How come this paper took me over two tedious month to write, yet I submitted it just a few hours before the deadline? Mainly, I would blame it on the fact that I had not started until the day of the deadline. Through researching curing procrastination, I found myself procrastinating to start the paper at hand. Although it is common for all humans to have traces of procrastination in their lives, these tendencies can be traced more strongly to the newer generation: millennials, generation Y, or the me me me generation. This doesn’t sound very farfetched because we have all heard our parents and grandparents complain about “the lazy entitled new generation.” The world has arguably entered a new era in the past one or two decades, whether it be social, industrial or economic. For example, many people have started to spend their money differently, focusing on experience rather than ownership. 

The argument usually goes, why save all this money and then spend it on something like a big house, when I can just travel instead? For some, this seems completely irrational; of course, spend it on a house because that will strengthen your assets, the payments will build your credit, and countless other reasons. However, for many younger people, aged usually 18-35, this seems like an interesting idea; what am I gaining from working half the time to pay for a big house that I can sit in the other half of the time? This experience based economy has tremendously benefitted many new business models, especially music festivals, which have taken off and have not dropped for a decade. (“Millennials…”)

Why are millennials the driving force in attendance to music festivals? How has the economy, social culture, and mindset changed as a result? How come many fail to accept this switch in mindset? The effects of the new age shift to an experience economy and focus on a more diverse and optimistic outlook on the future in my opinion should be embraced with open arms.

How do music festivals relate to Millennials and why should you care about either one? Music festivals have been growing as an industry for over a decade, which doesn’t seem like much, until you realize that the growth is almost exponential. Hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales and sponsorship revenue in the past few years creates an economic situation where they can no longer be ignored.

Of course, there are negative aspects to everything, including the “next great generation,” such as higher incidence of entitlement, narcissism, and a loss of spirituality. However, the following arguments and data will hopefully help to give a broader picture of the “flaws” of Millennials. Their perceived flaws are what help define them as the Wary Generation, thinking more about long term consequences. They have a higher rate of living at home, not being loyal to the company they work for, and take greater risks separating themselves from traditional roles. There is a general lack of support toward the new generation, however they continue to set new standards that drive our society positively toward the future. Changes in mindset are parallel with the recent growth of music festivals, known for innovative financial models, thriving young culture, and transformational experiences. 

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Why should you care? You have likely never attended a music festival and do not plan on ever attending such an event. Also, these lazy Millennials can continue to complain they don’t get enough recognition, but it won’t matter until they can speak to each other rather than stare at their phones all day. Well, as the promotor of modern day efficiency, Henry Ford, once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

Of course, there is opposition to promoting the actions of the new generation. In the past few decades, since Millennials have been able to go out and enjoy the spectacles of modern day entertainment, music festivals have been the most remarkable. As a result, Millennials have moved from the site of God to the site of music to enjoy the ecstasy of spectacle. As Chanon Ross, coordinator for the Connections Project at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton New Jersey, develops her argument that the new generation requires a large-scale spectacle to be interested in anything nowadays. Ross also delves further into issues associated with supporting the actions of this newer generation, “Music festivals often cultivate the lower appetites, and young people often supplement the experience with alcohol, drugs, and sex.” (Ross)

Megan S. C. Lim, Correspondent at Epidemiology and Population Health Research at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, created a cross-sectional questionnaire of young people (age 16-29) attending a music festival and found that close to 50% of attendees in this age group used illicit drugs in the past month. Compared to the same age group, but not detained to this music festival going cohort, results of the questionnaire were closer to only 18%. (Lim) Statistics such as these, even though they are nine years old, still are significant today, and reinforce the argument that Millennials, so far, are a Lost Generation.

