Youth's Relationship with Materialism: Now and Then

Buzzfeed

Has today’s youth become the most materialistic generation ever? The consensus from adults when regarding the Millennials is that they are entitled, spoiled, and selfish. According to many, today’s youth are completely ruled by technology and consumeristic needs. They sleep 12 hours a day, never look up from their smartphones and loiter in shopping malls on the hunt for more useless objects to purchase and then Instagram about. American Psycho novelist and screenwriter Brett Easton Ellis has relabelled them as “Generation Wuss.” Ellis claims Generation Wuss is more self-absorbed than ever before. In addition, San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge recently released a study claiming youth is more materialistic and less likely to work for what they have. The result of observations like these leads to the many eye-rolls and annoyed sighs adults provide when observing youth. In defence of the Millennial’s critics, I would have to agree. In many cases, today's youth certainly have a strong materialistic attitude towards life along with clear self-absorption and selfishness.

Canada Dry Print Ad for Youth, circa 1962

But looking back, hasn’t youth always been this way? The Baby Boomers love to reflect on the 1960’s with deep nostalgia along with a depressing “those were the days” sigh. The hippie movement was in full swing and one of their largest ideologies promoted at the time was the breakdown of consumerism. The hippies strongly voiced their opinions on the destruction of the classic American lifestyle and its traditional values. Instead, spiritual enlightenment, traveling and the pursuit of happiness became the goal for young people. Yet in many cases, the Baby Boomers tend to overlook that the 60’s was also the decade of the advertising explosion in popular culture. Advertisers suddenly shifted their focus on the actual qualities of a product to instead the lifestyle that would come with it. Youth became a huge demographic as they were the perfect group to sell a “cool” lifestyle to. Everything from clothing to cars was being pushed in the faces of youth. In fact, a new study found a dramatic spike in teen girl’s smoking with the direct correlation being the new and obviously effective women’s cigarette advertisements geared towards them. As a result, a teenager’s goals in the 60’s were looking and being the coolest kids in school with the help of new “stuff” - just like today.

Despite the Millennials' obsessive need to shop, counterculture and the hippie movement is still alive and well within today's youth. With groups like the Minimalist’s or the Tiny House People, there are plenty of strong and popular anti-consumerism ideologies just like the ones found in the '60's.

Coca-Cola Print Ad by Jason Nocito, 2009

In conclusion, although the overall teenage attitude may seem different from the 60’s, the underlying values are still present. Materialism and consumerism is and will always be alive and well in youth as long as they keep buying. Teens today are writing about their material needs in their diary the same way that teens did in the 60’s. The only difference now is that the diary is being posted online for millions to see.