What Is My Generation Like?

What Is My Generation Like?

-A Comparison of American “Millennial” Generation to Japan -

Kiyotaka ISHIKAWA

“Millennials” mean an American generation born in 1980s and onward and so include me, whose characteristics are generally described as narcissistic, self-centered, and lack of establishment*. These trends in personality seem more or less common in young people over nationalities who grew up with social networks that enable them self-branding. However, there are various way to adapt this personal preference into society in different culture, and Japan have come up with totally different application from how Americans have done. 

What do Millennials do?

The most characteristic behavior among Millennials is easily found everywhere on the Internet. They constantly hold their camera built in the smart-phones, take pictures of themselves, and post them on the SNS they belong to. When they hung up with friends, they prefer to be surrounded by peers in similar age, but never pay full attention to conversations even at bars because they are seriously anxious about whether they might miss out something better on the SNS timelines. 

Another mental aspect of Millennials is that they have relatively better relationship with their parents than any other previous generations do; in turn, they show stronger dependency on their parents over housing, finance, and decision making at important stage of life. 

Socially, although they look active as observed on the Internet, they have less opportunities to communicate with the older generations. This is partly because society has been innovated into empowering individuals by the emerging Internet-based technology, which allows people to create small (sometimes game-changing) business out of corporations. 

What are social aspects in Japanese youth?

While mental changes by the emergence of social network services are not only in the United States, some changes are quite differently applied into the young in Japan. 

For one thing, widespread smartphones and real-time communication apps among teenagers have made them rather more unselfish than when I was in the ages. They are required immediate response to their friends’ post on the timeline even after school hours, with “marked as read,” “Like,” or something. Otherwise, the friends will think they do not “Like” it, and, at worst, they will find they are alone at school next day. 

Once lost a good distance from friends, the 24h/7d relationship within people at school ages, in turn, bring with mental troubles, severe bullying, and poor achievement in study. Such a social aspect might be seen over every generation in Japan, but it is remarkable among vulnerable ages like teenagers because they are on the process of mental growth and in the closed community.  

*Article from TIME issued May 20, 2013