Why Millennials matter
July 25, 2013 by Michael K. Stanley
Millennials, Generation Y, Generation Next, Generation Net or whatever the term de jour is to describe the demographic cohort born somewhere between 1980 and 1999 are a group that perplex, frustrate and intrigue anyone trying to keep a pulse on their habits and culture. Assailed for being lazy while lauded for their entrepreneurial acumen; derided as self-centered egoists while being praised as fierce individualists; scorned for their spendthrift ways while remaining a target of mass sympathy for coming of age during the greatest economic disaster since The Great Depression, Millennials seem adept at confusing and contradicting any and all that seek to examine, exploit or explain their people.
However, Millennials — with varying estimates placing them anywhere from 79 million to 92 million strong — are an economic force to be harnessed.