Generation quiet: Why millennials are rejecting the outdoor protest

'The social trend of so-called ‘New Wave Traditionalists’ sharing many attitudinal traits with their grandparents continues to amaze', say researchers

Just over half of young people surveyed said they share articles and their opinions on current affairs via social media, and almost three quarters agree that online activism is as important as traditional activism (Getty)

While recent political activity has led unprecedented numbers of people to take to the streets in protest, experts analysing the habits and actions of the younger generation can confirm that public demonstrations are really quite passé.

It’s no secret that Millennials – the “Facebook generation” of young people reaching adulthood around the turn of the 21st Century - have dominated the internet as their primary platform to help get their voices heard.

But a recent survey of more than 1,000 16-24 year-olds, led by Voxburner in its Youth Trends Report suggests the future of activism could be its most silent revolution yet.

Most noticeably, the new report shows just four per cent of young people said they join in outdoors demonstrations.

Just over half (52 per cent) surveyed said they share articles and their opinions on current affairs via social media, while almost three quarters (74 per cent) agree that online activism is as important as traditional activism - earning Millennials the “polite generation” label.

The unprecedented access to information and a natural understanding of digital tools have surely contributed towards creating the most clued-up generation of all time.

And yet, posting a message on Facebook or re-tweeting a trending hashtag on Twitter requires much less effort than compiling one’s own opinions to voice outside on the street.

With the rising power of social media, activists have found a quiet and quick way to spread messages far and wide. Online campaigns allow anyone to make their case and call for change in gathering thousands of supporters and signatures with a click without moving.

The ice bucket challenge for example, which took place in summer 2014, was one of the biggest digital campaigns in recent years. It supported the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Featuring videos of people and global celebrities tipping buckets of ice water over their heads before nominating other people to do the same, the challenge was criticised by some as a pointless fad.

But after a matter of weeks, the campaign had raised $115 million (£93 million) and the ALS Association charity announced the funds had helped scientists identify a new gene associated with the disease.

During that year, ice bucket challenge videos were viewed more than 10 billion times according to Facebook, and over 3 million were uploaded onto Instagram.

“I believe that the youth has always been and always will be outspoken, but that social media has definitely provided a platform to broadcast those thoughts in a way the world has never experienced,” says Christine Wong, a 20-year-old student from the University of Warwick.

The Project Semicolon, a non-profit mental health organisation dedicating to support those who are struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide, is also thriving online. Young people all over the world are getting semicolon tattoos and sharing them on social media to support the movement.

The Youth Trends report also highlights how young people have become the content creators to watch. They’re not consumers anymore, but vloggers, Youtubers or instagrammers followed by hundreds or thousands of social media followers.

“There is no better way to experience a place right now, but live video. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around,” so proudly states Periscope, a live-video streaming service.

Social media has allowed young people to connect with strangers from all over the world. The term global citizen has never been so popular. Services such as Snapchat and live videos on Facebook or Periscope have enabled young people to connect with people of different cultures, origins and countries.

Such statistics surely prove that young people are a world away from their parents and grandparents’ generations – with even less in common that before. And yet, figures show they are more connected than ever, with a growing interest for traditional values.

Some 59 per cent of the respondents appeared to embrace the same values as expressed by their elders. An outstanding 98 per cent of the 16-24s feel marriage has still its place in today’s society, and they prefer the old-fashioned ways of finding a date and falling in love.

“The social trend of so-called ‘New Wave Traditionalists’ sharing many attitudinal traits with their grandparents, rather than the more laid back Boomers, continues to amaze social researchers,” says Sean Pillot de Chenecey, Marketing Consultant and Trends Analyst.

“Whether it’s attitudes towards parenting, promiscuity or drugs, it’s tradition that’s winning out… or as the great David Aaranovitch says, ‘the future isn’t all hastags and celebrity trivia’”.

In which case, maybe it’s time to give Generation “snowflake” a break. The revolution is coming, and it may be quiet, but it is more widely documented and more powerful than ever before.