Millennials Global Dream: Inventions, Ideas & Ideologies

The aspirations and achievements of an often misunderstood generation

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

It’s been a decade since the world boasted its first YouTuber to gain one million subscribers. By contrast, by the end of 2018, there were more than 4,600 channels with more than two million subscribers each. These still rather select individuals are part of something now much, much bigger; a generation of entrepreneurs who have made a living not where others failed, but where nobody else has ever found success before.

That’s not to suggest that some haven’t failed, however. For every Fred Figglehorn – the fictional character of Lucas Alan Cruikshank that became the first YouTuber to hit one million subscribers – there are thousands of others who haven’t been able to command the same level of attention online. The point is that the recipe for success has changed, as have the people looking for work and fame.

In the last decade, YouTube, social media, and the Internet have worked as more than just platforms for people to share content. They have provided alternative paths through and around traditional industries; ways to be seen without acquiring a booking agent, while having others talk about your talent without a press release and avoiding a cut of your wage going to a person who plans your schedule.

While their content, methods, and even modes of delivery may be vastly different, every ‘Internet sensation’ has at least one thing in common; a desire to work independently, enjoyably, and globally. This dream, although not always achieved, is driven by two things. One, of course, is the Internet itself, but the other is a generation of young adults. Yes, the much maligned and even parodied Millennials are the entrepreneurs behind this movement, which shows no sign of standing still any time soon.