Commentary on Herring, Susan “Questioning the Generational Divide: Technological Exoticism and Adult Constructions of Online Youth Identity.” Pgs 288-308.
This article argues that the younger generation has wrongly been dubbed the Internet generation, as this is more of a transitional stage. The reason why this generation has been labeled the Internet generation is ostensibly because it is the fist generation to have always had the Internet as a communication tool available to them. Herring believes that this is a transitional stage because the decision makers are, or at least are portrayed as less Internet savvy than the millennials. They did not grow up in a world with Internet and so this affects the way they view the millennials. In a sense, the adults create the world around the millennials and in a way this is as a good thing, as adults have always attempted to work in children’s best interests, to do what is good for them, but as the article mentions, the millennials, despite being the least aggressive and violent generation in living memory, are tarred with the brush of the games and movies that are produced for them and which they play. Of course, the mass shooting that take place mostly in the USA cannot be ignored, but this does not mean that as a whole, the generation is more violent because of the games that they play. There is a difference between creeping through a swamp, with a sniper rifle, waiting to blow someones head off in a video game, and actually doing it.
Everyone manipulates their identity in accordance with the social discourse which they carry within them, which enforces tact and politeness, and a certain way of dressing. While these social nicety rules may not always be adhered to, the decisions that are made are all affected by them, whether it is a rebellion against them, or not. Identity is a core concern of people everywhere and this is defined by being part of groups and having a sense of belonging.
However, the identity of the millennials begs an analysis, since their identity is not only constructed around them, but also, the people who analyse the identity of the millennials are the ones who are creating it. this means that their identity may well not be fixed. The behavior that is flouted around us, may just be an age factor rather than a significant change in human culture, and this will remain an unknown until the true Internet generation rises from the transitional millennials.
