GenMe by University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication

Fall 2013

MILLENNIALS EXPLAINED

Losing My Religion

Ink, Inc.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a working millennial to do?

Can we find faith in faith?

Modern Warfare

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR —Alysha Bohanon

Alysha Bohanon

MANAGING EDITORS Hilary Gibney Brooklyn Hofstad

ART DIRECTOR Kelsey Schwartz

WEB EDITOR

Rebecca Harrington

EDITORAL

SENIOR EDITORS Alyssa Bluhm Luke Hochrein Annie Michaelson —Kelsey Schwartz

I know what you’re thinking: Oh, here we go. Millennials talking about themselves again. The concept for Gen Me sprang from a discussion about the stereotypes that plague the millennial generation (those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s). We are well aware what older people say about us: We’re lazy; we’re narcissistic; we’re entitled. We’ve never worked a day in our lives, and we can’t function without our cell phones. These stereotypes have a degree of truth to them, and the purpose of this magazine is not to pretend otherwise. We know evolving technology has made our lives easier, and hard work isn’t as physical as it used to be. If my cell phone is dead, I get a little anxious about being cut off from the world—even when I know the texts I’m missing are nothing crucial. In this issue, one of our brave writers attempted a weekend without cell phones and Internet technology; read about her experience on page 40. Every generation believes the one below them is the worst thing to happen to humanity, and we know it’s our turn to be the bad guys. We’ll feel the same way about the next generation, and it likely won’t be true then, either. But these stereotypes permeate the popular dialogue about our generation, and they aren’t all accurate. Does the myriad of selfies fired into the web come across as a little self-centered? Yes. (Check out our story about selfies on page 34.) Are some young people reluctant to start at the bottom and work their way up the corpo-

EDITOR IN CHIEF

rate ladder? Probably. But these stereotypes ignore the scores of ambitious, goal-oriented, hard-working millennials trying to find their place in a world full of problems they didn’t create. We have our downfalls, but millennials are not the only users of technology. We don’t create all of the world’s pollution, we can’t control the job market, and we are not the only offenders of social media overshare. (For a comparison of the different generations’ use of social media, read “Facebook Family Tree” on page 36.) We may be called the “me generation,” but these stereotypes are a reflection of everyone. The trends these stereotypes identify are cultural, not just generational. Whether they are true or not, we’re in this together. That’s why we like to say Gen Me = Gen We. And just for the record—some of us have used floppy disks.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Matt Herbert Liz Hustad Sara Potzmann Kevin Somekawa

DESIGN

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORS Brooke Binsfield Jessica Lee Sarah See

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Patty Grover Nicola Harger

WEB

WEB ART DIRECTOR/ PROGRAMMER Brett Stopelstad

WEB WRITER/BLOGGER Nicole Wait

We would like to thank the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, Elizabeth Larsen, Jeanne Schacht, Scott Dierks, Wally Swanson, and Dr. Tims. This publication is made possible by the Milton L. Kaplan memorial Fund.

TABLE OF CONTENTS #popculture 2

3 3

POPPED CULTURE

Relics from a millennial childhood.

Tech breakthroughs from the ‘80s on.

DARE TO SHARE

When it comes to privacy in the digital age, are millennials so different?

A MULTILINGUAL GENERATION

A boom in foreign language programs creates understanding between people of different cultures.

IS COLLEGE WORTH IT?

Soon-to-be graduates are anxious about life after the glory days.

#politics 8

BACK TO THE FUTURE

#education 5

#features

CEASING FIRE

Young people set their sights against gun violence.

A GREEN VOICE

These days, body art is commonplace. But many employers are still trying to develop policies on tattooed employees. What’s a working millennial to do?

MODERN WARFARE

LOSING MY RELIGION

Can we find faith in faith?

MILLENNIALS OF MINNEAPOLIS

Scouring the city for millennials with a story to tell.

APATHETIC? NOT ME

As young people thrive online, older generations become more active on the web.

BACK IN MY DAY

How do different generations adjust to the times?

DON’T HATE THE PLAYER

Is increased parent involvement in youth sports changing the game?

TECHNOLOGY TIMEOUT One millennial’s weekend unplugged.

Despite what you’ve heard, this generation does care.

HARD WIRED

Is the Internet millennials’ drug of choice?

#lifestyle

One woman takes a stand for the environment.

History repeats itself as young people seek alternatives to military intervention.

INK, INC.

FACEBOOK FAMILY TREE

DON’T GET MAD, GET PLAID

How to dress uniquely, just like every other hipster.

LOVE.COM

Yes, there’s an app for that.

ME, MY SELFIE, AND I Does viewing yourself through a filter distort your reality?

#online GEN ME: MILLENNIALS EXPLAINED genme.sjmc.umn.edu

#follow us facebook.com/ genmemag

twitter.com/genmemag

pinterest.com/ genme2013/

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#popculture

Popped Culture

RELICS FROM A MILLENNIAL CHILDHOOD. By Kevin Somekawa 1981

DISNEY CLASSICS

1982

1989

THE SIMPSONS

1990

HOME ALONE

1991

NICKELODEON: NICKTOONS

1992

GOOSEBUMPS SERIES R.L. Stine

BLINK 182 THE RAINBOW FISH Marcus Pfister

THE REAL WORLD 1993

THE GIVER Lois Lowry

BACKSTREET BOYS

BOOK We’re not sure if the term “blockbuster” refers to books, but if it does, the Harry Potter series certainly was one. It would be a challenge to find a millennial who has not read the series, seen the movies, or both.

MOVIE Everyone has a different sense of “classic” when it comes to Disney, but millennials saw a flood of hugely popular animated features hit the big screen in the early ‘90s. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and The Lion King are just a few examples of films that cultivated and have maintained a following.

BOY MEETS WORLD 1994

FRIENDS

1997

TITANIC

1998

HARRY POTTER J.K. Rowling

HOLES

MUSIC She’s had her ups and downs over the years, but Britney will always stand as one of the most iconic teen sweethearts of the me generation.

Louis Sachar

NOW (THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC!) ORIGINAL 1999

MARSHALL MATHERS AKA EMINEM Slim Shady LP

BRITNEY SPEARS ...Baby One More Time 2001

LORD OF THE RINGS GEN ME

TV Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show were three animated series that brought Nickelodeon into its modern era of programming. Shows that followed include Hey Arnold!, Kenan & Kel, and Spongebob Squarepants, all of which have maintained a millennial following over the years.

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

Dare to Share

WHEN IT COMES TO PRIVACY IN THE DIGITAL AGE, ARE MILLENNIALS SO DIFFERENT?

By Elizabeth Hustad shley Sogla says she doesn’t understand how people can be so offended by the government storing personal information when they were the ones who put it out on the web in the first place. “It isn’t all that shocking,” says Sogla, a millennial and student at the University of Minnesota. The shift to a looser standard in privacy has moved into the business world, too. With Apple’s release of the new iPhone 5s, which enables users to secure their smartphones with fingerprint identification, there’s a shift in how we think about privacy and access to our personal information. Even as we’re securing our emails, contacts, and web access from the people immediately around us, we’re giving crucial information about our identities to Apple.

PRIVACY: A BALANCING ACT The Snowden exposé, which unveiled the techniques used by the National Security Ad-

ministration to keep tabs on Americans’ communication information, has called into question how much we’re willing to tolerate before the personal becomes political. So how do millennials, the generation that is coming of age when smartphones are standard and social media is an ever-growing enterprise, view this intrusion? The answers may be a little surprising. Only 48 percent of all Americans (and 58 percent of millennials) say they have any trust in how the federal government handles their personal information. This attitude is fairly stable across all generations, according to a June 2013 poll by Harris Interactive that surveyed 2,091 American adults about their attitudes toward outside use of personal data like contact and credit card information. Regarding both the government’s and corporations’ use of personal information, there is an agreement among

“IT’S AN INVASION OF PRIVACY, BUT IT’S A NECESSARY INVASION.”

Americans that some kind of a balance needs to be struck. “It’s an invasion of privacy, but it’s a necessary invasion,” says Matt Kiefer, a millennial and student at the University of Minnesota. “To think that the government wasn’t doing this—it’s ignorance.” Survey results from a 2013 Allstate-National Herald Monitor poll confirm this sentiment, showing that 55 percent of respondents fear that the use of their personal information infringes on their privacy and personal liberties. Even so, 38 percent say there is a definite positive consequence of institutions using their personal data. Respondents cited improved businesses that better serve customers and enhanced public safety as the chief positives to come out of information sharing.

AN EXPECTATION OF INTRUSION As many as 90 percent of Americans say they have less privacy than previous generations, and

Back To The Future By Brooke Binsfield

1982

The Compact Disc (CD) hits stores and can hold as much as 700 MB on one sleek disc.

1984

Motorola unleashes the first cell phone, DynaTAC 8000X, which weighs two pounds and costs a steep $3,995. Totally worth it, though, right?

1997

1993

The Digital Video Disc (DVD) hits stores and advances the quality of movies, allowing films, such as The Sound of Music, to fit on a single disc.

America Online (AOL) and Delphi connect their email systems to the Internet, kicking off email as the new global standard.

1990

Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, changes the world forever when he invents the World Wide Web.

1998

Google opens their site in September, and by December, PC Magazine recognizes it as one of the “Top 100 Websites.”

2001

Wikipedia launches into the World Wide Web, forever altering how students approach their homework assignments.

FALL 2013

a staggering 93 percent say they believe this trend will continue into the next generation, according to the Allstate-National Heartland Monitor survey. Sogla, who says she expects some amount of spying by both the government and businesses, explains that when she shares information about herself online, she knows that what is “private” may not necessarily be private in actuality. Many young people—like those of the millennial generation—have an ambivalent attitude toward companies storing and using their personal information. “We come in contact with it more often,” Kiefer says, referring to businesses online and websites that track user behavior in order to customize web content. “It’s everyday life.” Madeline Staats, another millennial at the University of Minnesota, agrees. She says that customized content is “a good marketing strategy,” before adding, “It’s weird, but it doesn’t bother me.”

THE STRANGE CASE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING Even as the government received a bad rap in Harris Interactive’s poll, it was social networking sites that fared the poorest, with only 28 percent of respondents indicating any level of trust in the sites’ ability to

2006

Twitter opens to the public, attracting people with its ability to create a short, 140-character tweet about whatever they want.

2004

Facebook originally begins for Harvard students but spreads like wildfire across the Internet. Within the next two years, Facebook will open to everyone who is at least 13 years old.

GEN ME

handle users’ personal information. Only 5 percent of people said they had a “great deal” of trust in social media, as opposed to a more definite 40 percent saying they had absolutely no trust in these sites. There were, however, clear generational differences here. As many as 42 percent of millennials placed trust in social networking sites, compared to only 14 percent of people aged 55 and older. In fact, trust in social networking sites steadily diminished with each age group. “It’s more ingrained,” says Claire Vos, 21, referring to social media use. “It’s a way we connect. Everyone uses it—our peers around us use it more.” Even if online transactions and social media are “ingrained” for the millennial generation, a level of distrust does crop up. “Information about yourself can leak out in ways you don’t expect,” says Gennie Alberti, a millennial who says she keeps access to her Facebook page restricted to friends. Like many others, she says that she expects information leaks—whether by social media, companies, or others—but that she’s not “paranoid.” “I can find blogs from people who probably think they’re hiding it well,” she says. “If I want to keep something private, I try to keep this in mind.” Gennie Alberti and her

2007

Apple changes the smartphone industry forever with the release of the iPhone, the first smartphone to have a full screen, multi-touch interface instead of a keyboard or keypad.

