Imagining Our Future: Defining a Generation
Excerpt and analysis of an interview with a politically engaged college student.
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D: 0.28.17 Alright let’s do it… How old am I? I’m 20 almost 21.
K: Do you consider yourself to be a part of a specific generation?
0.42.00 Of a generation? I’m definitely part of a generation. Um I think the…official term is generation y? I think we’re a part of generation y. Aside from that I’m gonna consider myself part of the digital generation. I definitely think um… yeah… we’re digital natives. I’m part of the generation….. Haha I learned that in mcs 101 with Snyder but nah… it’s true though… I’m a part of the digital generation. We’re the first generation that actually grew up with not you know… we’re the first generation that grew up with already programmed and comprehensive technology teaching us the things that we know about today and… just you know, some older adults they don’t understand it but… it’s just because it’s completely new to them so it’s understandable why they might not.
K: 1.48.00 Is there a reason you didn’t say millennial?
D: 1.54.00 Oh yeah I personally I don’t know about other people but… I think the term millennial is kind of uh… it’s become a… maybe a derogatory term… I think or joke, it definitely used by the older generation as kind of their way… You know… making fun of us but no but honestly i don’t like the term millennial at all I don’t really like labels that much I’m gonna be a hipster here about that but it’s true I don’t really like labels I don’t like to fall in some broad vague category where I can be stereotyped for everything just because I happen to fall in that category. I don’t like the term millennial just because when I think about that term that term has been painted in a bad like… When I think about a millennial i think of stereotypical loud mouth college student who’s always on their phone on some thousand social media websites writing about how bad their life is even though their life is amazing. That’s my entire view of millennials.
K: Do you interact with politics?
D: 3.19.00 Um I definitely did not years ago as much as other people… I mean a lot of people do by association. I think that’s kind of how I got into politics as much as I have. It’s based on association… But I also think it’s kind of a coming of age thing and I think once you get old enough to a point you start to understand it more but it actually becomes a part of your life. You know I’m to the point now where I’m actually paying taxes and so I am kind of… cognizant and understanding and I think it’s important to be understanding of where my taxes are going into and just like what sorts of things I’m not…. I’m a legal adult at this point so politics are important in my life, you know…
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