Millennials: The Natural Fit for Automation
The most-talked about generation (mainly due to ourselves) are on the verge of being swallowed up by the incoming trend of automation. This is not some silly prediction, no no, it's a development that’s happening right now. But will we—poor millennials—be able to handle that brutal new world?
“Yes, many Millennials are still crashing on their parent’s couches. And there’s data to support the claim that they generally want more perks but less face time, and that they hope to rise quickly but don’t stick around for very long. Millennials have also been pretty vocal about their desire to have more flexible jobs and more leave time.”
Okay, so that's not all bad. In fact, automation displacing jobs, robots taking over certain tasks, and millennials with a desire to become more flexible and have more time off… that seems like quite the match.
“Because we live in a society increasingly shaped by tech. Automation will take over many of the tasks previously assigned to people. And the youth of today (and tomorrow) will have no problem transitioning into that situation. Already used to juggling flexible hours at the two or more jobs they’re working, the school or university they’re studying and the intense social schedules they’re following; their entire lives are formed by on-demand.”
But let’s dig a little deeper. Millennials are seemingly flexible, but are they also antifragile? Can they thrive from chaos? And if that's so, does that make millennials the perfect generation to surf on the wave of automation? Well, if we look at some of the traits… that might just be the case.
A non-exhaustive list of traits:
- tech(nological) natives Whether millennials are actually interested in it or not, our lives are completely engulfed in technology. We estimate that there are only a few outliers left who don’t own a mobile phone, who’ve never seen HTML, or cannot distinguish a Mac from a PC.
TRAITS: not scared of technological developments, are early adopters, quick to see the use of a new product - gamers 4 life Not every millennial is a hardcore gamer hooked up to PlayStation Network 24/7, but every millennial is most certainly a gamer. Try stealing a phone of a millennial and chances are you stumble right into a game of Blossom Blast Saga, Clash of Clans or Hay Day.
TRAITS: used to competition, always forced to think fast, and ready to work together with complete strangers (they may not like) for a bigger goal - red bull slurpers The drink of choice for every self-respecting student or programmer is of course Red Bull or the many variants of it. Ideal for a quick energy boost. Very bad for your overall health. Still, those caffeine bombs give us a much needed upgrade (gamificiation!) when we need one.
TRAITS: okay with on-demand energy boosts, no problem with chaotic information and schedules, love fast-paced projects - social network addicts The generation to grow up with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat, LINE, etc…. Our acquaintances are forever linked to us through ‘friendships’, follows and connections. Millennials don’t know any better than that everyone can be contacted DIRECTLY whenever, wherever necessary.
TRAITS: know loose connections are not lost connections, practical about digital ‘friends’, always aware of peers ranking up in the professional world - walking personal brands Building up a resume of your interesting life has never been more easier. We millennials know how to brand ourselves by making everything—from dinner to bowling—a larger-than-life event. It’s all about perception! And the right lighting, of course.
TRAITS: able to produce their own media-coverage, understand how perception works, can make something out of nothing - global citizens A lot of urban millennials on the Western hemisphere are by default already surrounded by a plethora of cultures. But it goes further. Millennials have this thing called #wanderlust. We navigate the globe with travelhacked tickets, sleeping on couches of strangers, and learning to code in Ruby on the way (uhm… on Rails).
TRAITS: acknowledge differences in each other, value diversity, ready to move their entire livelihood to another continent - individuals The main theme throughout this all is this sense of individuality. Every millennial is unique in their own right. Or so we make the world believe. The personal brand is always prioritized over loyalty to a larger group, employer or whatever. Challenges in life are bottom-up, and not assigned to us from the top.
TRAITS: not afraid to leave the (sinking) ship, opportunistic, everyone is an entrepreneur
We could go on, but the core message should be clear by now. Millennials grow up as one-person-businesses connected to each other through complex technological networks. That makes us vulnerable in a rigid, systematic topdown world. But in a world where all the boring tasks are automated, where supply and demand fluctuate in completely chaotic ways, and the tools to become skilled are open to anyone, millennials have a huge advantage.
In fact, we thrive on uncertainty because we don't know any better. We bootstrap because we know money comes and goes FAST. And we use technology because it empowers us.
In other words: MILLENNIALS, WELCOMING ALL ROBOTS.
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