2005

YouTube launches on April 23 with its first video, “Me at the Zoo,” starring the site’s co-founder Jawed Karim.

mother, Theresa, a baby boomer, hold some of the same views on the issue of privacy vis-à-vis social networking sites, though Theresa admits to being perhaps a little more cautious than her daughter about what she shares online. Theresa’s husband works in Internet security, and she says this helped shape her views just as the Internet was coming into existence. “Nothing is very secure. I just try to be cautious in my own way,” she says, explaining that she refrains from posting anything that might be seen as “inflammatory.” In addition, she says that she and her husband remain unlisted in the phone book. There is a disconnect between restricted access and dissemination when it comes to our personal information. Even as wanton use of Apple’s fingerprint security mechanism for the new iPhone seems emblematic of changing attitudes about how much information we’re willing to give out and to whom, people—even millennials—are still cautious about what they share online and how much they trust certain institutions to handle their data. Maybe this is demonstrative of a generational brink that will yield to a clearer divide in the next generations. ■

2013

Microsoft creates the new and improved Xbox One while Sony generates the new Playstation 4, both containing updated graphics, voice command capabilities, new controllers, and the ablity to be the main attraction in any gamer’s living room.

2010

Apple introduces the extremely portable tablet known as the iPad.

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

#education

A Multilingual Generation

was a peculiar and awesome way of learning,” Skoog says of her education at Normandale French Immersion School in Edina, Minn. “We had people from A BOOM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE all around the world who were PROGRAMS CREATES UNDERfrancophones.” Skoog’s parents STANDING BETWEEN PEOPLE OF enrolled her in Normandale’s DIFFERENT CULTURES. early immersion program as a way to help retain her family’s By Elizabeth Hustad French heritage. Immersion programs in particular have gained momentum and are becoming increasingly olitical and business depopular as a way to connect stumands are increasingly dents of different backgrounds, linking countries across Fortune says. These programs the globe and bringing people are growing at a faster rate than of varied backgrounds together. other language The result has been a greater education modemphasis on foreign language “WHEN YOU’RE els. The formerly education, particularly language LIVING AND popular Foreign immersion. Millennials are the FUNCTIONING Language Expefirst to reap the benefits of this IN ANOTHER rience Program, educational shift. LANGUAGE, I or “FLEX” model, “I think we’re the test gen- THINK THAT’S ONE which exposed stueration,” says Isabelle Skoog, a OF THE MOST dents to a variety of senior at Lawrence University. TRANSFORMING different languages Minnesota ranks second EXPERIENCES A out of all states in the number PERSON CAN HAVE.” before having students select which of schools that offer language language to pursue, is becoming immersion programs, with a total overshadowed by immersion. of 50. With 58 schools, only Utah Chinese, Korean, Arabic, tops Minnesota’s numbers, acand Portuguese programs are cording to data gathered by the growing quickly. Enrollment in Center for Applied Linguistics in Chinese programs in Minne2011, the most recent compresota alone grew by 86 percent hensive record available. between 2006 and 2009, from “We’re definitely seeing that 1,233 students to 5,575 students, learning languages other than according to a 2010 report by the English is becoming more of a Minnesota Department of Edupriority,” says Tara Fortune, the cation. Language education is no immersion projects coordinator longer limited to the core three of for the University of Minnesota’s Spanish, French, and German. Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition NEW EMPHASIS ON (CARLA). Both in Minnesota and LANGUAGE EDUCATION nationally, there has been a “very Millennials have grown up in significant increase in programs an education system that has whose goals are bilingualism and been at times indecisive about biliteracy,” she says. language education. Tight Students are enthusiastic state budgets often cut these about their experiences. “It

programs at traditional public schools. However, there is also more variety now in the languages students have access to, the age at which parents can enroll their children in a language program, and the methods by which languages are taught. Language education is becoming increasingly standard as educators, political figures, and businesses see it as a modern competitive advantage. The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, for example, now requires its students to study abroad. The methods of language learning have also acted to bring in more knowledge about diverse cultures as a way to better communicate on a more empathetic and culturally-sound level. One popular method is to pair students whose first language is English with native speakers of other languages, like Spanish or Hmong. “We’re seeing a growth in two-way bilingual immersion programs where we’re bringing together kids with distinct cultural and heritage backgrounds,” Fortune says. The students act as both language and cultural conduits to bridge divides and lead to a better understanding of people who differ from themselves. “When you’re living and functioning in another language, I think that’s one of the most transforming experiences a person can have,” Fortune says. With growth in the variety of languages taught—immersion and otherwise—millennials and their next-generation counterparts are receiving an education in culture unlike that experienced by older generations. ■

FALL 2013

Is College Worth It? SOON-TO-BE GRADUATES ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT LIFE AFTER THE GLORY DAYS.

By Luke Hochrein

niversity of Minnesota marketing student Nick Nobbe is in the middle of grinding out his final year of school. Like many other seniors, Nobbe has a lot on his mind in addition to finishing college on a positive note. Searching for jobs and planning his financial future have unseated schoolwork as his top priority. Reality is beginning to set in. “When you’re in college, you’re not really in the real world yet,” Nobbe says. “That safety net is going to be coming out from underneath pretty soon.” Nobbe has learned from the experiences of his older sister, Kaleigh, who graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science. She believes it is “much scarier” graduating from college than from high school. “Unless you know exactly what you want to do, it’s hard to jump into a career,” Kaleigh says. Kaleigh is currently working as a medical scribe at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, Minn., while she studies for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Kaleigh feels that her college experience was worth it because an undergraduate degree is necessary to pursue medical school. However, others disagree about the value of a bachelor’s degree. “Some of my friends got jobs that don’t require a degree,” Kaleigh says.

GEN ME

Statistically speaking, obtaining a college degree is still worth the effort and the financial burdens that come with it. According to a study conducted by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, unemployment rates in 2010 and 2011 were nine to 10 percent for non-college graduates compared to 4.6 to 4.7 percent for college graduates 25 years of age or older.

WELL, WAS IT WORTH IT? Even with a diploma in hand, fresh college graduates still face a daunting job market. The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce reports that the overall unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 7.9 percent. The pressure to succeed in post-graduate life is amplified by the anticipation that comes with paying off student loans. According to a 2013 study by Young Invincibles, a national organization committed to expanding volunteer opportunities for young adults, the median private debt of the 9,523 respondents was between $25,000 and $35,000. Student loan debt is only part of the problem; 15 percent of respondents said they had been denied a mortgage because of their debt, 28 percent of respondents had taken on credit card debt to keep up with loan payments, and 47 percent said they put off

buying a house and/or a car to keep up with payments. There are alternative, less expensive options other than the traditional university route. Trevor Barrett, who has an associate’s degree from Normandale Community College, is a strong advocate for the benefits a community college can provide. “I basically have no debt,” says Barrett, now a mechanical engineering student at the University of Minnesota. “I saved a lot of money. It was worth it.” The high cost of tuition at universities is just the tip of the iceberg. An increasing number of college students are finding themselves in trouble with their credit card usage. More than a third of University of Minnesota students enrolled in a masters, graduate, or professional program carry some amount of credit card debt, according to the University of Minnesota’s Boynton Health Service’s 2013 College Student Health Survey. Of those, approximately one in six report debt of $5,000 or more. Dr. Katherine Lust, the director of research at Boynton, suggests that the increasing prevalence of student debt is changing the college lifestyle. The increase in debt-carrying students may mean students are more comfortable carrying higher levels of debt, or they feel going into debt is necessary in order to pay for the things they want. “It might also mean students do not understand the

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

WHAT NOW? Nick Nobbe’s primary concern about life after college is his financial situation. Yet, not all recent graduates share the same urgency. Kaleigh Nobbe says some of her friends used the summer after graduation to relax and think about what their next step should be. Max Boran, who graduated in 2012 with an associate’s in applied science in sound design for visual media, disagrees with

this approach and advises new graduates not to wait around after college. “The longer you wait, the harder it is to get back in the swing of things,” he says. Boran, a graduate from the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis, has not yet found a job that relates to his degree. He is currently working at his previous job at a daycare center in his hometown while he adjusts to a life that no longer revolves around school. “It’s just weird,” Boran says. Nobbe and Boran share a feeling of nostalgia for their college days that have slipped away all too quickly. “This year is kind of my last hoorah,” Nobbe says, who admits he will be somewhat sad to end his college experience. “But life inevitably changes.” The drastic change of lifestyle that comes in the months following college also adds to the stress for graduates. In addition to parting ways with close friends, college graduates find themselves facing the harsh realities of

the job market. Graduates can be susceptible to frustration and anxiety once real life kicks into gear, regardless of how great they felt in college. If Kaleigh Nobbe could offer one piece of advice to her brother and other graduating seniors, it is this: Have a plan. “The earlier you figure out what you want to do, the better,” Kaleigh says. Nick Nobbe has been exploring the job market and has a general idea of what he wants to do with his life, but he thinks it is important to be open to alternative options. “There is no absolute certainty to anything,” Nobbe says. “Be open and accepting to the fact that things can change.” Financial issues have been and will continue to be an unavoidable aspect of college life for many students. Members of the millennial generation can find optimism in the fact that the economy is rebounding—but they must remember that their own effort and planning determines their success. ■

—Patty Grover

implications of carrying that level of debt,” Lust says. The 2009 Sallie Mae national study, “How Undergraduate Students Use Credit Cards,” reveals that 40 percent of students surveyed said they have charged items knowing they did not have the money to pay the bill. Furthermore, 60 percent of undergraduates were surprised at how high their balance had reached. The study also reveals nearly half of the undergraduates in the survey have experienced high levels of anxiety about paying their credit card bills, with almost one-quarter saying they feel extremely anxious about their credit card usage.

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#politics

Ceasing Fire YOUNG PEOPLE SET THEIR SIGHTS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE.

By Matt Herbert avy Yard. Newtown. Aurora. Tucson. Fort Hood. In the past seven years, more than 200 mass shootings have occurred around the United States, according to a database compiled by USA Today. Many of these massacres have been engraved in the minds of millennials everywhere. In the age of media consumption and countless social networking platforms, it’s hard for millennials to miss hearing about these tragic events. “I think this is a problem of our generation, and we’re very much affected,” says Dina Al-Shorafa, a recent University of Minnesota Law School graduate. Al-Shorafa was a part of a group of students from the University of Minnesota that submitted a report to the United Nations last spring in an effort to draw attention to the escalating firearm issues in the United States. Led by faculty members Barbara Frey and Jennifer Green, the group successfully had its report published in a review of human rights in the United States, put together by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC). Throughout United States history, guns have been embedded in American values, pop culture, and the Constitution. Yet a majority of gun owners tend to be older, white males from southern states. Aggregate data from polls conducted by Gallup from 2007 to 2012 show

GEN ME

that 61 percent of southern white men and 52 percent of men 50 and older reported having had a gun in their household, compared to 20 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds.

