter pan generation” because of their unhurried attitudes and leisurely ascension into adulthood, the offspring of the gen x baby boomers have also been called echo boomers, millennials, and generation y.
But it’s easy to bestow titles; it’s harder to decide what those titles mean. What the Times, and everyone else struggles with, is defining a postmodern (or post-postmodern, if you wish) generation by postmodern terms. What we need for this current generation is new and clear definitions. (And, hey, by the time we figure them out, we can move on to exploring the post-post-postmodern generation z.)
Why does it matter? Because people want to know about the future of their world. Because this new generation affects everyone now. From marketers to mothers, the echoes of this generation reverberate to pockets and hearts across the board.
So, what is it about twenty somethings? As a twenty year old, I’m not sure yet. But I’m in no hurry: I have a decade to figure it out.
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