Millennials: The Self-Entitled Path?

Is the very vocal critique of Millennials, as ‘self-entitled’, seeking reward for participation & on-demand gratification – as well as demanding “avocado smash” – constructively guiding, or slowing them down in their own path?

For an insight, we interviewed four successful millennial entrepreneurs: Kym Huynh (WeTeachMe), Ally Watson (Code Like A Girl), Nick La (WePloy) and Shahirah Gardner (Finch Australia).

What’s In A Critique

Each ‘next generation’ has an in-built drive to simplify, short cut or abandon ways of preceding generations, always exploring new approaches. Take labour saving devices such as washing machines. 40 years ago you filled it with a hose, washed the sheets first, then colours second to recycle the water – not to save water, to save time. It would then be drained it with a hose, all-in taking half a day’s effort.

Should we be deemed as self-entitled in the eyes of prior generations, because it’s now the press of a button, so that we can spend our time in other ways?

Simon Sinek observed that Millennials are often referred to as an impatient generation, seeking instant gratification. Though he proposed such labelling as potentially stemming from over-simplified parenting strategies, dopamine addictive technology and number-driven corporate environments – rather than the fault of Millennials themselves.

Furthermore, the Millennials we spoke to indicated these ‘critiques’ were not new, citing the same terms appearing in articles 200 years ago, with respect to the then upcoming generation. This more likely suggests a reflection of discomfort for incumbent generations, faced with the loosening social norms and family values associated that comes with the next.

“What may come across as irresponsible, self-entitled, or impulsive is actually a generation that is curious, willing to challenge the status quo, adventurous and ambitious in their own right, but are expressing it in very different ways that can be interpreted differently by other generations”, says Shahirah Gardner.

Kym Huynh noted “Now more than ever I think our generation allows the opportunity for us to demand a ‘why’. Why we do what we do. When you have a ‘why’, output is greater, there’s a willingness to put in longer hours, and go the extra mile to deliver.”

How are Millennials self-entitled for pursuing what they want?

The Why of the Workforce

The exploration of ‘Why’ is seen in the changing nature of work, from freelancers to full-time employees who operate as evening-entrepreneurs.

Despite the increase in people taking an entrepreneurial route, Shahirah cautioned that not everyone has the risk profile to be one. “The talent, the experience, the ambition, the drive – all of that stuff really comes from an individual, and their willingness to learn, their willingness to take the risk, their willingness to fail – you have to prepare to be wrong, a lot, you have to be open to other people’s perspectives, you have to be ready to be challenged.”

Millennials face more workforce inequality than ever before, with a lack of affordable & relevant education, yet heightened competition. When discussing this, participants we spoke to quickly dismissed the mentality of â€˜us vs. them’, opting for human centric and not generational labelled approaches.

Where Millennials do articulate employment preferences, isn’t this what all employees should do? “When people are excited to come to work and they believe in the work they do, and believe in the vision of the company, they’re not tough to manage, they’re not seeking constant validation, because they’re empowered and valued employees of your company”, commented Shahirah. She added that all Companies should want to know what motivates their employees.

The employment landscape has changed. “Jobs that were so freely available to the older generations are now being replaced by automation and machine learning”, commented Ally Watson. Maybe it’s more indicative that employers are slow to catch on. “I think a lot of organisations say ‘we want to attract a lot of this’ but they haven’t changed their processes and ways”, says Nick La.

Is Technology Really The Differentiator?

Technological advancement always delineates some change between generations, but unlikely to be a specific defining factor but a parallel evolution. Though technology is increasingly integrated into our lives, none is more pervasive than social media. With this, Ally Watson observed the negative consequences that strong online imagery has on our mental health.

Exploring this further, a person sharing their public persona is nothing new, but publishing their ‘private face’ of daily life is – historically only shared through trusted relationships. These profiles are routinely optimised for external consumption, exaggerating perceptions of happiness, strength and resilience. The omission of ‘down-time’, bad days and less popular emotions is leading to many peers doubting their own ‘private face’ and comparative stability. The result appears to be increasing rates of depression and, more likely, diminishing trust in societal relationships rather than them strengthening. Respect is earned for what people deliver and represent, not for their peeking at their inner monologues. So does this pervasive filtering of reality in fact contradict Millennials’ search for the ‘Why’?

Increased connectivity and device mobility gives far greater ability for consumer behaviours to be influenced, with dopamine addictions intentionally targeted. Beyond the constant encouragement to follow ‘private faces’, this is seen in the casino-esq. features, such as Likes, love-hearts, and even Netflix’ automated 5 second countdown button “Next episode…” to prompt continual use.

While cautioning the path we’re on, Ally likened this pattern to other regulated aspects of society. “It is kind of scary, but as humans I think we’ll always make sure we fix this stuff before we move on and I think once we start understanding the problem we can then work with it. How long were cigarettes on market before they discovered that this was an addiction, [and then acted on a] solution? I think it’s just a matter of time. We can’t let fear hold us back from progressing with technology.”

While short-term implications of social media are very real, the first step is awareness, which fortunately we most likely have. This is not exclusive to Millennials; this applies to us all. In reality, there is no hard cut-off between generations, in terms of dates, characteristics or technology, other than labelling for marketing purposes and maybe micro-anthropology. With such labelling comes critiques that denigrate rather than support, the next generation, and in this case Millennials, fostering a “your generation, my generation” approach.

Though by sharing, educating and collaborating between the generations - leveraging the past in order to focus on the future - we develop as a species, toward our potential. The future of society and its generations will ultimately benefit. 

For non-Millennials, this is our Why.

Thank you to Kym, Ally, Nick and Shahirah for their insights on Millennials in the workplace and as entrepreneurs. See each of their videos at The Truth Behind Millennial Entrepreneurs, an interview series by People At The Centre.

Note: views expressed are those of People At The Centre, and are necessarily of interview participants mentioned. Quotes are paraphrased where appropriate.