Who Are the Millennials?

As a member of the Generation of X, I feel like I know a little bit about people my age.  The generation before us, the Baby Boomers, have been written about far too much, so everyone knows about them (and is probably sick of them).  However, who are the Millennials?  This generation, whose parents are mostly Baby Boomers, are hard to define.  However, given that they are now in their 20s up to around 30, we marketers can’t ignore them.  Yahoo News recently re-published a story that tried to define them, and in my view did a pretty good job.  Here’s how Yahoo describes the Millennials:

  1. They’re natural entrepreneurs…
  2. …But they aren’t acting on whatever entrepreneurial instincts they have
  3. They’re spendthrifts…
  4. …And they’re broke
  5. They’re socialists
  6. They’re narcissistic
  7. They’re politically engaged
  8. They’re less religious
  9. They’re stressed out

You can check out the full article for more explanation of that list.  Obviously each of these doesn’t describe EVERY Millennial, but overall I’d say it’s fair, based on my observations.  I might add one more — They’re connected.  More than any other generation, this one is likely to be found with its eyes glued to a smartphone or tablet.

What do you think?  Let me know in comments.