Author of the renowned Time magazine article: “The Me Me Me Generation,” Joel Stein gives the reader plenty of significant statistics and data to support the stereotypes that have been thrown around bashing on millennials. Stein states, “58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982.” They are people that have surveyed and said that they would prefer more recognition for less work, and demand more responsibility just to give up and move on soon after. Statistics such as these may reveal the decision to hate on the new generation since they have more than enough love for themselves, however, these are still the people that will be driving force in our society’s progression. At one point, most people have thought themselves infallible and have been overly optimistic, likely angering the generation that recently experienced the reality of life. It is important to establish common ground, as Moshin Hamid once said, “I think the most effective forms of critique are ones that establish a common ground for people to occupy, and then appeal to the best nature of people on that common ground.”

“You can’t handle the truth!”

In 2014, over half of the attendance at music festivals that year (14.7 million) were millennials. This is not only because they are the largest generation ever be categorized, making up one third of the world’s population. It can be traced to a series of reasons, such as: marketing, mindset, and social media. With Millennials having such a large impact on an ever-expanding market, why are they still so disliked by everyone else? Most will use terms such as “lazy, entitled, selfish, and shallow,” to define what we also call “the next great generation.” It’s counterintuitive, to negatively reinforce those who are now controlling the workforce and many aspects of modern day society.

It is true, millennials are much more likely to have unmet expectations, especially when living in a world that rewards kids for practically existing rather than performance. Parents are encouraged to love their kids, but this love usually evolves to a high self-esteem. Why would a high self-esteem be a negative thing? The lack of affirmation from people around this new generation has led to record numbers of dissatisfied young adults not only in the workforce, but other aspects of society. It is important to recognize the details of this age group, as it is the largest one ever recorded, and will probably remain that way, with age groups now being separated very quickly, depending on what social media platform you were born with. (Bump)

Joel Stein, author of a well-known press article that outlines anti-millennial statistics, changes his tone halfway through to provide personal insight on what the numbers mean. He argues that, “millennials' perceived entitlement isn't a result of overprotection but an adaptation to a world of abundance,” (Stein). Young adults were no longer limited to be a factory worker or a farmer, but rather specialization grew in the thriving technological world, with exponential growth carrying on today. Jobs as a content creator on YouTube did not exist ten years ago, so why settle down when the job will likely change an average of seven times before twenty-six? (Stein)

We can all agree that drug use is higher in attendees of music festivals, the attention span of the younger generation has lessened, and narcissism among millennials is two to three times higher than generations before. However, we could also agree that their lack of empathy stems from an abundance of technology, which in turn makes them more connected than ever before. (“Millennials…”) This social connection has made them much nicer than any generation on record; they are more accepting of people’s differences and don’t see the world as “them v. us”. As the champion of the Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw loves the new generation, calling them the “wary generation” for their cautiousness in life decisions. As a result of this smart planning for the future, millennials have tendencies to be more financially responsible and far-sighted. 

“Here’s Johnny!”

It’s an exciting day, when many people wake up to find their three day passes in the mail for Ultra Music Festival, in Miami, FL. The tickets might have cost $350 and you stressed over them not being sold out in the first few hours, but hell, that’s just a part of the experience. Although, $350 seems like an amazing deal when considering what that ticket entitles to the buyer. A three-day experience with hundreds of thousands of like-minded people in the music capital of the world. (Bottorff) The first part of the day used to rest from the end of the previous day, which might have been sunrise depending on your stamina. Then, going from one multimillion dollar stage to the next, watching world famous performers play their heart out to please the crowd for an hour at a time, all while with your great friends and people met at the event. Of course, this exhausting running and dancing for three days straight is not for the faint of heart, which is why more than half of the fifteen million yearly attendees are young hip people: millennials. (Reddy)

However, some might not agree with spending all week away from work and family just to spend that time drunk, dancing, and care free. Luckily, this millennial generation, known for their financial responsibility, work ethic, and love of experience is far from the lazy drug focused stereotype they are usually known for.

