The "Look at Me" Generation

They are referred to as Generation Next or Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, iGeneration and even The Net Generation. What ever you want to call them it all boils down to them being young energetic adults who like to and want to be seen.

They are an internet-savvy group, spending more time online and on mobile phones than they do watching television. The majority of them are on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and MyYearbook where they post profiles with their photos and personal information. They quickly become friends with people they have never met or even had a voice conversation.

They basically grew up with the Internet that has altered the way they look at the world.

Their Characteristics
Sociable, confident, technically fluent, open-minded, creative, gets bored easily, hates manual work, prefers things to be easy, likes to multitask, problem solvers, very informal, likes flexibility, don’t like to conform, not brand loyal, big on individuality, likes blogging, and are environmentally aware.

Experts believe that the brains of Generation Y have been actually rewired by technology. This rewiring is enabling Generation Y to become exceptional at handling high levels of diversity and vast quantities of information as well as facilitating astounding levels of creativity. They are fast thinking and are able to work on multiple activities without losing concentration.

To design for them I need to remember that
• They need constant stimulation and feedback to be happy
• They can't concentrate on single tasks for long periods of time
• They want things to be different, more diverse

• The respond to humor, irony, and the unvarnished truth

• They like to share information and ideas