MILLENNIAL COMMUNICATION & CASUAL CHATS

Do you remember the first scene in the Godfather, where Don Corleone was talking with his old “friend” who has a request to make at his daughter’s wedding? Upon the request, Don responds, and I am paraphrasing: “What have I done to earn such disrespect? You never invited me for coffee, asked how I was, and now you ask for a favor on my daughter’s wedding?” This scene has never made sense to me. It is a very powerful scene, and I get it; but how does mafia Don Corleone have the time for such trivial things? I always have put this to my social awkwardness, but as I have discussed this with other people, I have found that at least in my generation, this thought is surprisingly quite common. As such, I would like to explain my hypothesis as to why.

I think this mostly comes from the upbringing of a sizable portion of the millennial generation. Millennials have been brought up with the availability of the most advanced entertainment and stimulation technology that has been thought impossible just a few decades ago. This is important because when your main source of stimulation is that of a challenge in the right environment, a tea party with your friends seems even worse in comparison, except to break the monotony and do something different.

This R&R (Rest and Recuperation) activity becomes much more important when one accounts for the increased work hours, and drastically reduced work-life balance most millennials now have grown accustomed to. Thanks to the cell phones and the economic system that has been squeezing every penny out of both its workers and customers without providing more value. It has become commonplace to work as a contractor with no regular hours, no benefits, no regular hourly pay, etc. The gig economy, becoming normalized, has the effects of people becoming less human, who would have thought? It becomes a very reasonable question how can anyone prioritize regular social meetings and casual encounters with friends? It becomes a much greater investment than it used to be, naturally. This is, of course, not an excuse but goes to show that the cost of something we take for granted, has changed, as the balance of life has changed.

Naturally, this is not all millennials, but a section of those who do share this view on social gatherings, which I am sure many thinks is unhealthy. This is one of the few reasons why, perhaps, a sizable group of the new generation does not view social events in the same way. After all, with all the social media around us, staying in touch is easy, but quality relationships are harder than ever.