IF MILLENNIALS REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND WANT TO CHANGE THE LAWS, THEY NEED TO TAKE A STAND AND VOTE. Al-Shorafa says there are many problems regarding guns throughout the country, but a lot of the problems stem from shoddy gun laws and powerful special interest groups. “Gun violence in the U.S. is unprecedented. We are the headquarters of gun violence in the world, and we have a very, very powerful gun lobby that makes sure that we don’t pass effective legislation to curb gun violence,” Al-Shorafa says. “They want as many guns out there as possible because otherwise it would cut into their business.” Although polling reveals guns are less popular within the millennial generation compared to older generations, young people still own guns, Al-Shorafa says.

Andy Schwich, a second-year University of Minnesota law student and contributor to the report, says the UNHRC will draw on this report as well as others to make suggestions to the United States on how to curb gun violence in the spring of 2014. Universal background checks, elimination of background check loopholes at gun shows and online, and an assault weapons and ammunition ban are among the recommendations in the report issued by the University of Minnesota group. If millennials really care about this issue and want to change the laws, they need to take a stand and vote, Al-Shorafa says. “I think inaction is one of the biggest issues for people our age—we don’t like to take advantage of the fact that politicians would kill for our vote. We don’t show up at polls, we don’t vote, and we could be major swings. We could change elections if we all showed up and voted what we thought.” ■

—Kelsey Schwartz

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

A Green Voice ONE WOMAN TAKES A STAND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

By Matt Herbert

atalie Hoidal grew up camping, canoeing, and rock climbing. But it was a six-week service trip to Honduras with the Amigos de las Americas organization that opened the Forest Lake, Minn., native’s eyes to the agricultural issues facing the world. From soil health and water quality to the impacts on the livelihoods of those involved in farming, the trip sparked Hoidal’s interest in agricultural issues and inspired her to pursue degrees in biology and environmental studies. The University of Minnesota Morris junior helped plan and implement a Minnesota youth conference focused on environmental and energy issues. The results of the conference included long- and short-term ideas that millennials presented to the Environmental Congress on March 15, 2013. The environment is a pressing issue for many millennials. Unfortunately, there’s often a lack of organization and mobilization among young people. “There are so many ways to get involved,” Hoidal says. “Young people can be a strong political force if they speak for issues they believe in.” On Nov. 16, 2011, Minn. Gov. Mark Dayton declared an Environmental Congress after a series of citizen forums opened to the public. The Environmental Congress, last held in the mid-’90s, was comprised of

community leaders, experts, and organizations with stakes and interests in environmental issues. The congress gathered information from citizen forums and constituents and provided recommendations to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) and Dayton. The citizen forums lacked millennial attendance, so the EQB offered an internship to garner youth support. They chose Hoidal to tackle the task. Ellen Anderson, senior advisor to Dayton on energy and the environment, proposed the idea of a youth conference to get opinions of young Minnesotans on environmental issues. In collaboration with other students, Hoidal began connecting with college and high school groups across the state “YOUNG PEOPLE CAN to encourage BE A STRONG POLITICAL attendance at FORCE IF THEY SPEAK the conference. FOR ISSUES THEY Hoidal says it BELIEVE IN.” was important to start local and hear all opinions on different issues facing the environment. The youth conference, held Feb. 24, 2013, at the University of Minnesota St. Paul Student Center, consisted of a variety of engaging workshops, lectures, and discussions among attendees on everything from clean alternative energy to sustainable transportation development. Selected participants from the youth conference presented emotional personal stories

on how changes to the environment were impacting their families and their futures. Other participants presented the ideas and outcomes from the youth conference to the Minnesota Environmental Congress. The presentation impressed participants of the congress. “Everyone responded very well to it,” Hoidal says. “A lot of people said it was their favorite part; a lot of people were crying.” The success of the presentation attracted state leaders and inspired discussions involving millennial participants. Hoidal says the EQB wants to continue collaboration with young Minnesotans. The conference also attracted the attention of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In October 2013, Hoidal and other students participating in the planning of the conference received the Student Sustainability Leadership Award. Hoidal says the millennials at the conference inspired her. “I saw that countless young people are already working hard in their communities and at the state level for environmental policy and protection,” Hoidal says. “We talk about how the millennial generation will change the future and really change our current practices, but I think we’re already doing that.” ■

FALL 2013

Modern Warfare

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF AS YOUNG PEOPLE SEEK ALTERNATIVES TO MILITARY INTERVENTION.

By Brett Stolpestad

ameron Treeby sits at the very fringe of the millennial generation. Born in 1981, he was deployed to Iraq nearly five years after the invasion of U.S. troops. From 2008 to 2009, Treeby fought in one of the largest military conflicts in recent history, a conflict that he describes as a pursuit to weaken the so-called “Axis of Evil,” a phrase coined by President George W. Bush. “After 9/11, the nation wanted a villain, a singular villain, and the ‘Axis of Evil’ was that villain,” Treeby says. The Iraq War was a long and costly conflict. From 2003 to 2011, when U.S. troops finally pulled out, the U.S. had spent nearly $800 million and lost more than 4,800 soldiers, according to 2013 PBS and CNN reports.

DRAWING PARALLELS: FROM VIETNAM TO IRAQ The Iraq War had significant support from the American people, with 18- to 29-year-olds as the most supportive generation in the country, according to a February 2006 Pew Research Center survey. Looking back to the Vietnam War era, this finding should not be surprising. The survey showed that in the beginning of the Vietnam War, younger people were the most likely to support military action, but as the war dragged on, that sentiment changed. Today, in a post-Iraq War era, the trend appears to be the same.

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Treeby witnessed the shift in support first-hand. “In the beginning, everyone was eager to do their duty. It was all patriotism,” Treeby says. “Later on, as guys kept on getting over-deployed, it started to tear families apart.” The same 2006 survey revealed the familiar trends of popular support throughout “ARE WE AN war. The survey ISOLATIONIST revealed that in COUNTRY THAT 2002, the year DOESN’T WANT TO before the invaGET INVOLVED IN sion, 69 percent OTHER NATIONS’ of Americans bePROBLEMS, OR tween the ages of ARE WE A GLOBAL 18 and 29 favored LEADER WHO MUST military action in TRY TO SOLVE Iraq. By January THEM?” 2006, that number dropped to 48 percent. Likewise, a 2007 Pew survey revealed that nearly 74 percent of Democrats thought military action was a mistake, while Republicans remained relatively unmoved at 21 percent. A very similar trend can be seen during the Vietnam War era. According to the 2006 Pew survey, in 1965, Americans under the age of 30 responded positively to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s policy on Vietnam. Almost 56 percent of young adults under 30 approved of Johnson’s approach to invade, while just 41 percent of Americans ages 50 and older approved of his tactics. By 1973, similar to the Iraq War study, 65 percent of Democrats

thought sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, and 54 percent of Republicans shared the same view, according to the 2007 Pew survey. While the majority of Americans saw going to war as a mistake, both in Vietnam and Iraq, there are some millennials who stand by the decision. Ilan Sinelnikov, a junior studying business and marketing at the University of Minnesota and president of the group Students Supporting Israel, is one of them. “The reason why we went into Afghanistan was good. You have to find the people responsible for 9/11,” he says. But for Sinelnikov, Iraq was a different story. “It’s difficult. We should have thought about the end goal, but I think it was the right decision.”

EFFECTS OF WAR-FATIGUE AT HOME Two years removed from the Iraq War with troops still deployed in Afghanistan, Americans are sick of war. The United States’ presence in Afghanistan has been declining, but the region is far from stable. Going forward, the question that millennials and all Americans will have to face is whether it is the responsibility of the U.S. to resolve the complicated and bloody conflicts in the region. New York Times author and American historian Sam Tanenhaus poses the question in a September New York Times

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Treeby says. “We have made progress, but at what cost? Syria is a very similar situation. You need to let it figure itself out; you have to let them evolve.” Like Treeby, Sinelnikov agrees that American intervention in the Syrian civil war would be an ill-advised undertaking. “Syria is a super complicated issue,” Sinelnikov says. “There are a lot of minorities. The ruling government is a minority—the Alawites. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cannot lose. If he loses, the Alawites will be slaughtered. He will fight to the end, but the Sunnis don’t want him in power, and they will fight to the end, too.” In the wake of the chemical weapons attacks in Syria, there has been a push by the Obama Administration to intervene using surgical airstrikes. The tactic has received little support in the U.S., as shown by a Pew survey published in September.

one of the most important lessons that we can draw from Vietnam is that a war cannot be successful without the will of the people. “It seems rather obvious that a nation cannot fight a war in cold blood, sending its men and women to distant fields of battle without arousing the emotions of the people,” Palmer wrote. The majority of Americans may oppose intervention in Syria through the use of air strikes, but there are millennials who believe the U.S. can still try to make a positive impact in other ways. Yazan Alkhatib, 20, is pursuing a major in biochemistry at the University of Minnesota. Alkhatib attended a seminar titled “Bleeding Syria” at the university, where Syrian physician M. Anas Moughrabieh spoke about the crisis in the country. Alkhatib admits that he does not fully understand the situation in Syria, but he says the U.S. can still do something from a humanitarian approach. “The United States needs to help in some way,” Alkhatib says. “If we can save lives, we should save lives.” ■

WHAT SHOULD THE ROLE OF THE U.S. BE? —Kelsey Schwartz

video story on American Isolationism: “Are we an isolationist country that doesn’t want to get involved in other nations’ problems, or are we a global leader who must try to solve them?” In recent years, most Americans have favored the former. Battles throughout the Middle East claim more lives every day. Violence continues in Egypt, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria, to name a few. Despite the continued bloodshed, recent Pew surveys show that Americans remain hesitant to get involved in another war, such as the civil war in Syria. That conflict has claimed at least 93,000 lives, according to a United Nations report released in July 2013. Americans not only want to stay out of conflicts in the future, but they also want troops to come home. A 2011 Pew survey reported that almost 56 percent of Americans favored removing troops from Afghanistan. It was the first time a majority supported pulling out of the war-torn country. After witnessing the violence and chaos in the region firsthand, Treeby shares a similar view, and he relates it to the current problems in Syria. “Afghanistan is unwinnable,”

In his book, The 25-Year War: America’s Military Role in Vietnam, Gen. Bruce Palmer Jr. reflects on the lessons that came out of the war in Vietnam. As Palmer explains,

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Ink, Inc. THESE DAYS, BODY ART IS COMMONPLACE. BUT MANY EMPLOYERS ARE STILL TRYING TO DEVELOP POLICIES ON TATTOOED EMPLOYEES. WHAT’S A WORKING MILLENNIAL TO DO?

arina Buckingham is a 21-year-old student, bartender, and healthcare worker. Like many people her age, Buckingham is holding down entry-level jobs until she receives a degree and joins the professional workforce. She has plenty of experience to put on her resume and knows how to present herself to employers. The only things Buckingham worries might stand in the way of job opportunities are her two visible tattoos. On one wrist, Buckingham sports the simple outline of a dove. The letters on the other wrist spell “love.” “I can easily hide my tattoos if that is the difference between a job and no job,” she says. “I think that many employers understand that this generation is the most tattooed, so they kind of expect them.” Buckingham is right to say millennials are the most tattooed generation. Approximately four in 10 have tattoos, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center survey. If nearly half of young people in the United States have tattoos and piercings, employers are faced with a new dilemma: What policies, if any, should be established to govern employee ink? Existing policies vary depending on the industry. But as more and more millennials move into the workplace, employers will have to adjust to their attitudes about body art.