Most would think that millennials are the opposite of financially responsible, however, they have less household debt and credit-card debt than any generation before on record, even though they are battling record high student loans. (Stein) Their financial responsibility stems from their cautious approach to the world, which is appropriate considering the events that they have lived through in a rapidly changing world. Timothy Ferriss discusses in his #1 NY Times Best Selling Book, “The 4 Hour Work Week,” relative income versus absolute income. He states that there are two ways to view income differences. As an example, one person makes $50K per year, while the other makes $100K per year. In terms of absolute income, $100K per year sounds better, seeing as it’s twice as much money. However, when considering other factors, the person making $100K is working eighty hours per week while the person making $50K is working only ten. From this perspective, the lower absolute income person is making $100 per hour compared to the higher absolute income making only $25 per hour. This is what is known as relative income, which is arguably better.

Millennials are striving toward the “new rich,” and no, it is not the Great Gatsby scale wealth when referring to “new rich,” but rather currency defined by time and mobility. (Ferriss) Well, some extra weeks of vacation and shorter Fridays is what everyone working 9-To-5 is striving for, how is this a change? In terms of time and mobility, the conditions are more extreme with this new generation. There is a large movement toward a flex schedule (Levit), led by the workforce of today and tomorrow, millennials. A flex schedule could consist of fully working from home or working self-determined hours, but it will allow more time for things that millennials care most about. A 2014 study from Bentley University has found that work does not define millennials like previous generations, but rather what they can do for their family, friends, and community. 

An important factor when considering a work position is how they will be able to continue their skills education, such as working for the General Electric rotation program, allowing new employees to test all aspects of the company to find their interests. (Hyder) A corporate office environment that is declining, coupled with the reduced employment costs for the employer, flex schedules are growing hastily. It is likely that they will become a business practice rather than an outlier maybe within the decade.

The job is now less about the paycheck and more about the experience. This is seen in almost every industry that has millennials as a customer. Writer for Forbes, Jeff Fromm, focuses on brands in the coffee industry. When Fromm asked owner of a growing coffee shop in Southern California, why is the brand focusing on millennials, Adam Tabachnikoff, owner, answered, “Millennials are looking for more than just a cup of coffee or tea. They are looking for an experience, an escape from their daily grind.” The farm to table industry is growing, putting more emphasis on the chefs as investigators and innovators, adding to their skills of cooking. Consumers are searching for the brand that sticks out, the one that cares about the customers, the employees, and the environment, among other factors. 

Experience is the key for success, happiness, and a long life for this new optimistic generation. Most millennials have very high hopes for the future, even when considering the state of environmental decline, political tensions, and economic instability. (“Millennials…”) The stress of the world has not brought down the life expectancy, but rather has improved it. A greater life expectancy has the effect delaying huge life choices. People are getting married years later than they did just forty years ago, and many women can get pregnant in their 40’s now, allowing for longer dating lives for many people. (Stein) Some of these changes play a pivotal role in the attendance of big events and shopping in the experience economy. 

The use of drugs and alcohol, and having indiscriminate sex is more rampant with the millennial generation, but can be better understood when considering the advances society has made in the past few decades. People no longer have to sacrifice their 20’s to start a family with longer life expectancy and pregnancy windows. Marijuana usage, along with legality, is on the rise, with over 60% of people supporting federal legalization in the United States in 2017. Massive industries, primarily Anheuser-Busch have taken to sponsoring music festivals to support the experience of the event and fill their pockets. Even with all the challenges standing in the way of progress for this new generation, they continue to grow and improve.

“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

A broader picture of a millennial will hopefully allow for more understanding, empathy, and comradery in a time with plentiful growing pains. An experience seeking, nice, financially responsible twenty-six-year-old at a coffee shop known for its organic beans and kind staff, tweeting about the upcoming events they’ll be attending is the future. They will eventually be outpaced by another more skilled generation, but isn’t that the goal? Millennials are striving to leave a legacy that accentuates the things they hold most important. Data about the entitlement and lack of empathy plaguing the “Lost Generation,” is mostly true stand-alone, however to get the full picture, watching someone overcome a challenge will define them truly. A generation that wasn’t “cool” enough to part of Generation X is now the largest group to be ever categorized, making up almost a third of the world’s population, and everyone’s watching.
