Bakers, Makers and Vampire Stakers: How Young Millennials Engage in "Maker Culture"

Welcome to the second issue of the new weekly HookedUpGen Insight for by and about Internet Natives and their emerging role in media marketing advertising and entertainment Follow us on Facebook and Tweet us your insights hookedupgen and at wwwhookedupgencom MTV recently conducted a metastudy on the younger end of the Millennial demographic to understand how teens today are different than their 20something counterparts Among many of the findings in quot The New Millennials Will Keep Calm and Carry On quot MTV uncovered how teens across the US are adopting quotmakerquot culture once attributed to niche corners of Brooklyn and Silver Lake amp8230 in spite of the stereotype that all they do is plug into laptops and iPhones A bit of background Young Millennials aged 1317 in 2013 have always been conscious of the chaotic hypercompetitive world that has slowly become a reality for the rest of us over time They know nothing other than an economic downturn and are aware from a young age that the world is a hypercompetitive place amp8211 from college admissions to a tight job market Bombarded in social media by images of Boston Bombings Sandy Hook School tornados and hurricanes they39ve been raised in an quotalwaysonquot world where they are tapped into multiple feeds 247 and perpetually responsible for maintaining their online personal presence To a Boomer or even Xer this kind of quotcomingofagequot sounds downright exhausting But this generation of youth is surprisingly adapting just fine They39ve developed their own coping mechanisms to selfsoothe destress and destimulate In MTV39s research one of the coping mechanisms we observed is that teens today are unexpectedly choosing to take a break from quotmultitaskingquot and instead quotmonotaskquot meaning focus on immersive handson activities like baking sewing or crafting In fact 57 like to take a break from technology to make things with their handsamp8230 and 82 agree quotwhen I39m stressed or overwhelmed I like to stop and just do one thing at a timequot As Julia 17 puts it quotWhen I craft I39m in the zone it really soothes mequot But this doesn39t mean they completely abandon technology in the before and after moments that bookend their making experiences They study up in an endless library of DIY YouTube videos learning how to hand craft books or sew custom iPad cases They delve deep into Reddit forums to find the perfect way to brown butter with sea salt for chocolate chip cookies as explained to us by 17yearold baker Angela author of Nagel39s Bagels They watch hours of quotBuffy the Vampire Slayerquot on Netflix to understand the intricate dynamics of vampire stake making as told to us by 13year old Alice who whittles various types of stakes in her spare time And the important finishing touch An Instagram photo of their creation to show the world the 7layer cake that took 2 hours to bake and 5 minutes to eat With social media crafts ampamp baked goods are granted a quotsecond lifequot and serve an important function in helping hone one39s personal selfbrand We see teens today even more adept at developing their unique persona from a young age realizing both the need to stand out to get social media likes and moreover showcase a unique side to get noticed in a highly competitive college admission process What we39re beginning to see is an emergence of quottech homesteadersquot who are nearly perpetually plugged in but carving out spaces to detach and return to the roots of humanity and do things by hand The pickling cheesemaking and crafting movement we39ve seen in niche urban pockets seems to be finding appeal with these young teens across the country with 8 in 10 agreeing quotsometimes I just need to unplug and enjoy the simple thingsquot For more information on amp8220The New Millennials Will Keep Calm and Carry Onamp8221 click hereAlison Hillhouse is the Vice President of Insights Innovation at MTV where she focuses exclusively on understanding the behaviors and psychological underpinnings of Millennials She decodes everything from the intricacies of hashtag culture to high school cliques to the creative ethos of the generation The insights her team uncover help MTV fulfill its research imperative for amp8220radical audience intimacyamp8221 Check us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentariesImage courtesy of Firebelly Marketing

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Bakers, Makers and Vampire Stakers: How Young Millennials Engage in "Maker Culture"

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Allison Hillhouse

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