“We’ve created a sense of community based on Wi-fi”

The Millennials are changing the way people around the world interact, argues Geetha Kanniah, 17, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Malaysia, who says the new a demographic cohort has driven massive change in the business world. 

We’re here, we’re connected and we’ve come to dominate! 

Millennials! The new Gen-Y, the demographic cohort that is rapidly taking over just about everything. We are ethnic- and gender-diverse and we stand together, virtually. 

There’s been lots of controversy about our fast developing society, but essentially we’re replacing old school traditions as we revolutionize different thinking processes. We’ve grown up with a diet of social networks and unlimited internet access. Yes, we’ve grown virtually obese with the continuous flow of apps, vines, websites, blogs and other mainstream channels, but it’s proved to be a good thing. 

We’re global and we’ve created this sense of community based on Wi-fi. We’ve emasculated the old ways to connect with people and we’ve built a new world of connections, raised to be hyper-social and constantly in touch with people from all over the world. Aside from that, we tend to make more informed decisions and we experiment with our control of data. Every piece of information is at our finger tips and literally just a swipe away. No one is left behind and no one can afford to be left out as the world revolves around the serious power of the World Wide Web. News, social events, business plans, celebrity gossip, trends and even pancake recipes – you name it and they have it! 

We don’t follow the norms and traditions blindly. We now have the guts to question everything we see and we change what we don’t like. The expectations are higher than ever before and we don’t succumb to anything less. Be it religion, political understandings, economical strategies such as neo-liberalism, or even our individual cultural identity. Yes, we have lost a percentage of our true identity but we’re also constantly building new originalities and cultures like indie, punk, Goth and hipster. We’ve also rekindled the old rock and roll, punk and flower power. Basically: new generation, new rules. 

Isn’t it obvious, the digital revolution has started! And Silicon Valley is the new epicenter that has embraced new solutions in a bid to attract youths – the millennial strategies. They’ve raised the bars that we’ve set and we’ve grown to have high expectations. Technology helps overcome social barriers. Apple, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and Google take over paid phone calls as we conform to our plugged-in lives. The creator of the telephone is Alexander Graham Bell but the creators of this polarization are Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. They’ve shaped our minds and we’ve assimilated new technology from the desktop to the iPad, from Yellow Pages to Facebook, from the encyclopedias to Wikipedia, from the keypad to the touch screen and now to Google Glass. Man, we’ve changed. 

So, how are the businesses and the corporate world coping with us? Are they oblivious to us or are they trying to penetrate through the new demographic of consumers? From what I’ve seen, I think they’re slowly making that change to accommodate us. Hotels are getting makeovers, trying to be more hip and technology-friendly with new AppleTv’s. Online businesses are booming and meetings are carried out over virtual screens. They’re feverishly embracing our “world” as they try to integrate our systems. Echo Boomers, that’s what we’re called because we have a sense of rights, liberation and pride. 

We’ve stopped comparing ourselves to cavemen, Neanderthals or barbarians. Instead, we now compare ourselves to five years ago. That’s how drastic the change has been over the last five years. We’re the “digital natives” as we represent the first generation to grow up with this technology. We’re influential, in control yet flexible, and we expect spontaneity and continuous internet connection. The Millennials have arrived and we have an urgency to take over the world! 

Intimidated? You should be. 

But what happens when there’s a blackout? 🙂 

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About me:

I am a Malaysian who looks for adventure and thrill, and is passionate about sports. I enjoy tennis, swimming, badminton and most recently, longboarding. I also spend a lot of my time with my camera, capturing as much as I can, while documenting them on my blog: journeywithacamera.wordpress.com.  

My travels give me the exposure to learn about the world. And to know and do more, I volunteer with different organizations, particularly in the marine field. My ambition is to be an explorer and to reach out to people.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?

To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/

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