Millennials’ views dominate most social networking groups. For reference, Millennials are those who have reached or are due to reach adulthood in the current 21st century.
A big misconception is that the Millennial generation is anti-social. On appearance, most would appear to be transfixed by screens. However, the influences behind said screens are endless. The socializing aspect is even more so.
This is the generation that has access to endless links online. These expose various images and videos, some of which even news and media outlets wouldn’t report.
This is the generation that views mainstream news as “fake news” and relies heavily upon online theories instead.
During the 2020 COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, it appeared more conceivable to Millennials’ views that the frequencies from 5G networks were to blame for sudden deaths, rather than from a bat or a market in Wuhan, China, being to blame for a virus spreading.
Take one look at the online search engines, and you’d be surprised at how many people share such ideas.
I personally read many online conversations, some of which I also took part in.
The main gripe among my peers (as I too am a Millennial) appeared to be regarding lockdowns.
Not the virus spread causing the lockdowns, nor the fact that there were deaths being reported daily in high numbers, but instead that leisure pursuits were shut down, offices were closed, and people were being “forcibly” made to stay indoors.
Momentarily gone were the bars, the cinemas, and the nightclubs. This set the online world ablaze.
The online presence during 2020 peaked, as people could no longer externally socialize.
Millennials’ views impacted by lockdowns
Being indoors seemed to impact Millennials’ views far more than a virus wreaking havoc worldwide.
We had never experienced something on this scale before and one thing that was apparent from very early stages was that most did not believe our main issue at hand was a virus.
Quickly, conspiracy theories spread online like wildfire.
The theories ranged from: “This is global government control,” “They’re using a virus to blindside us,” to “The manmade virus made to assist with population control.”
Such theories amass a huge following online and therefore, they appear to be legitimate to those relying on online sources for new information.
With the majority spending increased time on the Internet, the influences online were rife.
It never takes long for conspiracy theories to form into other theories. Before long, new theories were beginning to spread online regarding vaccines.
Links to pages claiming to expose that the vaccine rollout was another government ploy to control the population, as opposed to being rolled out to potentially save our lives and the lives of those to come after us all.
Many of my peers believe that the vaccine will cause fertility issues for the next generation. Many of my peers are refusing any vaccine. It is their right to do so after all.
What I do wonder, however, is would the concepts among my generation be different if we didn’t have so much access online? Would we simply just believe what we are told on our TVs and radios?
Have we turned our backs on what we have been told is our reality only to be heading toward another just as deceptive? Or have we, as a generation, been exposed to so much that we are just too distrusting?
Are Millennials self-absorbed?
A pre-judgment regarding the Millennial generation is that we are self-absorbed. For the most part, I can’t say that I would disagree.
I have witnessed far too many of my peers indulging in their own sense of freedom during each lockdown, all while the rest of us were doing our part to get through the times we were facing.
I have overheard many protest: “The virus is fake because we are still here to prove it,” or “It must be false as nobody I know has caught the virus.”
Again, by taking a look online, it is clear to see how these Millennials’ views can be fuelled further. Ignorance really does appear to be bliss when it comes to learning about stories of those who truly have been impacted by COVID-19.
Polls would suggest that we as a generation are not very trusting toward our government.
Our natural instinct is to challenge what we are told to do, say, or feel.
History has taught us to question authority and with that, Millennials demonstrate a “fight or flight” response.
Protests no longer only need to be demonstrated externally, as the online influences are equally as powerful, if not even more so.
Unfortunately, it would appear that the day we were all told to “stay home and save lives” was the beginning of the end of how much we as a generation cared about this pandemic. For on that day, most of us appeared to be mainly concerned about ourselves.
How ironic, when the main translated message worldwide is: “Keep EVERYONE safe.”
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