What’s in a name? Defining “Millennials”
by Taylor Trussell, Stein | December 9th, 2008Anthropologist Grant McCracken makes the observation that “Millennials” is always used by people who aren’t Millennials. While I’m not sure such a broad claim actually holds, it is true that this name was given to this generation, which raises interesting questions for McCracken:
This departs from the youth culture handbook. Normally, each generation assumes the right of self authorship. Thus did Richard Linklater and Douglas Coupland help define the alternative (or “indie”) moment. It is for other, older generations to defer. In our culture, youth always knows better, especially one it comes to naming and claiming itself.
Now, there may be a number of Millennials who are widely seen to be authors and architects of their generation. (And I just know the comments field will fill with smug correction.) But let us observe that “Millennial” was created (I believe) by William Strauss and Neil Howe. When one generation allows itself to be named by another generation, the game is up. Even the alternatives were provided by another generation. I believe The Net Generation was proposed by Don Tapscott. “Generation Y” was proposed for awhile, but this was patently relation and honored that “Generation X” that had come before.
Now, it may be that this is the Millennial difference. They are, some of them, quite happy to embrace a status quo. If someone wants to name them, well, this is just one of the many things they are prepared to live with.
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But I have to say, there is something odd here.
Any Millennials care to respond?
December 11th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Taylor, I enjoyed this post. A question about it. I believe Generation X (the generation I’m happy to claim) was actually named by someone from another generation — someone in England. But Gen Xers actually embraced it once we were old enough to think about it. Do you think the difference is that Gen X sounds cool? Millennial doesn’t? Therefore, they haven’t rushed to embrace it. I asked a group of Emory college students a year or two ago if they knew their generation was called the Millennial Generation and they had no idea… Yet when I was in college in the early 90’s we absolutely claimed Gen X.
December 12th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Interesting. You’re right about the history of the term (this is from Wikipedia):
“In the UK the term was first used in a 1964 study of British youth by Jane Deverson. Deverson was asked by Woman’s Own magazine to conduct a series of interviews with teenagers of the time. The study revealed a generation of teenagers who ’sleep together before they are married, don’t believe in God, dislike the Queen, and don’t respect parents,’ which was deemed unsuitable for the magazine because it was a new phenomenon. Deverson, in an attempt to save her research, worked with Hollywood correspondent Charles Hamblett to create a book about the study. Hamblett decided to name it Generation X.”
I guess Coupland–who I always thought coined the phrase–just took it from Hamblett.
So we, too, were named by another generation. And with that my smug agreement with McCracken’s point quickly gives way to facile dismissal…