Sam Graham-Felsen

The Millennials - the largest generation since the Baby Boomers - are the first generation to come of age in the Internet Era. Unlike their parents, they didn't have to adapt to digital culture - they were born into it - and this has had an enormous effect on how they view the world. When a kid in pajamas can edit a Wikipedia entry as easily as an Oxford professor can, it radically alters notions of hierarchy. When anyone can instantaneously publish and broadcast, regardless of title or prestige, it creates a microcelebrity culture, a democratization of self-importance. Their parents never had "followers." When tastemakers and middlemen are being cut out left and right - when America's biggest pop stars are being handpicked by young fans who vote by SMS - ordinary individuals feel more empowered than ever. Their parents grew up with radio and TV - they spent their childhoods listening and watching. These kids grew up talking back.

Sam Graham-Felsen will explain how these major generational shifts are creating a global impact, from the way Millennials are shaking up the workplace and the business world to the way they're rising up in revolutionary protests around the world. If businesses, nonprofits, and political campaigns want to reach this generation, they'll have to understand what makes them tick.