CULTURAL TOLERANCE

Sara Potzmann Photos by Nicola Harger

The rise in tattoos may be due to the increasing cultural tolerance toward them, says Derek

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Lowe, general manager of Saint Sabrina’s, a Minneapolis tattoo and piercing shop. Lowe says negative attitudes toward tattoos have become less common, but they are still around. “Those stigmas are much less common today than they were even 10 years ago, and much less so than 20 or more years ago,” he says. The nature of tattoo stigmas has changed over the years, Lowe says. Beginning with an assumed tie to gang membership and crime, stigmas now are

“LIFE IS SHORT; DO WHAT YOU WANT AND EXPRESS YOURSELF. TATTOOS ARE A WAY TO DO THAT.” tied to the belief that tattoos are poor decisions made by young people on a whim, Lowe says, and the decision to have them becomes something that will stand in their way professionally as they get older. After nearly 20 years in the piercing and tattoo industry, Lowe is passionate about his art. He sees piercings and tattoos as much more than a trend. He believes they are a form of expression, and says it is unlikely that the popularity of tattoos will decrease dramatically. Buckingham believes the same thing. Her tattoos are a form of creative self-expression, she says. “Life is short; do what you want and express yourself,” Buckingham says. “Tattoos are a way to do that.” Along with being a form of expression, tattoos are seen

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by some as a representation of themselves. Dr. Kim Johnson, a professor of design, housing, and apparel at the University of Minnesota, has conducted research about women with tattoos, and how they relate to their self-perception and behavior. Dr. Johnson says that although tattoos are becoming more tolerable than they were 20 years ago, many employers still worry that a tattooed employee will harm their company’s reputation. She says the presence of a tattoo could keep someone from being hired. “The reason why a person with a tattoo might not get hired—or if hired, might be asked not to display the tattoo publicly—is because the person doing the hiring may believe that a person with a tattoo does not fit with the company’s image,” Dr. Johnson says. “This is why many people have told us that when they get a tattoo, they are very aware of the location on their body they will put it. Often they want to be able to cover up their tattoo when working or when interviewing.”

COMPANY POLICIES Because millennials are going to someday comprise much of the workforce, some employers may need to start re-thinking their tattoo policies. So far, policies range from strict to none at all, and some employers even encourage employee tattoos. One workplace that is creating a more restrictive tattoo policy is the United States Army. Many soldiers use tattoos to commemorate fallen comrades, and in the past, tattoos were

allowed if they weren’t racist or gang-related and weren’t present on the head, neck, or face. The new tattoo policy states that soldiers cannot have any visible tattoos below the elbow and knee, or above the neckline. The Army says soldiers are required to pay to have their tattoos removed if they violate its terms. Hospitals and other medical employers have settled on an in-between tattoo policy. Places like Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota and hospitals like Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis are lenient about tattoos, not requiring employees cover them up as long as there is no interference with job performance. A human resources representative at HCMC says it’s not the presence of a tattoo that necessarily matters; it’s how the patients and clients feel about it. “We do expect our employees to be clean and neat, and if the tattoo doesn’t fit well with the patient care, employers do have the right to ask them to cover it up,” the HCMC representative says. Hosea Ojwang, the director of human resources at Boynton, says the hospital’s expectations regarding tattoos are very similar to HCMC’s. “Our policy states that all visible tattoos and piercings should not be offensive or interfere with job duties,” he says. Some professional industries have been required to loosen their tattoo policies so as not to exclude a potential employee. The Seattle Police Department wanted its force to represent the

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public it serves. So in May 2013, it decided to loosen its tattoo requirements for new recruits. According to CBS Seattle, the former tattoo policy was confusing and made recruits think they would be disqualified because of their tattoos. The new policy states each case will be processed individually, and no candidate will be disqualified because of a tattoo as long as he or she maintains a professional appearance. The restaurant industry is usually open to employees having tattoos, but at least one restaurant goes so far as to encourage its employees to be inked. Shannon Weed, a manager at Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge in Minneapolis, says the woman who owns the restaurant also owns Saint Sabrina’s and is 100 percent supportive of tattoos on her employees. Weed says because of the expanding cultural tolerance, tattoos shouldn’t be a factor when judging a job candidate. “I don’t believe in judging someone with tattoos,” she says. “Tattoos have become more accepted culturally, and should be more accepted in the workplace.”

REMOVALS ON THE RISE Despite varying levels of employer leniency, some young people feel that sporting a tattoo isn’t worth risking future job opportunities. As the number of young people getting tattoos has increased, so has the rate of tattoo removal. Patient’s Guide, a publication written by dermatology experts, reports that a 32 percent increase in tattoo removals oc-

Pamala Ek says job prospects can cause a person to remove a tattoo. curred from 2011 to 2012, with employment being the leading reason for removal. Pamala Ek, a front desk coordinator and assistant at Dr. Towey’s Tattoo Removal Shop in Minneapolis, says clients remove tattoos for many reasons, includ-

“WE DO EXPECT OUR EMPLOYEES TO BE CLEAN AND NEAT, AND IF THE TATTOO DOESN’T FIT WELL WITH THE PATIENT CARE, EMPLOYERS DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK THEM TO COVER IT UP.” ing for work. “Some choose to remove it because they feel they have outgrown their tattoo. Others feel the need to remove for better job prospects,” Ek says. “Some have felt that the tattoo did not look good or was not done well.” Depending on the color of the tattoo, Ek says sometimes they need to lighten the tattoo before they can remove it. The removal process can take up to a year or longer, and is done with a laser.

Ek says the procedure, which costs between $120 and $150 on average, works by using the laser to break up a tattoo into small enough pieces for the body to collect into the immune system. “Tattoos naturally fade,” Ek says. “But with the technology we have now, we can usually speed up the process.” The pain of removal varies from person to person, she says, but it generally feels like a rubber band snapping against the skin.

MILLENNIAL HESITATION As the owner of a tattoo shop, Lowe doesn’t believe that tattoos are a reasonable way to judge a job applicant, claiming that the presence of tattoos and piercings has “zero impact” on skills and job performance. “Does having tattoos prevent someone from having the proper understanding of tax code to be a good accountant? Does having tattoos mean someone is going to be an extra-skilled surgeon? Obviously not,” he says.

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While a tattoo may not fairly express a job candidate’s abilities, some millennials still worry that visible tattoos will impair their professional image, so they decide to keep their tattoos hidden from their clients and peers. One of those millennials is Jarod Gengler, a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Gengler is now an employee at a technology com-

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pany called Imation, where he sells computer products to the government as well as various businesses on the East Coast. Gengler has a Celtic knot tattoo, which he says represents the circle of life, on his right shoulder in memory of a friend who passed away. He said he put the tattoo on his shoulder because he wanted it to be visible at times, yet easy to cover up if needed.

Gengler does his job mostly over the phone, but also has face-to-face meetings with clients. His job environment is laid back, he says, and lets employees show their tattoos. However, Gengler says he’ll refrain from getting any more visible tattoos, despite his current company’s lenient tattoo policy. “Technically I would be able to get another one on, say, my forearm, but I wouldn’t because of the environment I work in,” he says. “I feel that to keep a professional image and with the potential for face-to-face sales down the road, it will be most beneficial for me to get future tattoos that aren’t quite as visible as a forearm tattoo.” Because Buckingham works entry-level positions, she says her employers don’t mind her tattoos because of the need for employees in the restaurant and health care industries. She says that when she got her tattoos, she kept in mind that she would eventually join the professional world. She says if it comes to it, she would get her tattoos removed for a job. But she doesn’t believe tattoos are a good way to judge a job candidate, and says she doesn’t see any reason for an employer to overlook her or any other candidate solely because of visible ink. “If the tattoo is not offensive, I see no problem in showing it off,” she says. “I see a lot of people with tattoos who use them as a way to express themselves, and if that’s what they want to do, they shouldn’t be punished for it.” ■

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Losing My Religion

CAN WE FIND FAITH IN FAITH?

Annie Michaelson Photos by Nicola Harger

Worshippers sit quietly in the Cathedral of Saint Paul before evening mass.

am Blustin grew up attending synagogue and spent 12 of the past 14 summers at a Jewish camp as both a camper and a counselor. The senior computer science major at the University of Minnesota says Judaism is about being a part of a community. “Whether it’s spirituality, music, purpose, or an intellectual emphasis, there is something for everybody in Judaism,” Blustin says. Though Blustin has kept a close tie to his faith, he is one of the few in the millennial generation.

LEAVING THE PEWS For Americans ages 18 to 29, religion has been put on the back burner. One in four members of the millennial generation are unaffiliated with any particular faith, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center study that explored the behaviors and opinions of millennials. Compared with older Americans, fewer young people say that religion is very important to them.

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Religious historians conemphasize how finding religious sider the millennial generation relevance in their everyday lives “religious seekers,” or “people allows millennials to connect to who are not necessarily looking their faith. “Finding that meaning for a religion, but a spiritual in life is what millennials really experience,” says Jeanne Kilde, want,” says Julia Wiersum, a the University of Minnesota’s senior communications major director of religious studies. at the University of One millennial who has Minnesota. “Churches “I LIKE TO SAY I’M drifted from organized relitry to attract our genA RECOVERING gion is Todd Baumgartner, a eration through the big LUTHERAN.” sophomore geology major at screens and bands, but the University of Minnesota. deep down, millennials “I’m an agnostic, atheist, secular want to find spirituality.” humanist, but normally I just go Could it be that millennials by ‘secular humanist,’” he says. are missing the point? “It is a “I don’t believe there is a god, failure of not connecting Jesus but I don’t have any evidence and the Bible—relational, misthat there is or is not one.” sional, vocational, and cultural Baumgartner grew up discernment,” says David KinChristian, attending church for naman in an article by the Barna 12 years before leaving. “I like Group, a research organization to say I’m a recovering Lutherthat focuses on the relationship an,” Baumgartner says. “I just between faith and culture. “In didn’t care as much as I did as other words, the version of a kid. As I got older, I started ‘Jesus in a vacuum’ that is often thinking about my beliefs more, packaged for young people instead of straight up leaving doesn’t last long compared them. I gradually went from a with faith in Christ that is not true believer to an apologist to compartmentalized but wholly an atheist.” A number of BaumgartTodd Baumgartner: “I don’t ner’s peers agree with him. believe there is a god, but According to Kilde, there is I don’t have any evidence that there is or is not one.” a risk of losing young people from organized religion.

integrated into all areas of life.” This relatable, personal connection isn’t just for Christians. Amer Sassila is motivated by his faith in Islam to give back every day. “It’s about being proactive, bettering yourself, and doing good deeds behind the scenes,” says Sassila, a senior University of Minnesota architecture major. “I do the best I can in all that I do for my faith.”

