The Gossip Corner with Stine

Ever heard the saying, "that is so last year" ? Well, I just read an article on Yahoo! that deals with this exact topic called, Eight Products the Facebook Generation Will Not Buy. As the years pass so do the priorities and popular trends of the current generation. So what may have been important to our grandparents in the 1930s may not be important to us in 2012. Some of the items the article talks about are: cars, technology, preferred type of alcohol, and other forms of social media. 

  

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What do you think? Was getting your drivers license really important to you, or getting a car? This article says that many of the Generation Y-ers would rather have access to the Internet to talk to their friends than hop in a car and see them in person, weird right? It is to me! When I turned 16 I couldn't wait to get my license so I could go see my friends when I wanted or go shopping at the mall, it was just that little bit of freedom that we all crave and even need at that age (for our parents' sakes). 

 

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Lucky or sometimes un-lucky for me, I get to experience this need to freedom all over again with my cousins, Jen and Lauren who are 18 and 16, respectively. They are both very involved in school activities and sports and while Jen has her license, Lauren does not, and since my schedule is more flexible than their parents I get to be their chauffeur-yay. They are both at that age where they just want a slice of independence and want to be treated like grown-ups. Ever since Jen turned 18 in December she never lets us forget that she's an 'adult' because "I'm 18 now remember!" Sometimes I just want them to slow down and enjoy being their age, not because I didn't, but because you only get one shot at being a kid/teen where you don't have any real responsibilities, that's what adults have. 

My cousins, Lauren (left) and Jen (right)

Technology is also something that is really important to just about everyone I would say, but it's the type of technology that differs from generation to generation. Most 19-27 year olds aren't getting their news from a newspaper like their parents, but from Twitter, Facebook, and other online news outlets. It's kinda crazy how we're all so connected to each other and the world on a 24/7 basis. Most kids these days aren't satisfied with having a cell phone with text, facebook, or cool ringtones. Only the latest iPhone, Droid, or other Smartphone will do. A desktop computer is another thing that is becoming archaic, since mobility is very important to Generation Y. 

 

Old school

vs.

 

New school

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In fact just last week my aunt and cousin (Lauren) were arguing about what kind of cell phone Lauren could get. Lauren tried really hard to make a case for an iPhone but my aunt was not going for that! I asked Lauren why she needed that kind of phone, and well her case didn't win me over either lol. It was more of a 'want' versus a 'need' and I don't think she really needed it at this point in her adolescent life. 

 

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What's your take on all of this? Do you agree that some of these things are going 'out of style'? Click here to read the full article article.