The Characteristics of Millennials

Despite their great interest in social networks and the value they place on socializing, millennials are a generation of young people who have great difficulties when it comes to creating and maintaining relationships. Discover more about the characteristics of millennials.

The word “millennials” is a concept that refers to those young people born between 1981 and 1994, approximately. They share a series of specific and unique characteristics, which differentiate them from other generations. These young people are probably the main characters of our current society. Continue reading to discover the characteristics of millennials.

Characteristics of millennials set them apart from other generations

Millennials are a generation of young people who are comfortable in the digital world and who show great ease regarding the use of technology. But this doesn’t mean in itself that they make proper use of them.

In fact, the importance they place on social networks is one of the main characteristics of millennials. Therefore, these acquire great relevance in the way they communicate and create relationships. What’s more, it’s a means to define their identity in the world.

However, despite the fact that these young people value relationships and sociability, in general, as a matter of great value, paradoxically, this is a generation that has great difficulty in establishing relationships.

They’re very insecure when it comes to creating new friendships while lacking the social skills to maintain them. This generates deep anxiety in them, and the vast majority of them report feeling very lonely. Therefore, we could say that this is a generation that fears loneliness.

At the same time, millennials express that they find freedom attractive. However, while they’re certainly one of the best-educated generations, they face a bleak employment outlook, with low demand in many job sectors. As a result, most of them suffer the frustration of not being able to become independent.

Moreover, the limited autonomy of these young people isn’t only a consequence of an unfavorable economy. According to the sociologist specialized in collective phenomena Cristina Pasqualini, millennials go into crisis when they have to face important decisions. In other words, they’re great entrepreneurs, although they still need the support of adults.

Immediacy as a necessity

These youth were born at a time in history when, thanks to the Internet, information is always available. So, another aspect to highlight is that this generation is addicted to immediacy. In other words, they feel a need to obtain and fulfill their desires as quickly as possible.

Along these same lines, millennials are highly demanding of stores and businesses. They prefer online shopping to traditional commerce. Large organizations are already well aware of this and have invested great efforts in making their products reach their customers faster.

In fact, even the way they shop has changed. Having fewer economic possibilities than other generations, millennials are attentive and informed. And, before buying, they carefully compare products. Moreover, where previous generations attributed value to the brand, millennials are attentive to prices and the opinions of other users.

The progressive spirit of millennials

Although this generation of young people faces a number of challenges, there’s no doubt that there are a number of characteristics of millennials that we can appreciate and even admire.

According to writer Peter Eonomy, millennials value collective action and care about social issues. They stand up for civil rights and speak out against injustice, while engaging with the underprivileged and empathizing with groups of people with whom they have nothing in common.

In short, millennials are a generation with many positive aspects, such as a more progressive mentality and a commitment to building a more egalitarian and just world.