Yeah, I really despise the term Gen Y, as it means nothing and is interpreted by whomever wants it to be whatever. But today I’m using it because I’m feeling bemused by this generation. Mark Zuckerberg and his GenY “cronies,” in particular.
See, Facebook has this super-cool claim your URL/username thing going on, right? Choose well, they tell us, as we can’t change our name later. Uh, dude. Ever met a woman who got married and changed her name? Ever met a woman who got divorced and wanted her maiden name back? Oh yeah, I forgot, you’re a Gen Y bachelor.
This Vision Thing, folks, is the Achilles Heel of GenY. (There I go, using that term again.) They are so PEER-focused and believe so (and experience so) a world where adults (their parents) are so focused on them that they forget their is a world beyond their generation. This is not something they outgrow so well after young adulthood. It travels with them all through life; it’s a marker of the Hero archetype as articulated by Strauss and Howe. This same “weakness” of perspective is also what powers their generation. Their ability to be so utterly focused on each other and able to make large-scale collective decisions — and act upon them — is what gives their generation much strength and power.
Anyhoo. Back to me. I’m in a bit of a quandary. I trade/play/brand/write/speak as JessieX, and even have a rather cool JessieX business card. My “for real” name is, of course — at the moment — Jessie Newburn. But, as Katherine points out, Facebook is a “real name place.” So, I do use my real name for my FB profile. I’m not trying to hide. It’s the FB URL I’ve got to claim forever, and — as my GenX friends know, Forever is a mighty long time.
