At university, Facebook was used to laugh at friends photos, organize drinking sessions and compete in those addictive little games they offer. Since graduating I have found myself so overtly effected by the economic crisis and the knock on effect it has had on the employment market that I find myself labeled under the umbrella of ‘The forgotten generation.’ However, those tools we used solely to socialize could now offer our salvation from the mire we find ourselves living in.
The old enjoy criticizing the young but this time they’ve gone too far. It is clear to me that the generation spanning 30-50 now have essentially shat all over those to come - and I’m not just talking about the bankers. Generally speaking, the generation who came before mine have no concept of manners, etiquette or respect, yet love to look down on us from their X5 driving, huge loan owing, DKNY be-speckled pedestal that they find themselves sitting on - selfishly cocking everything up and waiting for someone else to sort it out. It is they who have made appalling financial decisions on our behalf and have ruined the economy to such a degree that jobs are in short supply and unemployment is spiraling higher and higher out of control. What annoys me most is that the people we’ve set the task of saving the day are the very same who got us in this position to start with. I read recently that there is a strong campaign to make the retirement age older than 65, which will once again reduce the opportunities for the young. Ultimately I agree with the idea, it is true that we are a healthier and fitter society than before and that most of us have a perfect sense of mind at that age - so it is simple logic that the retirement age is pushed back. However, it is who is campaigning for this that annoys me. It is the very same snob filled generation that has already done enough damage and they’re doing this is to protect their own interests. Yet where roles the roles for the present are being protected, nothing seems to be being done to create new positions. This generation - who I would like to call “The Mannerless” - have created a world where opportunities are at an all-time low, yet I constantly see articles about how misguided and ill equipped my generation is for the world we graduate into.
A while back I saw a BBC interview with Sir Stuart Rose where he said that recent graduates don’t have the necessary skills for the working world. The way he said this rubbish it looked like he thought we were to blame, if it was true that is. Are we really to blame? That’s rhetorical by the way - no, we’re not. Our syllabuses are decided by “The Mannerless,” we are taught by “The Mannerless” awarded our grades by “The Mannerless” and then criticized and denied jobs by….”The Mannerless.”
All the time I have been driving, which I appreciate isn’t a massive amount of time – 5 years – 99% of people who pull out in front of me, don’t offer a thank you wave, never let me out, drive up my arse, overtake at ridiculous points of the road and just generally behave like utter prats are one of (you guessed it) “The Mannerless.” Ever held open a door only then to be ignored by the people passing through? “The Mannerless.” Ever worked in a shop and helped a customer only to be offered absolutely no appreciation for your help? “The Mannerless.” Ever applied for a job only to never receive any form of response? “The Mannerless.”
My point is this, if we live in a world where opportunities are limited and often decided by muppets, what chance do we have? My answer - Facebook.
Well actually, social networking in general is where we can find success. I don’t know a single person around my age not on Facebook, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use Youtube at some point and more and more people are starting to realize the powers of Twitter. Our ability to network effectively online is what sets us apart from the average member of “The Mannerless.” Social media offers us a platform to make a name for ourselves. Industries are beginning to realize how massively important social networking could be to them and are actively seeking people who ‘know about it.’ Essentially our text-talk, picture sharing, status updating, socializing obsessed members of society, most of whom part of “The Forgotten Generation” are beginning to be required. Often criticized and accused as pointless by the small minded idiots out there who can’t get their sweaty little palms or bigoted naïve minds around social networking, we’re starting to bite back, one well worded status update at a time. With effective advertising being more and more needed, companies whose eyes are open wide enough to see past their current blinkered “mannerless” employees are starting to reap the rewards.
Ultimately it seems that we, “The Forgotten Generation” may be able to get past the prejudice thrown our way consistently by the utter clowns who came before us by merely being ourselves and doing what we do best – networking. It is apparent that as a consumer demographic, we are still targeted by advertisers and that slowly but surely people are beginning to realize that we are more useful to today’s business world than people like that Rose prick (sorry for the pun) would suggest. So people, keep adding those photos, updating your statuses, poking each other and soon we’ll be in a position to treat those around us a hell of a lot better than we have been.
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