Gen Y (Generation Y): Definition, History, Characteristics, Examples

In this blog post, I'll introduce you to Generation Y – what they are like and how their upbringing has shaped them into who they are now. Along the way we'll learn some interesting facts about Gen Y that may surprise us! Let's get started! 

What is Gen Y?

Gen Y (Generation Y) is the common name for those who were born in early 80s to early 90s. They are also known as "Millennials" or "Echo Boomers".

History of Gen Y

The birth of Gen Y or Millennials (also known as Generation Y) was around 1980's and 1990's. It was born into an era of globalization and abundance. They are also known as the "Global Generation" due to this reason. As technology was rich and abundant, they were exposed to a lot of cultures from their early days which made them adaptable and open-minded people. Because of such exposure, it is said that Gen Y is the most diverse generation in human history. The parents of Gen Y were the Baby Boomers. They are also known as the "Me" generation because they have been brought up in a time where only themselves mattered and no one else. When they grew into adults, it was during a time where there was an economic recession (Economic Crisis) with high unemployment rates. Because of such circumstances, the Baby Boomers were said to be pessimists. However, as they became parents, the Economic Crisis changed their views and attitudes on life dramatically. They strived hard for their children and wanted them to have a better future than what they had during that time. Thus, Gen Y was born into an optimistic environment where everything seemed possible even though they were born into a time of recession.

Characteristics of Gen Y

People from Gen Y are usally optimistic and open to change. They also have a strong need for achievement and good work-life balance. Furthermore, they are very good in communication, collaboration and multitasking as well as social networking. That is why when it comes to careers and jobs, Gen Y would prefer to be part of a group rather than working alone although most of them aspire for high positions in their career. They are very knowledgeable in technology as they were exposed to computers since their early days and grew up with the internet. At work, they pays more attention to detail than previous generations.

Some famous people from Gen Y

	Mark Zuckerberg was born in 1984 and he is the founder of Facebook. He is also known as the "King of Social Networking".
	Serena Williams was born in 1981 and she is a famous American professional tennis player. She has won lots of Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) and making her one of the most successful tennis players in history.
	Alicia Keys was born in 1981 and she is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician and producer. She has won 15 Grammys and her music have helped a lot of people around the world.
	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in 1985 and he is a Portuguese professional footballer. He plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. He has been named by Forbes in 2016 as the second highest paid athlete in the world earning $88 million previous year.
	Kim Jong-un was born in 1983 and he is a North Korean politician. He is the supreme leader of North Korea who carried out lots of "Political Reforms" throughout his leadership.
	Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in 1988 and she is a British singer-songwriter. She has won 9 Grammys, 5 Brits and 3 American Music Awards.
	Britney Spears was born in 1981 and she is an American singer, dancer, actress and author. She has won 2 Grammy awards as well 1 Emmy award.
	Taylor Swift was born in 1989 and she is a famous American singer-songwriter. She has won 5 Grammys as well as 16 People's Choice Awards.
	Emma Watson was born in 1990 and she is an English actress, model, and activist. She is known for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.
	PewDiePie was born in 1989 and he is a famous Youtuber. He has been making Youtube videos since 2012 and he currently has 54 million subscribers on his channel.
	Nick D'Aloisio was born in 1995 and he is a British computer programmer as well as internet entrepreneur who created an app called Summly which summarizes news stories into few sentences.

Summary

Generation Y is a generation born during the time of recession. They are optimistic and open to change, have need for achievement as well as good work-life balance and they are very knowledgeable in technology with higher attention to detail than previous generations. Generation Y can be seen from their famous people such as Mark Zuckerberg who founded Facebook or Serena Williams who has won lots of Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open). And there's also PewDiePie who was born in 1989 and he is a popular YouTuber while Nick D'Aloisio was born in 1995 which he created an app called Summly that summarizes news stories into few sentences.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)