I've been reading a lot about the differences in generations, millennials to boomers especially. Generation Me is an incredible trove of data that spans generations. What I love about Jean M. Twenge's research is that she's looking at data from when boomers were in college, and data from when millennials were in college.

Twenge talks about how millennials were raised to believe that they could accomplish anything, that we had limitless potential, and that if we want it, we can get it. Twenge then goes on to point out that the ideals we millennials were taught growing up-as good natured as I think our parents and other adults intended them to be-are false. Just because you want to achieve something doesn't mean you will. There are limitations in this world, sometimes of our own making, sometimes due to various circumstances. But as a generation that was brought up on slogans like, "be yourself," "reach for the stars," "if you can dream it, you can achieve it," we're now learning in adulthood that life often has other plans.

One area in particular that I see this is social media success. We see people blow up with success and fame on Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, etc., and believe that we too can reach thousands of followers, receive endorsements/free products/commission for specific posts...To me, these people who make a living through social media posts and interactions, are the new 1%. With it being in our face (or hands) 24/7, this lifestyle seems much more achievable than it really is. I learned this last year as I went through a tumultuous year of on-and-off employment-jobs and money do not come as easily as we imagined they would when we were younger.

There's a whole chapter in Generation Me in which Twenge talks about the difference in income to cost of living ratio for boomers versus millennials. When boomers once paid about 30% of their income on rent/mortgage, millennials spend about 70% of their income on rent/mortgage. The cost of living is incredibly high, and the availability of jobs that will pay us enough to live comfortably seems scarcely low.

I just started in on Twenge's new book, iGen, where she now dives into the findings of her research on the generation following millennials. As someone in the education field at the high school level, I'm so intrigued by her research and the implications of it in all our lives.

xxo