As soon as I heard the tweet, I knew it would not go over well with Millennials.
This past week, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted this message in order to draw support from younger voters:
The first line is incredible.
Millennials are concerned about educational debt. As student debt loads continue to climb, politicians and church leaders should be aware of the struggles of today’s emerging adults.
The second line is a disaster…
The problem is that the tweet makes an assumption that emerging adults are limited in their ability to communicate with emojis (a word that many people are still learning to say or spell). Emojis originated in Japan, and they are small pictures that are used to display thoughts, or emotions.
Here are a few of the responses to the Tweet:
Please do not perceive this article to be a political statement. I share this article to show churches and parents that we must truly understand Millennials, and not simply make assumptions about their generation.
Three quick take-a-ways:
1. Millennials do not rely on emojis for their main means of communication.
2. Millennials want to be treated like adults.
3. Millennials care about college debt.
Treat Millennials like adults. They have something to say.
Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources. If he can help you and your community understand the needs and beliefs of emerging adults, please contact him at gdavid@earesources.org.
