I’m always interested in some of the trends and perspectives shared by those who are researching the  characteristics of the emerging generations – amid the positioning and argument, there are areas of agreement that the youngsters of today are growing up in quite a different world to what existed for my generation, and as a consequence, there are likely to be things that differentiate the way they think and act, reflecting a different set of values, expectations and aspirations among this group.

The term ‘millennials‘ (also known as Generation Y) has been coined to broadly describe those who are growing as the young adults as we enter the 21st century – and co-incidentally, includes all 5 five of my children! The infographic posted by Ethan Bloch of Flowtown shown on the left provides a very easy way to access information about the characteristics of this group – and the emerging understandings we have about their demographic from an international perspective. The section on Millennials and technology, including the data on attitudes to technology, and sources of news and information provide an indication of where some of these differences are.

On the same topic, Pew Internet have released a new report titled Millennials will Make Online Sharing in Networks a Lifelong Habit, in which their researchers have interviewed a number of experts who say that the advantages Millennials see in personal disclosure will outweigh their concerns about their privacy. The experts interviewed generally believe that today’s tech-savvy young people, who are known for enthusiastically embracing social networking, will retain their willingness to share personal information online even as they get older and take on more responsibilities. You can read the report here. (PDF download)