CREATING COMMUNITY Authentic, genuine, honest, real. Those are the words that come to mind when Joe McDonald describes Upper Room, an independent church in St. Louis Park, Minn. McDonald is the lead pastor at Upper Room, where the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday gatherings are packed with millennials. Why? “For millennials, it’s about teaching from personal experience,” McDonald says. “There’s something about it that draws you into what it should look like outside the walls of

FINDING RELEVANCE Catching on to this trend, many churches work hard to engage the millennial crowd. “Evangelical churches and the emerging church movement especially work to bring young people in the church,” Kilde says. “They have contemporary rock bands, Jumbotron screens, and skits to keep younger members interested.” Though a cool rock band and new technological toys may attract the millennial crowd, churches may also want to

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the church. It helps members connect on Sunday night and relate it to Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.” The need for the Upper Room community began in 2000, when younger members were showing up Wednesday nights for student ministry, but were absent on Sundays. McDonald realized the younger generation needed something different from a service. They needed a different way to worship—a different way to see the scripture that they didn’t find in traditional Christian services. Upper Room is the opposite of traditional. In this dark worship area, candles light the space, while a six-person rock band plays popular Christian songs with the lyrics projected on the walls. There is no hymnal, no organ. “I grew up Catholic, and we just never had a musical worship experience,” McDonald says. “Here at the Upper Room, we’re worshipping pretty hard.” A different way of learning

the scripture and living out the Bible was what allowed student Julia Wiersum to connect to her faith. Wiersum didn’t truly find her faith in Christianity until she came to college and joined The Rock Church in Southwest Minneapolis. It was then that she realized what she was looking for in a religion: authenticity. “When I started to go to The Rock, I saw people authentically living out what the Bible says,” Wiersum says. “It wasn’t just the lip service that I had seen at previous churches.” Authenticity and genuineness may just be the key to gathering a younger crowd. “Millennials are attracted to the rock band-style worship, but what they’re looking for is spirituality,” Wiersum says. “It’s easy to see through a church that is trying too hard. Just be real and raw from the start.” For Baumgartner, the University of Minnesota campus group CASH (Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists)

is where he finds community. “We’re a safe place for people of all religious beliefs to come and have a discussion,” Baumgartner says. “We provide a community for people who perhaps don’t have a church to go to, but want a safe place for support.”

OPEN TO INTERPRETATION Growing up in a rapidly changing world, millennials are known to bend the rules set by religion and work toward a more modern world without attaching to each word of the scripture. According to the Pew Research Center, a large difference between the millennials and their predecessors is their adaptability to social change and different views of the Bible—younger people are slightly less likely to view the Bible as the literal word of God.

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Research Center. “Though belief in God is lower among young adults than among older adults, millennials say they believe in God with absolute certainty at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago.” In other words, the religious differences between younger and older generations today are due, in part, to the fact that people care more about religion as they get older. McDonald is a testament of this. “If at 22 I was asked if I was a Christian, I would have said yes, based on my Catholic upbringing and my general sense of a belief in God. But I did not know what a relationship with ogy,” Baumgartner says. “From Jesus looked like,” McDonald my experience, most people says. Just before he turned 24, from my generation are saying, he changed his mind. “It wasn’t ‘Go get married.’ When that sort as if I had never heard the name of perspective is generational, of Jesus or about having a then there are splits within differrelationship with Jesus. But after ent organizations.” questioning my faith, it just made “IT’S EASY TO SEE SIMPLY A PHASE? sense to me in a THROUGH A CHURCH Today, millennials find many way that made me THAT IS TRYING TOO reasons not to affiliate with a want to experience HARD. JUST BE REAL religion, but they are searchmore, and I started AND RAW FROM THE ing for a gateway to serve pursuing Jesus at others, have open forums to START.” that time.” ■ question their faith, and keep genuine relationships. Kilde believes young peoples’ detachment from religion is simply a phase. “Though millennials are not particularly engaged in religion now, they will be when they become older and have children,” Kilde says. “As individuals marry and have children, they often feel that—in Christianity—baptism and a religious background is important for raising kids. Churches and other religious institutions also provide community connections that are very important.” Religious beliefs grow with age, according to the Pew

Julia Wiersum, an active Christian, in Dinkytown.

An open mind on religion-dominated social matters is also a millennial trend, specifically in their growing acceptance of homosexuality. According to the Religious Landscape Survey in 2007, nearly twice as many young adults believe homosexuality should be accepted by society compared to people over 65 (63 percent vs. 35 percent). The survey also reports that young people are more likely than those ages 30 to 49 (51 percent) or 50 to 64 (48 percent) to say that homosexuality should be accepted. Wiersum believes that religion and politics shouldn’t intertwine. “The Bible doesn’t say, ‘Get involved politically and make sure the government is making the right laws,’” Wiersum says. “We are supposed to love and accept everyone; that’s what God wants us to do. He wants us to show others the kind of love that he showed us.” Baumgartner holds a similar opinion in the gay marriage debate. “The whole acceptance of gay marriage and other issues— it’s not just one particular ideol-

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Millennials of Minneapolis

Photos by PATTY GROVER

For this photo essay, we drew inspiration from the popular Humans of New York (HONY) photoblog run by photographer Brandon Stanton. Stanton photographs and interviews random New Yorkers on the street窶馬o names, just their picture and a quote.

We scoured the city looking for millennials with a story to tell. Through this, we uncovered the hopes and dreams of strangers in this city, one millennial at a time.

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What was the best day of your life? “For a week last summer I was a sail trainee on the Picton Castle [a deep sea training vessel that sails Long Island Sound]. I would say Thursday of that week was the best, because I was settled in and wasn’t thinking about leaving yet. After I graduate I want to buy myself a sail boat.”

How do you guys know each other? “We met four years ago in the same Korean camp. Now we’re in an immersion program, so we have some people we practice with. But we’re no good at it.”

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Do you have any mottos you live by? (right) “There’s this quote by Audre Lorde that’s something like, ‘I’ve come to learn that self-care is not self-indulgence. Self-care is survival.’” (left) “Bloom where you were planted.”

Where do you hope to be in five years? “In west Africa. I want to join the Peace Corps and help with development there. I hope to help with education. They need all the helping they can get.”

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Describe yourself in one word. “Vulpine.”

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a large group of people? “Do something out of the ordinary every day.”

Who do you look up to most? “My mom. She’s very patient and mature. I’ve never seen her act on her anger. I wish to be as mature as she is.”

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What is the most memorable day of your life? “When I first came to America. It was a big change, both good and bad, with pros and cons. It was the first time I had left my culture and really learned how to speak English.”

What do you think of Minneapolis? “I’m from Turkey and it’s my second year here. It gets cold, but I’ve got my flowers.”

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Apathetic? Not Me

DESPITE WHAT YOU’VE HEARD, THIS GENERATION DOES CARE. Kevin Somekawa

Students Katherine Dobson, Leah Enter, and Cora Ellenson-Myers lead a Minnesota Public Interest Research GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU GENinME Group 28 meeting Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities campus.

—Nicola Harger

arly in March 2012, the non-profit organization Invisible Children published a brief yet emotionally compelling documentary on YouTube titled “KONY 2012,” which attempted to raise awareness of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony’s use of child soldiers in his army. The video received 100 million views in six days, according to the organization. The hashtag #stopkony was tweeted 1,200 times per minute at its peak, and fans of the Invisible Children Facebook page increased by 621 percent by the end of the year. Hordes of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media users shared the “KONY 2012” video, signed their support on an online pledge, or ordered the Kony 2012 bracelets. But for many, the action stopped there. “KONY 2012,” one of the largest viral phenomenons in recent history, has become a prime example of what is known as slacktivism. A combination of the words “slacker” and “activism,” slacktivism is characterized as an act that shows support for a cause or issue but doesn’t translate to real-world improvement. The simple act of liking a page on Facebook or signing an online pledge gives the user a sense of accomplishment and participation. In the end, however, there are few or no results. As the age demographic with the most members active on social media sites (89 percent, according to the Pew Research Center) and the generation most attached to

technology, millennials catch a significant amount of flak for participating in slacktivism. The stereotype suggests that otherwise apathetic millennials contribute purely on the surface, through Facebook likes and retweets on Twitter, in order to feel engaged without actually getting involved.

years old. He lived in California and Iowa before coming to Minnesota at age 12. Pensec attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and it was through his roommate there that he found MIRAc and became a volunteer activist. As a dual citizen of France and the United States, Pensec had no trouble aligning with TAKING THE INITIATIVE the cause of immigrant rights. Although the popular notion is “It’s easy for me to understand that stereotypes are rooted in being in the shoes of someone some semblance of truth, milelse who has come to another lennials that are truly involved in country,” he says. social and political issues don’t Pensec campaigns and see any vahelps organize lidity in the THE SIMPLE ACT OF fundraisers for perception LIKING A PAGE ON MIRAc and also about their FACEBOOK OR SIGNING attempts to generation. AN ONLINE PLEDGE GIVES work through Mikael legislation for THE USER A SENSE OF Pensec is a ACCOMPLISHMENT AND the fair treat27-year-old PARTICIPATION, BUT IN ment of immivolunteer THE END THERE ARE FEW grants in the activist who OR NO RESULTS. United States. has noticed Even though he through his own work that youth does his share of work toward is not absent in activism. the improvement of social is“When I go into any activist sues, Pensec understands how group, if anything, it’s skewed millennials could be perceived toward there being more youngas slacktivists. er people than older people,” “People are grabbed by he says. “In any room you go to something, and if they’re really there’s going to be elders, peodedicated to it then they’ll stay ple who have been doing it for involved in it. But if they’re not decades, but more often than really dedicated to it, if that not people are younger.” doesn’t grab them in a specific Pensec has done the bulk way, then it’s on to the next of his activism in immigrant thing,” he says. rights work through the MinneTechnology has certainly sota Immigrant Rights Action contributed to this by making Committee (MIRAc). He has a massive amount of new involunteered with the organizaformation and media available tion since 2009. at our fingertips every day. In Born in France, Pensec today’s world, one is almost moved to the United States with forced to jump from one thing his family when he was three to the next on a regular basis.

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A STUDENT’S STAND However, as much as this effect of technology and media may fragment the movement behind a cause, the ability to instantly reach a great number of people should not be written off or forgotten. Kate Dobson is a board member and co-chair for the University of Minnesota chapter of the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG), and she appreciates media and technology as a tool for efficient communication. “I think it’s easy for people to see Facebook and Twitter communication as inconsequential, but I think it’s a gateway to more activism,” she says. Dobson, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Minnesota, has been working with MPIRG since her freshman year. Although she is a full-time student and works a separate job, she still devotes around 20 hours a week to the group. MPIRG targets a variety of issues and typically has four to five task forces working at a time. Currently, those task forces are focused on sustainability and environmental issues, economic justice for students and the middle class, public health, and gender and sexuality initiatives. From the board of the organization down to each chapter located at various universities around Minnesota, MPIRG is entirely student run. The ability of college students to make a difference in the world around them through their own means is part of what appeals to Dobson. “The idea that any student can bring an issue to MPIRG and we can work on it and have success in it is so beautiful to me,”

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she says. “Seeing young people counteract the stereotype of apathy is a really cool thing.”

