Millennials in the Philippines: Who are they and what do they do?
“Millennial.” You may have seen it in social media or heard it on TV. You’re puzzled, clueless as to what this word means. In the Philippines, Filipino millennials or “Fillennials” is now a thing. Let us tell you who “millennials” are, what do they do, and why they are called as such.
According to an article published by TIME Magazine, millennials are consisted of people born from 1980 to 2000. In America, they are the biggest age grouping in history. Made up of mostly teens and 20-somethings, these are the people who are already in college and part of the workforce. However, every country has a different millennial grouping. Simply put, they’re the Generation Y. It was authors William Strauss and Neil Howe who are credited for naming the “millennials.”
Millennials in the Philippines are described as those who are social media-dependent and also, the “selfie” generation. Many things describe what a millennial is. According to The Week, millennials are usually spendthrifts. Millennials in the Philippines are known to usually spend for luxury goods which leave their bank accounts shaken—the reason why they are also described as “broke.” Millennials are also described as narcissist, making them known as the “Me, Me, Me Generation.” However, there are also good attitudes which millennials possess: being politically and socially-engaged. Compared to other generations, millennials have their say about issues and are more involved with politics.
When it comes to entertainment, millennials in the Philippines are usually seen spending time online, watching YouTube videos. Millennials usually have the latest apps, watch the latest TV series, and are into the latest hits. According to a Philippine Star article, millennials in the Philippines do not usually read newspapers. Instead, they have Google for information or Waze for road directions.
Another set of description that best fits millennials are: upbeat, lazy, narcissistic, materialistic, self-expressive, fun-loving and liberal. They also have a short attention span. But if you talk to them about the things that interest them (e.g. tattoos, trivia, gaming, movies and the likes), they’re really one to talk.
Aside from the age difference, millennials have their own personalities. According to Time, millennials have a mantra of “Challenge convention.” This means that millennials seek to find better ways of doing things. When millennials were babies, technology was already available. According to millennialmarketing.com, 56% of millennials are usually the ones to try new technology, making them a target of many businesses for their products. A whopping 75% of them want to travel abroad yet again making them a target for travel-related goods.
They’re also known to be career-shifters, jumping from one field to another, seeing making career as “self-discovery.” According to Mr. Jos Ortega of Havas Media Ortega, millennials are characterized in different identities. “Who they are on Facebook may not necessarily be who they are in real life, on Instagram, or on Twitter,” said Ortega. Diversity is what makes a millennial and they have different versions of themselves depending on what they want to show the world.
Now that you’ve learned a thing or two, you can now have a clue on how to gauge the difference between a millennial and not. You should also know that being a millennial varies across regions, and not all millennials possess the very same character they are described as. Check out online quizzes to see how much of a millennial are you!
Written by Jastine Valeriano
Source: Millenial Marketing; TIME; The Week; Philippine Association of National Advertisers
