I'm a Gen-Xer trying to wrap my head around the prevalence of blogging among Gen Y. There's a deep philisophical divide between Gens X and Y, which makes the self-indulgence of this pursuit seem wasteful and hollow to me. I'm enjoying it, to be sure, but I do feel slightly guilty about time spent pontificating. Why should anyone care what any of us have to say?
First, a few definitions, to make sure we're all on the same page. Gen Y is the under-30 set. The youngest Gen-Y's are generally considered to be those born in 2000 (making them 8 today). These younger members of Gen Y are often called "Millenials." Gen X is the group born between the years 1964 and 1982.
Gen X was the latch-key generation. We grew up in empty houses while our parents worked. We made our own snacks, did our own homework, and learned to entertain and motivate ourselves. We want to be left alone and will work hard with no expectation of recognition. We want personally fulfilling occupations, and we don't want to be told what to do.
Gen Y, on the other hand, is special. Each and every one of them. They're the self-esteem generation, and they're all destined for greatness, which makes greatness the new average. They had helicopter parents. A USA Today article about Gen Y in the workplace notes, "Unlike the generations that have gone before them, Gen Y has been pampered, nurtured and programmed with a slew of activities since they were toddlers, meaning they are both high-performance and high-maintenance... They also believe in their own worth."
I'm not arguing that one Gen is better than the other. I'm simply focusing the lenses through which the two groups view the world. I also recognize that these are generalizations, and that there are individuals in both groups who don't fit the descriptions above.
That said, I will now go all meta on you for a moment. Why do we blog? What is the benefit of my opinion floating around the Interweb? As a Gen Xer, I often feel that reading other people's opinions is a waste of time. My peers are not that special, in my mind, unless they have proven themselves to be a leader in their field. I would expect that they would have the same opinion regarding me. I value self-reliance and the ability to cut to the chase, find the expert, get the answer, test the answer (because I don't like being told what to do, remember), and move on. This whole pursuit is uncomfortable to me, because I am not the authority on anything.
It seems that for Gen Y, sharing one's two cents is somehow life-affirming. What am I not understanding about this premium on networking? Anyone want to share? Of course you do!
I began blogging just recently because it was encouraged by my mass media professor. Blogging, she explained, began so that others could post their information, their news, their facts, to others throughout the world. Just as people look to different television stations for different aspects of news, people can look through blogs for various opinions on issues. And Yes, people use blogs to express emotions, their feelings, or even give dull or overindulging details of their personal lives. But that their choice, just as it is for people to read or to even care about their reading. I usually only read blogs about issues that are important but I am glad I took the time to read yours because it provided me a view point I had not taken on my own generation. Thank you for bringing this to light for me.
I'll admit that it is sort of an exaggerated generalization of the generation gap, but it is a complicated concept to encapsulate in 200 or so words. I'm glad you weren't offended by anything I said. I was worried that people might take these impressions as an indictment. They're really just musings.
Thanks for the feedback.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Do keep in mine that 200 is the minimum. If you need more, take it.
That said, ChillBill pretty much hit the nail on the head with the fact that blogging has caught on so well because it's interactive. With newspapers, you send in a letter and hope it gets published with the 10 or 20 or 30 other letters that were lucky enough to make it to print. With blogs, you can post what you want and have it seen when you want, so your opinion on matters is at least out there (now, whether or not people read it is a different story, but that usually depends on how well it's written).
There are actually a lot of people that believe that blogging will replace newspapers and news shows as people's primary sources of getting the news. Why? Because there isn't the mass media agenda attached to someone's blog, plus you get their opinion on it. The newspaper and TV will still exist, but more of an after-the-fact thing.
It'll be interesting to see how things unfold over the next decade or so.
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
When you say important, do you mean...to you? I've posted about my personal life, and generally i know its because i know that there are people who will read it and understand what im going through or maybe even have a helpful piece of info.
"Prefiero morir parada que vivir la vida en mis rodillas"
The internet is a communications breakthrough. Blogging is just a small part of that, but think about what preceded it. TV, Radio, Magazines and Books are all one way or client server architecture. Blogging is P2P. Decentralized and two way. Each author has a smaller audience, but that audience is able to respond. This changes the mind set and approach to questions of all of us.
The Ys you describe are more fully immersed in this, while we Xs are more likely to see it as a new and different thing. Where this leads is mysterious. Obviously a community of this sort is much broader than any at the local coffee house, church, school, or Barroom. People from diverse geographies come together that never would have, but also people feel free to express their thoughts more openly from the anonymous safety of their PC.
I tend to think that within a generation or two the consciousness of every person will be affected. Those looking back will have difficulty even imagining how we could all be so provincial. Gen Y may already be looking at us that way.
A Fact is Always Better Than an Ideal.
That is a REALLY good point. I hadn't thought of that.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
When I started a blog, my answer would have been "to keep in touch with friends who were moving away to college." Since then, it's evolved into much more. I've kept in touch with old friends, like we intended; I've made new friends (both in "real life" and online) and keep in touch with them that way - which is nice if you don't see some of them often or only have free time to catch up late at night, and it's given me an avenue to express my opinions and bounce ideas off people. And, I can share new information I learn. I think that one is the biggest, and information sharing is one of the reasons I read certain blogs. I can learn about certain things - particularly with my busy life - much faster by watching for someone to post about it, instead of combing through multiple news sites for articles of interest.
I've never had an interest in blogging, except when i post my artwork, or to view other peoples artwork. A couple of years ago i had a myspace page and it was like..ok..thanks for the update on finding out about your vd.(just one of the many pointless blogs id see posted on peoples pages). I posted one blog that didnt include any of my work, other than that i didnt do it. I only did it then so that those i felt were more experienced than me can share their views and help me out a little. I really only started blogging on here for the scholarship thing, but its kind of fun to see how people react to each other when there are no barriers. Plus, im always up for taking advice. If i had a better idea i would never ask to begin.
"Prefiero morir parada que vivir la vida en mis rodillas"
I've never had an interest in blogging, except when i post my artwork, or to view other peoples artwork. A couple of years ago i had a myspace page and it was like..ok..thanks for the update on finding out about your vd.(just one of the many pointless blogs id see posted on peoples pages). I posted one blog that didnt include any of my work, other than that i didnt do it. I only did it then so that those i felt were more experienced than me can share their views and help me out a little. I really only started blogging on here for the scholarship thing, but its kind of fun to see how people react to each other when there are no barriers. Plus, im always up for taking advice. If i had a better idea i would never ask to begin.
"Prefiero morir parada que vivir la vida en mis rodillas"