Services notifying them that their coverage would not continue at the outset of the next year. Appeals against the changes NO CHALLENGE TOO SMALL to Emergency Medical Assistance Pensec is supportive of anyone came both from those who were being able to come forward and affected by the cuts in the probring light to a problem or cause, gram and from advocacy groups regardless of its size or scope. like MIRAc. Pensec was part He says while larger issues take of an MIRAc group that raised more time awareness and and effort garnered support “SEEING THE to fix, all it for legislation that EMPOWERMENT OF takes is a would reverse few people YOUNG PEOPLE THAT the changes. On COUNTERACTS THE who are March 27, 2012, STEREOTYPE OF APATHY dedicated to the Minnesota something to IS A REALLY COOL Department of make small THING.” Human Services steps toward agreed to conprogress. He tinue providing advocates this approach as opEmergency Medical Assistance posed to having a “let’s change services including dialysis and the world” attitude, which can be cancer treatments to enrollees in daunting. the program. “Every insurmountable On a global or even national challenge is made up of a lot of scale, the preservation of Emerlittle challenges and those things gency Medical Assistance services are easy to get over,” he says. was a small victory. It wasn’t a big “Each one of those you get over news item and it never hit the is making things better.” Internet as a viral sensation. Yet it Pensec encountered this was a lifesaving piece of activism. type of challenge when MinnesoCultural events like “KONY 2012” ta was editing its budget in 2011. are highly visible in the public The state decided to make cuts eye, while the work of millennials to a program called Emergency like Pensec and Dobson is not. Medical Assistance, which were Perhaps it’s not that millennito take effect at the beginning als as a generation are apathetic, of 2012. The program provided but that those who think so just noncitizen immigrants with forms aren’t looking close enough. of emergency medical treatments “Because social media is if the individual was not otherso public it’s easy to say that’s all wise eligible for health care. This students do,” Dobson says. “But included providing treatments if people look deeper, they’ll find like dialysis, chemotherapy, and a myriad of issues that students hospice care. Because of the are passionate about.” ■ cuts that were to be made to the program, 2,300 people received a letter in November 2011 from the Minnesota Department of Health

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

Hard Wired

IS THE INTERNET MILLENNIALS’ DRUG OF CHOICE?

Alyssa Bluhm

saac Vaisberg didn’t leave his apartment for five weeks. The doorman delivered his food, and he didn’t shower. He missed his law classes at American University in Washington, D.C., and 132 calls from his family. When he was playing video games—sometimes for as long as 20 to 30 hours—nothing else was important. It wasn’t until his mom came from Miami to visit that Vaisberg broke his World of Warcraft binge to shower and clean his apartment, giving him the first opportunity he’d had in over a month to think. “It was such an empty feel-

ing—I just didn’t want to hurt my parents anymore,” 21-yearold Vaisberg says. “I started screaming and I passed out in the bathtub.” The next day, on February 21, 2013, Vaisberg started rehab for video game addiction for the second time.

A GROWING PROBLEM Video game addiction is just one variant under the larger

umbrella of Internet addiction disorder (IAD), says Dr. Hilarie Cash, co-founder of the reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Washington state where Vaisberg sought treatment. Other types of Internet addiction include online shopping, pornography, gambling, social networking, texting, and general web surfing through websites like Google and YouTube. Although reSTART has only been in operation since 2009, Internet addiction

—Kelsey Schwartz

FALL 2013

—ReSTART

has been a problem since as early as the mid-‘90s. “It was just the trickle before the flood, but now the flood is upon us,” Cash says. The driving forces behind this flood are the developments in and changing attitudes toward Internet technology. “The things we’re using on computers are more interactive and lifelike ReSTART Internet Addiction Recovery facility in Washington than they ever were state, where Vaisberg sought before—they offer treatment. a more believable escape,” says David SELF-MEDICATING used the Internet daily, about Townes, a therapist WITH THE WEB half met the criteria for Internet at Catalyst Mental Health in Although it sounds harmless abuse, and one-quarter qualiMinneapolis. The established compared to other addictions, fied as Internet dependent. norm and increasing ubiquity of Internet addiction has many simVaisberg’s first stint in rehab the Internet helps. In 1997, just ilarities to alcoholism, says Dr. occurred only a year earlier, 18 percent of households had Jonathan Kandell, the director when he was 20 years old. After access to the Internet, according of the Center for Counseling seven years of battling with to the U.S. Census Bureau; as and Consultation at the Univerhis addiction and the anxiety of 2011, almost 72 percent did. sities at Shady it caused, his family “People born in the ‘90s have Grove. “For intervened, sending him “THE THINGS WE’RE USING experienced a shift in parenting people who to the reSTART center style,” Townes says. “Today ON COMPUTERS ARE MORE struggle with where, quickly filled enough adults have grown up INTERACTIVE AND LIFELIKE interpersonwith confidence that he THAN THEY EVER WERE playing video games and using al issues, the beat his addiction, he the web that they put less parBEFORE—THEY OFFER A left before completing enting energy into reducing the MORE BELIEVABLE ESCAPE.” Internet is just like drinking the program. “I felt like effects of them.” to alleviate social anxiety,” he I was ready to tackle the world,” Just because the Internet says. “If you use the Internet for Vaisberg says. is a widely accepted form of escape, it’s not much different Between the safe allure media doesn’t make it any less from being drunk all the time.” of video games and the lack potent. According to the Pew Still, there is a fine line of a support group Vaisberg Internet Project, 93 percent of between Internet and drug had coming out of rehab, that Americans ages 12 to 29 go onabuse. Whereas some drug feeling didn’t last long. “During line, and as much as 36 percent addicts or alcoholics don’t the addiction, it’s fantastic. I of them go online several times begin experimenting with drugs had a lot of fun times,” Vaisberg a day, making millennials the until around the age of 12 or says. “All these people wanted age cohort most likely to spend 13, Cash says, Internet addicts to play with me and I wasn’t time online. A 2010 study of essentially grow up with comgetting that attention anywhere undergraduates at a U.S. univerputer technology. And because else.” Vaisberg lasted four sity published in the Journal of video games and computer use months before relapsing into his American College Health found are typically solitary activities, five-week gaming bender. that 99 percent of participants

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GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

those who become addicted at an early age miss out on a key stage of building social skills. “In terms of identity development, it can be difficult to shift your identity as a gamer when it becomes so ingrained earlier in life,” Townes says. Compared to his antisocial peers, Vaisberg is a rare case of an Internet addict. Having moved 10 to 15 times between his parents in Miami and Venezuela in his youth, Vaisberg developed social skills and charisma early on to help him adapt in each new environment. But then he started his sophomore year of high school. “I had a lot of trouble with classes and I wasn’t making a lot of friends, so I started gaming more,” Vaisberg says. “But it wasn’t about the games; it was about the people I met there.” Escaping his problems at home only worsened the stress Vaisberg faced at school. “I was building up a ton of anxiety because gaming got in the way of me turning in homework. One day I started throwing up because I was so afraid to go to school after not doing homework for so long,” he says. Vaisberg still managed to graduate high school with a 4.0 GPA.

ROAD TO RECOVERY The principle behind Internet addiction has been around since B.F. Skinner first coined the term “operant conditioning” in 1938 and later published a study involving pigeons

aftercare phase. For six months, and food pellets in 1948. In he lived in an apartment with a Skinner’s study, pigeons were roommate also in the program, presented with a food hopper attended 12-step meetings, and at irregular intervals. As their gradually reintroduced technolpecking became reinforced by ogy into his life. food, the birds eventually began Now that he has completed to peck even when food was not the program, Vaisberg intends present. Although the pigeons to stay in Washington, where he had no control over when they has built a life received the food, they pecked working 50 because they associated that “YOU CAN’T AVOID THE behavior with reward. INTERNET LIKE YOU CAN hours a week “This principle is at work DRUGS AND ALCOHOL— as a personal trainer, in everything related to the In- IT’S MORE LIKE AN studying ternet and texting,” Cash says. EATING DISORDER.” psychology, After sending a text message, and volunteerfor example, there is no way to ing at reSTART. “I replaced video know when a reward in the form games with the things I didn’t of a response will come. But have before, things I take pride when it does, she says, “you’re in—relationships, friends, work, rewarded enough that you keep and a clean apartdoing it and doing it, and you ment,” Vaisberg lose hours in the process.” Thus, says with a laugh. addiction is born. “I’m aware that At reSTART, recovering I can’t do this by from Internet addiction is more myself. Recovery about learning how to develop a is something you healthy relationship with technolhave to keep ogy than avoiding it completely. working on. But “You can’t avoid the Internet I’ve built a really full life here. I don’t have time to relapse.” ■

like you can drugs and alcohol— it’s more like an eating disorder,” Cash says. The reSTART program teaches participants how to cope by focusing on building life skills, like cleaning, cooking, socializing with others, and using computers only for practical use. After completing the 45-day intense detox phase of the reSTART program earlier this year, Vaisberg started the

FALL 2013

#lifestyle

Don’t Get Mad, Get Plaid HOW TO DRESS UNIQUELY, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER HIPSTER.

By Patty Grover he days when hipsters represented the fringes of society have largely gone the way of landline phones and the correct use of the word “literally.” Hipsters are everywhere, and their trademark style is taking over the “me generation.” Whether you’re feeling lost in a sea of brand-name conformity or just trying to fit in with the latest trend, Gen Me has you covered with the latest fashion tips. ■ Starting at the top, you’re going to need a stocking cap. No way can you show the top of your head at any time. You’re doing it right if it’s so saggy that it’s impractical and pretty much falling off your head.

Add a bit of mystery with a pair of dark shades. Whether you got them for free at the state fair or actually spent some money to get legit Ray-Bans, just cover your eyes at all times. Inside, outside, daytime, nighttime.

O.K., now here’s the absolute most important part—plaid flannel. Nobody knows why, but wearing plaid has a way of making you look like an individual, especially in a group of flannel-clad hipsters. You’ll look like somebody who just came back from a camping trip or wishes they were at a campfire, neither of which is likely true.

Footwear is a little less strict, but old dress shoes, thrift store penny loafers, or boots with a bit of fancy fringe will do the trick.

GEN ME

Hot or cold, wear a scarf or bandana. Whether it’s super baggy or a bit more clean-cut, a scarf is an important tool to use to fit in stand out. Get some Native American prints in there if you want, like feathers and bison, as a metaphor for your “I discovered this first” personality.

—Patty Grover

Finishing touches should include any combination of the following: —Coffee cup, especially of a popular cafe. (You liked it first, right?) —Vintage camera, if you wish you were an artist. Warning, film ain’t cheap. —Get a smartphone. iPhones are best for individualizing. Having Instagram is a super bonus. Take pictures of your food because nobody does that and everyone will love looking at your mac and cheese. —Carry a record, or five, from some obscure band you “love” that nobody else has ever heard of. Bonus if it’s actually a Jane Fonda workout record, because who gets fit in the gym anymore? That’s so last gen.

Pants are yet another important tool to help you identify your individuality. They’ve gotta be skinny, and the tighter the better. Bright colors are a bonus.

