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Ryan Paugh graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business. After working in corporate communications, freelance writing and reporting, he co-founded 
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New here? Employee Evolution is dedicated to helping the Millennial generation answer the hard-hitting questions that come with the biggest transition of our lives. Be sure to visit our about section for the full story. Since you're here, check out our best articles in the archives. We've also put together a list of some Millennial-friendly employers on our jobs page. Any questions? Feel free to contact us.
If you didn’t already know, “the Guys” of Employee Evolution bleed blue and white. We’re die-hard Penn State alumni, and whenever we get the chance to revisit “Happy Valley” it’s a take-no-prisoners all out bash honoring the best years of our life. This past weekend, we hit up State College, Pa, for the Nittany Lions’ annual Blue and White game, which is basically an excuse to tailgate and watch our football players show us what they’ve got, but this year was something different, something absolutely astounding…
After we posted Virginia Tech and the New Definition of Community, we had some comments questioning how exactly technology could significantly impact Millennial activism. This weekend, the answer was as vivid as maroon and orange could be at an event founded on blue and white.
Students, alumni and fans of all ages showed up on Saturday wearing Virginia Tech’s signature colors. It was a tribute unlike anything I had ever seen and the most astonishing part of all – it was all started by a handful of inspired college students. The event was organized through the power of the Internet. Facebook groups encouraging students and alumni to invade Beaver Stadium with maroon and orange began popping up early in the week. By the time Saturday rolled around, Penn State was “Hokie” State.
George Thompson and Bill Solomon, two students, gathered over 5,000 of their peers to form a “VT” in the student section where the traditional Penn State “S” usually stood. The Penn State Blue Band wore bright orange during their rendition of Amazing Grace and even Joe-Pa sported a Virginia Tech cap while he coached the team from the sidelines. How can Internet technology help us make a difference? The answer in Happy Valley was clear…
As one of our friends and critics pointed out in response to last week’s post, “the amount of effort we put into our causes is what will create change.” But it’s hard to believe Penn State, what becomes the third largest city in Pennsylvania on a football weekend, could have rallied the way we did without a little help from the World Wide Web.
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The tribute to Virginia Tech at the Penn State game is admirable and heart-warming.
I don’t disagree with the basic premise that using the web helps our generation to become activists and create change. Obviously, it does. It has been proven that facebook and other sites have revolutionized engagement. The inference, however, that this “new community” will somehow create bigger and better change is misplaced. Young generations have consistently “rallied the way Penn State did” without the web. They had different tools and used them equally as effectively. The focus should not be on the tools, but the effort, or lack thereof. The point remains that it is not the means, but the dedication behind those means.
Our millennial generation has the power to do great things. We are a creative generation, an idealistic generation - a generation that grew up believing we could do whatever we wanted. But with the choice to do anything, we often take the easier path to lead a quasi-anonymous life, with a complacent laziness. It takes tragedy and crisis for us to respond, to jolt us from behind the glow of our computer screens, our armor against real interaction. A certain amount of settling goes into a choice like that. Not resignation, but an educated apathy. Our generation doesn’t believe that ignorance is bliss. No, despite being well informed, we choose indifference.
I’m not saying there aren’t tremendous examples every day of millennial engagement. I am lucky to see and be a part of such happenings often. And it’s wonderful to celebrate and bring awareness to these events. There is more work to be done though, and really, I think we are only on the cusp of all the possibilities.
blog.fastcompany.com/archives/2007/04/23/facebook_and_virginia_tech_a_new_normal.html
Rebecca:
Great article, and great comments as always. I think the idea we’re trying to get across is exactly that — “the power to do great things.” And as we talk about the power of communication that lies in the palm of our hands, we in no means attempt to glorify technology and belittle the creative, idealistic generation that we are.
Generations of youths throughout history have rallied their hearts out for a plethora of causes. Their tools were less advanced than ours, but the outcomes, just as meaningful (if not more in some cases). I do, however, believe that we CAN do it better because of technology, and I say CAN because we haven’t yet shown society what we’re really made of.
It’s going to take more than sitting behind our computer screens to change the world, but at least behind this monitor I can discuss the changes that need to be made with people like us around the world. For instance, I talk to my friend in Israel when I want to know what is REALLY going on in that country, or when my friend lived in Saudi Arabia, I had a first-hand source to explain how Arabs really feel about Americans.
In many cases it does take tragedy for us to respond, at least on a national or global level, but doesn’t this make sense? There will always be tragedy and crisis, it’s the nature of the universe, but at least I know I can count on my fellow man when it all hits the fan.
The point I try to make is, maybe we’re not doing it bigger and better, YET, but we absolutely can. There’s no doubt in my mind. The tools are there to use, it’s the human mindset that needs an extra push. What I learned this weekend is that the Internet is no longer just our armor against real interaction. If we want it to be, it’s quite possibly the best place to organize some of the biggest REAL interactions the world has ever seen.
But I guess it’s still too early to tell…