Generationing

Wow, remind me never to take drugs – it’s only day 9 of my month-long Facebook ‘lent’ and time has never passed so slowly.

I gave up Facebook in January for two interrelated reasons: 1. I was using it as a distraction; 2. it had become a tool not for giving, but for taking – I desperately sought approval to compensate for my insecurities, particularly at work.

Happiness, of course, comes from within, but Gen Y is parented by the generation that was both brought up by Dr Benjamin Spock, who emphasised children’s self-esteem, and who entered their formative years in a long post-war boom in consumerism. Combine those things and you tend to get people who seek happiness through the things they own. After amassing half of the UK’s wealth, Boomers finally reached the top of Maslow’s hierarchy and started thinking about giving back (see Live Aid and the rise of charities).

Gen Y, having been brought up to believe that happiness comes from without, are not coping well with their perceived sources of happiness being snatched away from them (protests against tuition fee rises, mass unemployment – even the London ‘Riots’ [more looting and terrorising] were a part of it). 91% of the UK’s 16-24 year-olds use social networking, but many of these seek not opportunities, but to distract themselves from their pain, fuelling insular behaviour which ironically leads to further unhappiness (a study showed that students using Facebook saw 20% drop in grades and half felt they were 25% sadder than their other friends on Facebook).

This generation has neither the tools of entrepreneurial Gen X, nor the money of Boomers to swim their way to safety. Their superhuman ability for distraction is causing them to watch Youtube videos while slowly letting themselves drown.