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

Love.com

YES, THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT.

fter serving in Afghanistan for three months and traveling around Europe for another month, 23-year-old Brent Olson has finally returned back to his old life in Duluth, Minn. Although happy to be home, Olson was missing one thing: a girlfriend. His solution? Downloading the popular dating application, Tinder, on his iPhone to meet a special someone. “After a couple weeks of scrolling through and either swiping yes or no, I swiped the right yes,” Olson says, referring to his decision to chat with St. Scholastica student Amy Heilman. Now, a month after chatting through the application, Olson and his Tinder lady are dating. According to a study in 2013 by Experian, U.S. smartphone users spend 16 percent of their time on social networks, 20 percent texting, and nine percent emailing. During this era of technology, people have utilized their smartphones, tablets, and laptops for more than just scholarly research—they’ve begun searching for love. With the use of dating sites and various social media forums such as Facebook, users can learn about other people based on their profiles. Many of these sites allow users to learn if the other person is single, what their interests are, and what they look like. Tai Mendenhall, a medical family therapist and teacher of the intimate relationships class at the University of Minnesota, believes that social dating sites can help

—Kelsey Schwartz

By Brooke Binsfield

save a lot of time when getting to know someone. “You already know if the person is a dog or cat person, no need to waste a first date on someone who you know instantly is wrong for you,” Mendenhall says. While dating sites and applications are great for meeting people online, social media sites are also used to help keep long-distance relationships feel, well, not so long-distance. These sites can help couples stay up to date on what their significant other is doing by viewing posts, pictures, and what other people are posting about their counterpart. But for some, technology isn’t enough. After dating for four years and trying to keep their three-hour long-distance relationship alive, University of Minnesota sophomore Aspen Lundeen has broken up with her boyfriend, Alex. “Social media helped at first when I moved away,” Lundeen says. “It was a way I could still see him and talk to him without being there. But after a while, it just wasn’t enough and it felt different when we were actually together.” According to Mendenhall, this loss of physical connection is becoming a more common trend with the increase of social dating applications, websites, and social

media forums. In-person flirting has begun to decrease among the technologically savvy, and unfortunately technology can’t provide the same feelings as real human contact and effort. “Although one of the most romantic things you can get is a random ‘I love you’ text, there is something about the actual effort it takes to write a handwritten note,” Mendenhall says. “It means more, and can’t be sent to 20 other people at the same time.” Despite the warnings about being scammed by a fake account, chances of an awkward first encounter, and potentially having your heart broken, these fun and interactive sites continue to be a growing trend, spreading from friend to friend, and group to group. “All my friends were doing it, so I decided, why not?” Olson says about making the choice to join Tinder. And although Olson does not know many others with his same luck on the dating app, his optimism about the online dating idea seems to be shared by many, enough to keep online dating a growing movement. “I’m the only one I know who’s actually benefited from Tinder,” he says. “But I mean, who knows, there are new dating apps and sites everyday.” ■

FALL 2013

Me, My Selfie, and I DOES VIEWING YOURSELF THROUGH A FILTER DISTORT YOUR REALITY?

By Nicola Harger

e all know it when we see it. It’s the head tilt, duck face, and stylish outfit— complete with either an inspirational quote or a fun-loving caption like, “Feelin’ happy!” or “So bored. #nomakeup.” Enter the stereotypical (hashtag optional) selfie. There are 150 million monthly active users on Instagram, and more than 137,788,000 posts are tagged “#me.” Along with pretty food, significant others, and Starbucks, the selfie has taken its place within the billions of photos on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Even the Wall Street Journal featured an article with how-to selfie tips in a June 2012 article. In fact, selfies are more influential than we realize, impacting not only how we perceive ourselves but also the impression we have of the people around us. Instagrammer Lacey Braun, a public relations major at the University of Minnesota, says she will take a selfie when she looks really good. “I want others to know,” she says. “It’s the classic line, ‘Pic or it didn’t happen’ kind of situation. If my makeup looks really good that day, I want to pictorially document that.” Some people see selfies as an insight into people’s lives and emotional health. “I take selfies at least four times a week,”

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says Rachel Hakala, a student studying fashion marketing and management at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. “I do not want to forget the struggles I have overcome or the happiness I have experienced. Taking selfies is an easy, subtle way to remember those moments.” But experts say taking and posting selfies might be more harmful to our emotional health than we think it is. “Selfies draw so much attention to yourself that they can become disruptive to one’s sense of identity,” says Dr. Kate Hathaway, a

“IT’S EASY TO MAKE QUICK JUDGMENTS ABOUT A PERSON THROUGH THEIR SELFIES WITHOUT KNOWING THEM.” clinical psychologist and faculty member at the University of Minnesota. She says that focusing too much on oneself can lead to selfishness, an inflated ego, and a greater sense of entitlement—common stereotypes of millennials. “If a large percentage of the population starts to believe all of this, it’s not a good direction for us to go,” she says. Alisa Nelson, founder and personal fitness trainer at Strengthni, says she started to post workout selfies when she saw selfie posts from other fitness professionals. But when she started to receive a lot of negative feedback from her

followers, she realized that her posts were being misread. “It’s easy to make quick judgments about a person through their selfies without knowing them,” she says. Some posts’ messages seem to be clearer than others. Olympia Nelson, a 16-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, unveils the dark side of selfies in an opinion piece for The Age magazine that made headlines earlier this year. Nelson’s words hit hard: “On these ubiquitous portals, the popularity of girls is hotly contested over one big deal—how sexy can I appear and bring it off with everyone’s admiration? That’s the reason we see mirror shots, pouting self-portraits of teenagers (typically female) and sexually-posed girls in a mini-dress ’before a party last night.’ They’re showing how much they like themselves and hoping that you’ll

Lacey Braun poses for a selfie in her winter headband before posting it to Instagram.

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

Dr. Hathaway says this can be detrimental to one’s well-being. She currently teaches a class that helps students focus on themselves and their well-being in the context of the systems around them, not just on themselves. “Dressing yourself up for a photo for social media can project a physical image of self,” she explains. “There is a huge influence to look a certain way, and this can create distress.” This is where self-esteem may come into play. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Psychologist Jill Weber, Ph.D., said self-esteem could easily be intertwined with comments and likes on a posted selfie. Others agree. “When I receive a lot of likes on my selfies, it makes me feel pretty or stylish,” Hakala says. “If I don’t receive very many likes on a selfie, I think, ‘I must not look as good as I thought I did,’ or ‘Maybe people don’t like this outfit choice.’ I can see that if someone didn’t have a strong emotional status, their self-esteem could really be damaged by feedback, or lack thereof.” Those who view selfies can also be affected. “Sometimes I am insecure when looking at

Above: Rachel hit ‘like’ to reinforce the claim.” Hakala takes a selfie to show Chris Gitzel, a music stuoff her outfit. dent at North Central University, says he sees insecurity and a need for validation from others when he sees Instagrammers posting selfies. “I actually lose respect for people who post selfies on a regular basis,” he says. “There is something fascinating about the selfie as an insight into exactly how the young people involved would like to be seen,” a Canberra Times article reported. “They are intimate self-portraits, and yet they’re artificial. It is common for those posting selfies to make a comment about being “THERE IS A HUGE INFLUENCE TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY, AND bored, making what THIS CAN CREATE DISTRESS.” they are doing seem nonchalant, and yet they usually seem to be posed.” Social media profiles give us the opportunity to brand ourselves with whatever we choose, and an attractive selfie makes the face of your brand.

other people’s selfies because they are taking photos of themselves in their best states, and I see myself in all states,” says Jade Beauclair, a senior at the University of Minnesota. “I compare my whole appearance to their best appearances.” The concept of “posting your perfect life” is familiar to many, and may be part of the reason selfies are so influential in millennials’ lives today. “You take a photo and edit it, crop it into a square, put a filter on it and post the best version online. It’s like you’re performing for people, showing only the best parts of your life,” Braun says. Each of us has the liberty to determine the significance that selfies play in our lives, and we can choose to either bind or free our identity from the number of likes, comments, and comparisons that are all intertwined within the influence of selfie posts. “It’s a depraved world—a girl who posts photos of her butt gets more likes than those who do not post photos like that,” says Alisa Nelson. “That’s what it takes to be known, to compromise in that way.” ■

Lacey Braun takes a selfie in trendy hipster glasses.

FALL 2013

Facebook Family Tree

AS YOUNG PEOPLE THRIVE ONLINE, OLDER GENERATIONS BECOME MORE ACTIVE ON THE WEB.

By Sara Potzmann

illennials, it’s true, are very tech-savvy. They know the ins and outs of social media so well that they have the inside track for many tech-related career opportunities. But those advantages may not last as older generations become increasingly active online. The Pew Research Center states that 86 percent of Facebook users are aged 18 to 29, and 35 percent are 65 years or older. While different generations are using social media, the way they use sites like Facebook tends to differ. Shayla Thiel-Stern, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, teaches New Media and Culture, a class that discusses social media and its implications in society. She says the largest difference between college-aged adults and adults 60 years and older is the way in which the two generations use Facebook. “From my own research and observations, I have noticed that college students tend to use Facebook as a part of their daily lives—a space to check in more than once a day, even if they do not actually post something,” Stern says. “Older generations, particularly in the 60 and older group, don't already have such habits established.” She says parents are more likely to check their Facebook

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pages once a day, while most grandparents don’t use social media as part of their daily lives. Many young people add their parents and other family members as friends on Facebook. While it can be a good way to keep in touch, some-

“I DON’T WANT ANY OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS THINKING LESS OF ME BECAUSE I CHOSE TO USE PROFANITY.” times they feel the need to censor themselves for the sake of their family relationships. Madeline Uphus, a Minnesota native who attends college in Washington, uses Facebook more than any other social media site. Uphus says she’s friends with all of her family members, even her grandmother. She says sometimes it’s difficult to express herself on social media because of her family. “There are some jokes that I may post that my mom doesn’t get, and I’ll have to explain in person,” she says. “Or I may want to say something vulgar, and my grandma is online.” Madeline’s mother, Carrie Uphus, says she uses Facebook to keep in touch with her old friends, and she’s also friends with her children, her hus-

band, and her parents. She says she’s careful about what she puts online, and she believes her kids are, too. “I do limit how much I post and what I post as I don't believe the world is that interested in my life,” she says. “I think my kids feel pretty much the same way.” Madeline says she has no problem using profanity online, but she chooses not to, worrying that her family would disapprove. “I don’t want any of my family members thinking less of me because I chose to use profanity, even though I occasionally want to,” she says. Thiel-Stern says this self-censorship is nothing new. Younger people like Uphus understand the privacy settings and know how to keep their family members from seeing certain things. “They might save their more risqué photos for Snapchat and Instagram and post more ‘family friendly’ content on Facebook,” she says. ■

Madeline Uphus and her mother, Carrie, taking a selfie together.

GENME.SJMC.UMN.EDU

Back in My Day

HOW DIFFERENT GENERATIONS ADJUST TO THE TIMES. By Jessica Lee

Dorothy Lee, 85, is a retired travel agent who grew up in Jordan, Minn. She says when she was a kid, gas cost about 12 cents a gallon and a movie ticket was 20 cents.

Q: When did you get your first

cell phone? A: In 2005. I was 78 years old. Q: What was the most significant thing that happened in technology when you were a kid? A: The beginning of radio. Q: How old were you when you got your first job? A: 12. Q: What was that job and how much did it pay? A: Baby-sitting for $18 a month. Q: What did you do for fun as a child? A: Played cards with friends. Q: When did you first learn how to use a computer? A: 20 years ago in my 60s. Q: When did you first buy a computer for your home, and did it have Internet? A: In my early 70s, and yes. Q: Is there anything kids these days have that you wish you had during your childhood? A: Electric lights. Q: What is one thing from your youth that kids these days don’t have? A: The security of a safe society.

