Millennials and Multiculturalism

"The Global Society" by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig
licensed under Creative Commons

It may seem obvious, but it is worthy to drive attention to the fact that majorities are shapers of trends and trends often carry the seeds of its own perpetuation.

There is much talk about the multiculturalism characteristic of the global era, and there are global factors that justify this trend. Of course, the fact that we can connect to Google+ and chat with someone in India or Korea instantly and at a very low cost is one of the key drivers of the multicultural society. But this explanation undoubtedly important, can hide another explanation of a more local and less noticeable order. In the United States (a giant in the field of building culture, through its leadership in the area of music, film, etc) Millennials are the most racially diverse generation in history. According to the 2014 census 43% of Millennials are descendants of Hispanic, Asian or other foreign groups, and the United States Census Bureau forecasts that, not only 50% of the millenials, but about half of all the total population of the country will be "non-white" around 2043 [i] . This circumstance leads to brands and Marketing companies to measure diversity in terms of demographics and calculate the audience based on figures derived from the census. However, as noted at the beginning, "majorities are trends’ shapers" and the impact of the change in the demographic composition does not stop there, in the relation one to one, one Asian, one more consumer of thai food , but that change has a multiplier effect: the "generation of diversity" is an agent that promotes acceptance of transforming and multiplying multiculturalism with energy.

As the advertising consultant Eddie Yoon points out in his article in the Harvard Business Review , culture is not strictly determined by the racial origins or membership of an individual, but is the product of the choices that each person makes about how they spend their time and money. "The essence of culture is a passion shared  by different experiences in common” says Eddie Yoon in his article. This approach to the concept of culture might explain a phenomena such as this one:  the largest consumers of hip hop are not black colored and urban millenials, but 80% of this music is consumed by white men from the suburbs.

However, companies are running their campaigns mistakenly thinking their consumers as a result of a binomial demographic function. The logical corollary of this misunderstanding is the loss of many opportunities in the global market.

[i] United States Census Bureau

The generations of the Global Era

Rethinking History

Picture by Matthew G. via Flirck under Creative Commons

Everyone says that the new millennium has brought a new paradigm. But how exactly has this new frame changed the way people live and communicate?, how far is today's market from the market where the sale and consumption of goods took place 5 or 10 years ago?

Let's start with how history and historical studies are built today.

The generations of the Global Era

Traditionally generations have been conceptualized and studied regionally. In the old paradigm made ​​sense to think of the generation of '27 in Spain, circumscribed to a literary phenomenon [i] , or the generation of "Baby Boom" in the United States, designed to account for demographic events. The reasons that led to the conceptualization of these and other age groups were certainly local. Now it seems legitimate to ask if it makes the same sense to categorize the various generations sticking to a regionalist approach.

Surely the reader has heard of Millennials. This term refers to people born between 1981 and 2000 and whose ethos is characterized by a strong attachment to the use of technological means [ii]. Millennials check their smartphones several times a day; use social networks consistently and for extended periods of time, have a consumption pattern that relies heavily on the "word of mouth" rather than on what is advertised by the brands or celebrities.

Is not this a global phenomenon? Does it makes sense from this point forward to continue conceptualizing the new generations in regional terms?

Democratization and Socialization

The use of mobile phones means that anyone can communicate with anyone, basically anytime. Besides "mobile" current phones are usually "smart" meaning that not only communication is immediate, but also research activity: access to encyclopedias, to dictionaries, breaking news is possible pretty much everywhere. By accessing the Cloud, our own portfolio, the files we work with are accessible from anywhere without even carry a pen-drive. Bitcoin, PayPal and Square are leading us to an economic space in which not even our wallets will be needed when we leave home (yet, do not forget your Smartphone or your Google Glasses!).

Similarly, access to the social media marketing provides an advertising tool to entrepreneurs who otherwise would not be able to afford a marketing campaign (a status update of an average user, without many contacts Facebook, is seen by approximately 50 people in a single session). This way, technology achieves goals on a ground where ideologies have failed.

 

[I] Wikipedia, Generación del 27

[Ii] Melissa Hoffmann ,   ¨ Here Is Everything You Need to Know About the Millennial Consumer on AdWeek.com