ADHD Generation

Millennials are constantly criticized by the older generations for their perceived short attention spans, poor social skills, general apathy, and other undesirable characteristics. Although the critics usually acknowledge that these perceived traits are the byproducts of an increasingly technological society, they fail to recognize that a shift in their own behaviors could make up for the observed shortcomings of this young generation.

Due to the abundant and rapid-paced decision-making processes that occur while navigating the Internet as well as its progression towards concise and digestible content, Millennials' attention spans have proven significantly shorter than older generations'. The flighty attention spans of this "ADHD generation" have caused significant issues for these young adults in their educational and work experiences. The traditional education model, in which professors assign students lengthy textbook readings, no longer aligns with students' learning styles. Students find it excruciatingly difficult to maintain focus on one source when they grow accustomed ingesting bits of information from a wide range of sources. If we want students' declining performance and focus in class to improve, professors must realize that they cannot force a model which was crafted for the minds of their generation on a group whose brains have developed under much different circumstances.

Millennials' brains are optimized for rapidly processing and integrating information from various sources at once. This doesn't mean that they are less intelligent than other generations, but rather that they require different learning tools than them. Furthermore, their high level of participation in social sharing since a young age has allowed them to overcome many social barriers experienced as a child and adolescent at a much younger age. If we change our education and working models to a style that caters to the way they think, we can unleash their full potential.

Although advertisers are not generally looked to for guidance, they can provide a great amount of insight to those working in the education and management industries. Advertisers pay close attention to changing behavioral patterns over time so they can optimize their strategies to align with these observances. If educators and company managers follow advertisers lead and create a system that optimizes for millennials' habits, this young generation may produce higher quality work than we previously thought possible.