Each year, Beloit College in Wisconsin releases a guide called a "Mindset List" to give faculty and staff an idea of the mindset of the incoming class. You can check out the full list here.
It starts with:
Most students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1994. For these students, Kurt Cobain, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Richard Nixon and John Wayne Gacy have always been dead.
Ok, that makes sense. Then it goes on to say:
Michael Jackson’s family, not the Kennedys, constitutes ‘‘American royalty."
Herm. Well, I suppose if Ithought really hard about that one, I could see it. Maybe.
Robert De Niro is thought of as Greg Focker’s long-suffering father-in-law, not as Vito Corleone or Jimmy Conway.
This one confused me the most. It's important to note, while there are some things that Gen Y have never done (or will never do again - such as buying the full, physical Encyclopedia Britannica), we're not a monolith. We all have different life experiences - in essence, just because we're born after 1990 doesn't mean we turn a blind eye to the 2000 years that preceded it.
When crafting a marketing plan designed to reach this generation, take into account that not all of us are the same. Some of us are hipsters, some of us aren't. Some of us embrace technology while others reject it. Take care not to condescend or speak down to us.
What are some additional misconceptions that people have about certain generations? We'd like to hear it!
DeAndre