Keith Moyer is a 61-year-old journalism professor at the University of Minnesota. He grew up in Florida where he attended the University of Florida, and he remembers that gas cost 19 cents a gallon and a movie ticket was 50 cents.

Q: When did you get your first

cell phone? A: 1989. I got my first smartphone in 2002. Q: What was the most significant thing that happened in technology when you were a kid? A: Landing a man on the moon. Q: How old were you when you got your first job? A: 14. Q: What was that job and how much did it pay? A: Bag boy at a grocery store for $1.15 an hour. Q: What did you do for fun as a child? A: Collected baseball cards and went surfing.

Q: When did you first learn how

to use a computer? A: In 1977, but it was more of a word processor. Q: When did you first buy a computer for your home, and did it have Internet? A: The late ‘80s, and no. Q: Is there anything kids these days have that you wish you had during your childhood? A: The immediate access to facts that kids have through the Internet. Q: What is one thing from your youth that kids these days don’t have? A: Innocence. Children are growing up too fast nowadays. Shannon McKee, 23, has a degree in psychology from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. McKee grew up in Minnetonka, Minn., where gas used to cost $1.75 and a movie ticket was $5.

Q: When did you get your first

cell phone? A: The summer after eighth grade. Q: What was the most significant thing that happened in technology when you were a kid? A: The Internet. Q: How old were you when you got your first job? A: 15. Q: What was that job and how much did it pay? A: I worked at Abercrombie for $7.25 an hour. Q: What did you do for fun as a child?

A: Played outside, read, and

went to my cabin. Q: Growing up, did you have a computer with Internet in your home? A: Yes. Q: Is there anything kids these days have that you wish you had during your childhood? A: No. Q: What is one thing from your youth that kids these days don’t have? A: Kids these days don’t play outside as much as I did when I was a kid.

FALL 2013

Don’t Hate the Player IS INCREASED PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN YOUTH SPORTS CHANGING THE GAME?

By Nicole Wait

mma Waterworth’s passion for sports helped her learn how to work through adversity. Unfortunately, the varsity basketball player’s love for the game gradually declined due to team problems that spiraled out of control. That’s when one set of parents on Waterworth’s basketball squad got so involved in making sure their child was the star that it created a rift in the team. “This girl was willing to let the team lose a game as long as she was leading scorer and she made the headlines of the paper because of the pressure put on by her parents,” Waterworth says. The stereotype that the millennial generation is more entitled than previous generations has made its way into youth sports. This culture consists of athletes who believe that participation is an automatic guarantee to playing time, parents who coach from the sidelines, and players who challenge authority and rely on parents to fight their battles. There are plenty of benefits to joining a sports team. More than physical activity, sports give youth a chance to experience competition and develop skills that they can take with them into adulthood. Participating in sports allows youth to experience failure and grow from it. It teaches them

GEN ME

the value of working hard and teamwork. Developing these traits can provide a strong foundation for youth to grow and become successful individuals in a world of harsh realities. Maybe that’s why according to a 2010 study by the Child Study Center, 30 to 45 million kids ages 6 through 18 participate in at least one school or community-based athletic program. “I think that sport can be a tremendous asset for people to learn those skills, but they have to be put in situations where they are challenged and they can fail,” says Dr. Justin Anderson, a licensed psychologist who specializes in sports psychology at the University of Minnesota. Anderson, who has worked with athletes, coaches, and teams of all competitive levels, says youth sports today are fixated on the wrong components of athletics.

“THIS GIRL WAS WILLING TO LET THE TEAM LOSE A GAME AS LONG AS SHE WAS LEADING SCORER AND SHE MADE THE HEADLINES OF THE PAPER BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE PUT ON BY HER PARENTS.” “The biggest mistake that we have made as a culture is that we are so focused on outcome, that we have lost the ability to work through the conflict or the issues,” Anderson says. “What that does is create

people who give up the first time they hit adversity.” He attributes this shift in attitude to something bigger than sports, explaining that it starts in the family unit. In general, the Baby Boomers didn’t have to sacrifice the way their parents’ generation did, and they became wealthy pretty quickly, Anderson says. That’s where he believes it started: Because the Baby Boomers had more than their parents, they want their kids to have even more. “It has created this society that thinks we should always do more and we should always be more successful,” Anderson says. “I think that’s going to be hard to do.” Jeff Duke, who leads a postgraduate program in coaching at the University of Central Florida, attributes this shift in culture to the breakdown of the American family in the last two generations. “If you look at the history of civilization, we have now created two generations of entitlement,” Duke says. “We have become absorbed with self and that has migrated to sports.” Duke believes that many parents are enthralled with their kids doing something great at a young age and being measured by it. Their child’s success in sports gives them a chance to validate themselves as parents, he says. Dr. Nicole LaVoi, an educa-

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She says these complaints about playing sports, but the come from parents who are ansituation took a sport I loved gry their child did not make the and made me no longer want to varsity team, or questioning why play it,” Waterworth says. their child is not in the front row. Duke says it is understand“Don’t get me wrong, I like able for parents to want to see to win,” says Linda Wharrem, their children succeed. But even the mother of two children who are involved in sports. “But parents want to win at all “WE LOST WHAT THE GREATEST costs and youth do not want THING IS ABOUT PLAYING SPORTS.” to disappoint them, which can create conflict.” Wharrem says she has though the intentions are good, witnessed parents placing far too the pressure to be the best has much emphasis on winning, but surpassed the importance of that parents today are also facing developing skills and learning to tremendous amounts of pressure deal with winning and losing. to constantly be great and pro“We lost what the greatest duce results. She says in many thing is about playing sports,” cases this pressure is ultimately Duke says. “We work in sports passed on to the children. now. When you no longer play As a parent, Wharrem bethe sport, you lose the essence of lieves that her role is to provide what it is to enjoy the journey.” ■ encouragement, help develop goals, and just enjoy watching her children excel or participate at any level. Duke says an athlete’s development in the sport and their ability to pick themselves up after failing are what both parents and coaches need to focus on developing and evaluating. When the focus strays away from this, a situation like Waterworth’s is likely to occur. “I try to remember the best

—Patty Grover

tion specialist at the University of Minnesota, has conducted research that focuses on the effects of adult behaviors in youth sports and the emotional experiences of youth sport parents. “We definitely know that parental involvement in youth sports has increased over the years,” LaVoi says. She believes that part of the problem is that parents’ identities often get wrapped up in the athletic success of their children. A lot of parents simply won’t let their kids fail at youth sports, she says. “They’re coming from a good place, but oftentimes they forget that a team is made up of everyone’s kids, not just theirs,” Lavoi says. “I think the perspective of, ‘I need to do what is good and right for all the kids on the team,’ is lost for this generation of parents.” “Whether it’s unhealthy or not, I don’t know,” Duke says. “It’s still very young, but we have become such a performance-driven culture, which I don’t think is wrong. But when it becomes how we validate a human being, I think we’re on very dangerous ground.” Duke tells coaches that they have to coach two generations: the athlete and their parent. He says coaches often have to deal with parents who are caught up in “extrinsic motivation,” such as their child’s playing time or the number of trophies they win. Jenna Simpson, the head competitive and performance dance coach for Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., is no stranger to parent complaints. She receives them in every form, including emails, phone calls, and even social media posts.

FALL 2013

Technology Timeout

entertain myself like an ordinary millennial, I went on a walk. I felt entirely off the grid, walking aimlessly with nothing but my ONE MILLENNIAL’S WEEKEND UNPLUGGED. neighborhood as a backdrop. By Patty Grover When we try to find entertainment through our mobile devices, our surroundings disapwasn’t ready to accept the keep me occupied other than my pear. This hadn’t occurred to me fact that we millennials rely thoughts and the young stranguntil I set down my devices and on the Internet and mobile ers at the bus stop, all of whom actually saw my neighborhood devices to get us through the listened to music while hunched for the first time. day. So, as a full-time college over looking at their phones. I On Saturday night, my student with a part-time job and started to feel annoyed by how roommates had a couple of a well-developed social life, I was self-absorbed they all appeared, friends over whom I’d never met up for the challenge of going totally unaware of those around before. We introwithout technology for a weekthem. Sure, I do the same thing duced ourselves end. Three days without a cell any other day, but I never knew and talked for the phone, laptop, tablet, or any Inwhat exactly made older genrest of the night. It ternet use seemed easy. It didn’t erations think we are so selfish. was nice to have take long for that to change. Shocked and a little pissed-off, I ordinary human saw us like that, too. interaction. FRIDAY The rest of the day consistAfter our visiI woke up around 9 a.m. and ed of me regretting not wearing tors left, I couldn’t blindly felt around for my tablet a watch as I looked for clocks help but revert to “I SAT ON THE to read Buzzfeed.com and check and asked people what time it my old ways and Facebook, like I always do. Eyes was everywhere I went, until that COUCH READING turn to Facebook THE NEWSPAPER FOR suddenly wide, I remembered evening when I got back home to find them, to THE REST OF THE all this was off limits for the next to wind down for the night. Of see if I could learn EVENING. WHO DOES three days. I didn’t see myself course, winding down usually anything else about THAT?” as reliant on the Internet or my means more Facebook. The them. Of course, cell phone to get me through urge was ever-present as I eyed I didn’t discover anything new. the day, but then it occurred my laptop sitting on the table. Crap. Did I really just cave for this? to me that the first thing I do Somehow my self-conI asked. Human interaction hadn’t every morning is glue my hand trol took over and I sat on the been enough to make me overto a mobile device. It was then couch reading the newspaper come my habit of looking people that I realized just how hard my for the rest of the evening. Who up on Facebook, and I felt stuck weekend was about to be. does that? in my ways. Late Friday morning, I had to get to work. I didn’t have a bus SATURDAY SUNDAY schedule and certainly couldn’t I couldn’t avoid the web. I felt I was able to get through the look it up online, so I walked to helpless, unable to chat with morning without much problem the closest stop and waited. And friends or Skype with my fianavoiding the weekend’s conwaited. And waited. I had no cée, and I couldn’t even do my traband materials, but then, as clue how much time had passed homework. Okay, so all of my morning wore into afternoon, without my cell phone as a timereading assignments are listed one phone call to the fiancée piece, but it felt like at least half online and my homework needs broke the cycle. My digital fast an hour—an unusual wait time to be turned in online as well, I was officially over. I easily slipped for the bus on a weekday. Even fretted. How am I supposed to back into technology’s grasp. ■ worse, I couldn’t call my boss to get anything done? Anxiety took tell him I might be late. control and I panicked. Maybe it felt so long beLater that afternoon, unable cause I didn’t have something to to work on anything for school or

GEN ME

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â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nicola Harger

#mission

Gen Me magazine and website is a cultural catalyst. From entertainment to world affairs, work ethic to style, design to society, it provokes and drives the popular dialogue surrounding the millennial generation. Gen Me is driven to explore, dissect, accept or reject the stereotypes of its generation through stunning visuals that reflect current trends, in-depth reporting of stories, and interactive web content. Gen Me is a voice for the often misunderstood â&#x20AC;&#x153;me generation.â&#x20AC;? It leaps headfirst into the stereotypes of millennials, providing honest reflection of what we are and what we are not. We strive to inspire and challenge readers of all generations to see things differently, in both themselves and in us.

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