What would you say are the defining attributes of Generation Y?

[Matt]

a.k.a. "Millennials" (let's say those born 1980 to 2000)

[TheSquareboy]

The Millennial Generation, like other generations, has been shaped by the events, leaders, developments and trends of its time.[40] The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as email, texting, and IM and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, may explain the Millennials' reputation for being somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology.[citation needed] This trend of communication is continuing into Generation Z.

Expression and acceptance has been highly important to this generation. In China, with a total population of a billion people, the urge to stand out and be individualistic has become a staple of the Chinese youth culture[41]. Elsewhere, mainly in more well-developed nations, several cohorts of Generation Y members have found comfort in online gaming such as through MMORPGs and virtual worlds like World of Warcraft and Second Life[42]. Flash mobbing, internet meme, and online communities have given some of the more expressive Generation Y members acceptance, while online pen pals have given the more socially timid individuals acceptance as well[43]. Generation Y is more radically and culturally tolerant than previous generations[44]. The majority of Generation Y is culturally liberal[45] with many favoring same-sex marriage rights to the LGBT community[46] among other politically liberal stances, but, in spite of the new dominant liberal growth, new youth clubs and groups have been created in developed countries (such as the US, UK, Japan, and Italy) to take the task of promoting and preserving conservative views and beliefs.

This generation is also sometimes referred to as the Boomerang Generation or Peter Pan Generation because of their possible penchant for delaying some of the rites of passage into adulthood longer than most generations before them, and because of a trend toward living with their parents for longer than recent generations.[47]