Feb
08

Why is Gen Y Obsessed with the Extraordinary?

Lady Gaga to the Tiger Woods sex scandal to MTV’s Jersey Shore are just a few examples of the ridiculous yet fascinating pieces of news that Generation Y teens have become obsessed with. Why is it that our age group loves to love the extraordinary?

We are not an age group to settle for the status quo.

We like to be different. We like to be unique. And we like to stand out. By being obsessed with the extraordinary, we attract attention not only to the oddities in today’s society, but we attract attention to ourselves, saying “we want to be seen as making a change in society!” This trait in Generation Y is due in part to our instinct nature to be attached to the media and new technology. This allows us to view videos, pictures, and stories on the Internet 24/7. We are able to read, view, and share virtually anything we want.

Lady Gaga in particular is all over the Internet because she is so bizzarre. Personally, I do not like her style, but I know that a lot of her fame has been due to her outrageous outfits and my generation liking to talk about it. Although Gen Y’ers are not big content creators on the Internet, that does not mean that we do not still share information. We LOVE to share information, on Facebook in particular. Below is a chart of where people are spending their time on social sites, and sharing all of this information. Clearly, Facebook is the dominant site.

Also, the hype about the Jersey Shore show on MTV demonstrates how a ridiculous show became so popular. People everywhere are either embracing or mocking what the cast did. If you type “Jersey Shore” into YouTube, you will find over 15,000 results, mostly from viewers of the show making their own mockery. Also, by typing “Jersey Shore show” into Google, over 18 million hits are found! Clearly, such a show has caused an immense amount of buzz among this age group. People are even hosting theme parties or bar nights where everyone dresses as their favorite cast member. Although we may mock or make fun of shows such as the Jersey Shore, we also embrace it because it is different and outrageous.

What other oddities have you seen Generation Y embrace?

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