From Yuppie to Muppie

From Yuppie To Muppie

How Technology Transformed Us Into A Selfie Generation

It has been almost seven years since I left the comforts of my university’s halls and replaced them with the neurotic, highly unstable, yet extremely fulfilling corporate world.

As a 19 year old, wide-eyed fresh graduate, I had high hopes. Graduating in the time of Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada gave me unrealistic thoughts about the world that I was about to enter. It was one of the most difficult transitions I’ve ever experienced in my lifetime, but I wouldn’t trade those awkward and sometimes painful first years for anything in the world.

For the most part, getting a job was all about reaching “the dream”, whatever the dream may be. A good seven years ago, my classmates and I had the dream of “owning” the world and earning our first “million” by the time we hit 25. This was way before the time of “selfies”, Instagram followers, and Vanessa Hudgens infested Coachella. We were all secretly wanted to have a Wolf of Wall Street kind of dominance. We were all out set to change the world while cashing in our checks, we would settle for nothing less than the corner office all before we hit 30. It was the corner office or nothing.

But as I went through the motions of leaving jobs, switching careers (leaving the academe to try the exciting world of Advertising and Public Relations), I saw the differences. Suddenly, people my age were more attuned to leaving the world of suits and black ties in exchange for a start up built with friends. Suddenly, most of my former classmates are working from home, selling stuff on the Internet, and while still driven by the same passion, they are no longer working for the “big wigs”.

While muppies may not be as domineering in the country as it is in the United States, the changes can be seen. When I started my first Junior Marketing Manager position for a clothing company, my Friendster, Multiply, Blogger, and Facebook accounts were merely made for the purposes of friend-ing a former crush and stalking a possible romantic interest.

Seven years later and it has become more than just a personal diary of some sorts, social networking has become a portal for brands to communicate with an audience that is constantly glued to their phones.

And while some may say that the “snap and share” generation has produced more narcissistic individuals, the quick sharing of information has contributed positively to the new generation of muppies simply because they are more informed and more attuned to do what they can to make the world a better place.   Yes, muppies are taking selfies, but they are also quick to take a stand. It seems like these days, the government can’t get away with anything because the “muppies” are constantly on their smartphones; making sure things are going the way that they’re supposed to be.

And while the older generation of baby boomers may frown upon the way “chill” way we do things, it doesn’t make our generation less driven or focused than they were.  It just means that things are possibly changing for the better, and it’s about time for my old soul to take a dip, and maybe go along with the new wave without forgetting to upload a quick photo with the hashtag #advenchaa.