So much in so little time...a generation shaped by major events.

Event Timeline

Many tragic events have happened for Generation Y to witness and learn from, however amongst the negative there are positives such as innovation and ambition. The aim of this post is to look at each event and see how they have effected Generation Y's daily life and values. 

The Gulf War 1990

US enters Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War only lasted 44 days, with Kuwait being freed of Iraqi troops. This would have been the first war that Generation Y could remember or hear about that wasn't in history textbooks at school. It was a war of aerial bombardment as well as a ground assault. The war could have affected Generation Y through many ways, such as a view of fighting for freedom of unjust regimes, or perhaps a more negative view of invading any country a powerful individual sees, to acquire potentially new resources. This is also furthered by the Iraq war of 2003, which is still on going and a hot topic for debate.




The creation of the 'Boy Band' 1990's

From the 1990's a global craze began, for Generation Y. This was the creation of Boy bands, from The Backstreet Boys, Five, Westlife, NSYNC and Boyzone the clean cut image of a group of lads, made young girls around the world become besotted within minutes. It all began long before Generation Y were born, with The Beatles and The Monkees, however the true scale of a groups success came in the 90's, with the beginning of shows such as Pop Idol and Star Academy. Manufactured or not this paved the way for a change in the music industry, suddenly the song wasn't all that important but what the band looked like, or what they were wearing became popular. Young boys wanted to be a member of a boy band and young girls wanted a member as a boyfriend. Was this the beginning of Generation Y becoming obsessed with fashion a looks?


Princess Diana's Death 1997

She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales.
She was well known for her fund raising activities and her international charity work. She had two sons, now know as Prince William and Prince Harry. Throughout the media she was scrutinised on her daily life and decisions, however many people saw her as a national figure and aspired to her values and motherly instincts. She divorced from Charles in 1996, and her death in 1997 became a conspiracy theory amongst the media. Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris, and many people still believe her death may have been commissioned by our very own Royal family.
Generation Y would have remembered the funeral, but the older individuals will also remember the great deal of charity work she did, and the time and money she gave up for others. Her son William, continues to support his mothers values, and donates a huge amount of time and money in to charities with his new wife Kate. She was an inspirational woman, who many loved and still talk about today.




Reality TV begins 1999/2000

With the launch of series such as Big Brother and Survivor, Generation Y began tuning in and watching 12 strangers live in a house and compete for a cash prize. It suddenly became 'cool' to watch the newest craze of programmes and laugh at other human beings doing tasks and being punished for bad behaviour. These shows also paved the way for the public to vote and decide who should stay and who should leave. Big Brother has caused a massive stir in recent times within the media, bullying, swearing, violence and sexual behaviour it is debated whether such TV should be aired. Should Generation Y watch such programmes which show how cruel and mean individuals can be to each other? Or is it no longer 'cool' to watch this type of reality show, should we as a generation move on to the next one that is being aired? TOWIE, Made in Chelsea, Geordie Shore...when will it stop and what limits will there be?



Columbine School Shooting 1999

Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre in Columbine High School, and killed 12 students and 1 teacher. The pair then committed suicide. This massacre provoked a massive debate about fire arm laws in America, and guns amongst young people. Most of the discussion came from the mental state of the two killers, bullying, anti-depressants and even the use of violent video games.
For Generation Y this resulted in stricter security and laws in schools. Education systems were changed and lock down drills were enforced. Should Generation Y be afraid of their peers? Should the government begin to tackle and help young people today with problems such as bullying to prevent future outbursts of anger?


9/11 Terrorist Attacks 2001

9/11 was a series of four coordinated suicide attacks that were committed in the US on September 11th 2001, striking the areas of New York City and Washington DC. 19 terrorists form Al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets, with two impacting with the twin towers in New York, one plane hitting the pentagon and another crashing in a field near Pennsylvania after the passengers tried to gain control of the aircraft. The attacks caused nearly 3,000 deaths, and sparked the war on terror to gain justice for the people who had been lost. America declared war on Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden, which lead to the invasion of Afghanistan. Some people believe in a conspiracy theory, that the events took place so that America could simply declare war 'legally' on Afghanistan and the Taliban. Either way this event stands out amongst Generation Y's timeline. It affected everyone worldwide, and everyone will always remember the tragic events that took place that day. It has meant tighter security at airports but also the discrimination against people of an ethnic background. It has caused many debates about religion and faith, as well as poor security and actions needed to be put in place. Why is the western world targeted by these individuals? Do we as a country have the right to tell other countries what is right and wrong? And will the war on terror ever fully be over?


 Introduction of Social Networking 2003

Myspace was launched in 2003 and had 33.1 million users last year. From 2005 to 2008, Myspace was the  most visited social networking site in the world. Generation Y wanted to know what friends, family, musicians, film stars were up to. They wanted to create their own personal page which they could write on and upload the newest subjects and discussions on to.
However since the introduction of competitors such as Facebook and Twitter, Myspace has lost a certain amount of 'coolness' for Generation Y. They want the next new social networking site and so on.


Natural disasters begin to take their toll- Tsunami 2004

On the morning of 26th, December 2004, a huge undersea earthquake occurred off the Indian Ocean.
Millions of Generation Y awoke on Boxing day to realise the devastation that had happened, to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand , which were worst hit from the tsunami caused.
It was the third largest earthquake ever recorded, and it had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It caused the whole planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre and triggered other earthquakes around the world, including Alaska.
Over 280, 000 deaths were caused, meaning it was the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
Another event were us as a generation, have seen mass disaster and destruction. People left with absolutely nothing and being lucky to have their life. Further natural disasters have happened throughout Generation Y's time, such as Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti Earthquake and the Pakistan floods.
Does it make Generation Y appreciate their lives and possessions more? When they see destruction and death, does it make us as a generation negative and pessimistic about the world? Is the world beginning to change in such a way due to our negligence? Have we used to many natural resources and pumped too much pollution in to the atmosphere?



When Social Networking became a daily routine- Facebook 2004

The famous Facebook launches its own social networking site, to compete with MySpace etc..
It has over 900 million users and is run by Mark Zuckerburg.
This social networking site was hugely successful for Generation Y as it provided everything we wanted. Facebook chat to anyone around the world, picture and video uploads and most recently a timeline, allowing you to place important events and pictures all together. It allowed Generation Y to keep up with all their friends, current or not to find out what everyone is up to, or look through their pictures. The site is almost an insight into someone's life, everything displayed, for friends to see. There has always been an issue of privacy, and who can actually access your profile page and pictures, however many of us continue to use Facebook on a daily basis. It is beginning to have its toll on Generation Y however, as we are growing up and entering jobs for the first time, Facebook is becoming a little 'boring' and we will no longer have time for it. That is until the next big thing hits computers!




Technological advances- Apple products 2007

The innovation of the iPhone, the first smart mobile phone. Full of apps to download or buy...millions of them at your fingertips within a minute. A mobile phone suddenly became so much more than a device for ringing people. Games, weather reports, news, music, texting, ringing and even translating menus using the camera. What other device would you need in your life?
Most of generation Y own either a Blackberry or iPhone, suggesting we simply can't live with out technology and apps in our daily lives. Have we become too dependable? Or is it just in our innovative nature?