BUILDING ON YESTERDAY

Generation Z are the youngest members of Gamma Phi Beta now. Before them, Millennials were flooding college campuses. Millennials were born in the 1980s and 1990s (typically 1981-94/96) and are primarily the children of Baby Boomers. In the fall 2007 issue of The Crescent, Elizabeth Smith (Southern Methodist) shined a light on the Sorority’s youngest members of the ‘00s. Below are some snapshots from her article.

• Millennials seem to exhibit a return to “traditional” values, including growing interest in religion and voting rights and a renewed confidence in government leaders, in comparison to the generation that precedes them.

• This generation is the most media-saturated and media-savvy generation ever, as it is the first to be fully immersed in digital technology.

• Virtually all Millennials were using computers by the time they were 16.

• Millennials are the most egalitarian generation in American history.

• Millennials who came from relatively privileged upbringings seek experiences tailored to individual tastes and needs, which contributes to members of this generation being stereotyped as “coddled.”

• Because Millennials were hard-driving, heavily scheduled kids, they have evolved into young adults who are considered team-oriented and overachieving. Because of this, they are more stressed out and overwhelmed then the generations before them.

• They reject the notion that they have to stay within the rigid confines of a job description.

• While every generation has lived through tragedies, Millennials are unique in that the tragedies they have experienced are often viewed through the lens of a harsh and inescapable 24/7 media environment.

• Millennials are eager to learn and enjoy questioning how things have always been.

To read Elizabeth’s full article, visit GPBArchives.org > 1990- 2019 > Fall.