Usapang Illustrado: Filipino Millennials versus Everyone Else

Usapang Illustrado: Filipino Millennials versus Everyone Else

Oh to be young and have Internet access. You have all the energy in the world, and all the world right at your fingertips. Recently, the Millennials – especially the Pinoy kind – have been getting a bad rap. They are viewed as lazy, self-entitled, spoiled, and non-conforming for the sake of not conforming (NOTE: not necessarily, OUR view ok? Don’t send us any funky emails, kids!). Why is there such a big divide between the mindset and zeitgeist of the new gen versus the old gen? When did the seam started ripping? Just what exactly is this proverbial difference? We asked from both sides of the age fence.

As a “Millenial,” what do you think sets you apart from those in the older generation?

Faryal Mansoor

Born to an era of great technological advancements, people from the younger generation are naturally practical. Millennials grew up with computers and the internet and this familiarity makes it easier for them to connect to the rest of the world. They tend to adjust readily to new programs, social networking websites and applications. In contrast, the older generation never really had to fully content with such life-altering technologies.

Another factor that sets us Millennials apart is open-mindedness. Our generation seems to be more accepting of ideas that previous generations still consider taboo. For example, the older generations have stricter mindsets about sex, homosexuality and interracial marriages. This shows how mentalities keep evolving and vary from generation to generation.

Sosep dela Cerna

Millennials are more connected, inclusive and global. Basing from a perspective of a collective behaviour rather than from an individualistic outlook, the generational gaps come from the degree of connectedness. With the job market being not just competitive but ambitious, the media culture being contingent to sources and social skills being measured by the number of online accounts – millennials connect to people and information for leverage. There is a demand of a modern knowledge-based economy, so as a millennial, you have to keep up to survive. And, thanks to technology that keeps giving thousands of platforms (and reasons) to stay connected, I, as a millennial, enjoy this advantage. We were born in an information-gathering society that only taps a finger to get access, paving the way for Millennials to become the most educated generation. However, if you think about it, our predecessors can get as ‘millennial’ as they can if they adapt. Technology is a know-how and not an entitlement, anyway. But, as far as birth-dates are concerned, we, Millennials, get to benefit from the push-button immersion of a ‘connected’ life.

Usapang Illustrado: Filipino Millennials versus Everyone Else

Maria Ysabel R. Dinsay

There are quite a number of things that separate us Millennials from older generations. One of them is social media and technology. Social media has become integral to the way we live. Whether that is “good” or “bad” is up to how the individual uses it. Liberalism is another thing that stands out to me. Millennials now are very open to different sexualities, genders, religion, etc. Older generations may be a bit more conservative on this part. But again, the difference in and of itself is neither good nor bad. It’s just the way you look at it.

Abbey Ramos

Growing up in the age of Millennials, I can say that we’ve had more advantages than those who belong in the previous generations, and technology plays an important role in this conversation. In the past decades, resources were very limited and access to information was not as easy. Now,we have a greater wealth of options at our beck and call. Moreover, due to the advances in communications technology, my generation can look into the lessons of the past and use those learning’s as we navigate the modern world.  

Being a Millennial has its advantages when it comes to things that we can do – but those advantages would be pointless if only if we are not able to maximize our resources and create new things. I consider myself lucky that I get to live in this exciting age.

As someone from the “older” generation what do you think sets you apart from the “Millennials?”

Angela Humaira Caguiat

As Generation X child, I have witnessed the advent of the digital age. But we are different from the new generation as we are more family oriented. We are very simple in a sense that we do not crave for luxuries. Even small things can satisfy us. Also, our generation is more outdoor-sy. We didn’t have smartphones and tablets, so we had less distractions and more time and energy for outdoor activities.

Millennials are more independent than familial. They are more likely to consult the Internet for guidance instead of family members. Their way of thinking is more inclusive because they are more exposed to the different situations in life. They are more career-oriented, especially the women. They are the indoor type of people as they do all their activities through the computer in their fingertips which is not healthy in my opinion because they tend to just keep on sitting in their offices or homes.

As technology develops the gap grows bigger like for example in language. The new ones creates new slang words to keep the old ones off the loop. Language is one of the factors that create gap between generations because the millennials adapt the language of the host country where they are living and does not learn the language of their native country. Another factor is the way of living, Generation X do their relaxation before bedtime while watching tv or listening to the music while the millennials spend their time surfing in the internet. They also  have the habit of multi tasking but even though they are doing so many things at the same time thinking that they could finish all their work at once but still it seems to never end.

You can say that I am biased but I can that even we did not have that much advance technology we were able to finish our work one at time with full attention.

Mica Tuaño-Fuentes

Being born in 1979, I technically belong to the Gen X. Being born close to the 80s though, I have been exposed to some Millenial sentimentalities but mostly because I’ve been there when we crossed from analog to digital and when social media boomed like crazy.

What is the difference between these two generations? I think millenials have more options now in terms of job opportunities. There are now industries and technologies that make it possible for them to thrive by themselves as entrepreneurs or change companies in a shorter time span. With our generation, while we had with limited options, we stuck longer to what they chose to do and had more value for hard work and team efforts. This is a generalization, of course. In the end, it’s really how an individual is raised no matter what generation she or he belongs to.

Jinggay Dinsay

With the fast developments in technology and unstoppable surge of social media, I am concerned that the population in their late 30’s onwards might be the last generation to remember how it was to go out on the streets and play with the neighborhood kids; to sit down on the dinner table having real conversations instead of being glued to gadgets. Though communications can be sent out faster than you can snap your fingers, now more than ever, the value of “proper conversations” has spiraled down. I hope people will be more in touch with themselves, despite all the buzz of the modern day lifestyle and not let technology push us into forgetting our humanity.

Al Perez Manlangit

During my time, things were different of course. With all the high tech gadgetry nowadays and instant communications, it’s easier to socialize and reach out to other people with one click of the button. However, having said that, I think there is less warmth in the interaction among the Millennials today where everyone seems to be interested only in an instant gratification. I’m afraid patience is slowly becoming passé.

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