Young generation has undergone immense transformation. A massive shift has taken place in their thought process which affects the decisions making and behaviour on diverse occasions. The changes can be observed in terms of source of inspiration, set of choices, spending pattern, experiences gained and impact on physical and mental health. These day-to-day changes have a strong influence on long term decisions. Let’s have a thorough discussion on the habits and choices of youth in different spheres of life:
Shopping attracts the maximum attention wherein fashion, mobile and tablets, consumer electronics are top three categories on e-commerce platforms. A lot of entrepreneurs are starting their ventures by opening online stores and showcasing the collection on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Freshly packed fruits, vegetables, meat and medicines has been a recent addition. The youth love the convenience to order anytime and anywhere as well as short span within which it is received. They try to do self-pampering or that of loved ones by sending customized products/services even if it costs a little extra. They do shopping to celebrate an occasion in a good mood or feel distracted from certain concerns in a bad mood. These materialistic items are seen as bundle of joy and those delivering them as ‘carrier of happiness’. Further quantity discounts, cashbacks, free gifts etc. create an illusion of grabbing them at heavy discounted prices and enhance their impulse buying behavior. The evolving genre of social media influencers also arouse the need to buy online products throughout the year. Some of them return apparels to the seller after using them on one or more occasions. This time festive season is marketed as an occasion to leave behind the pandemic related memories, dress up nicely, exchange gifts and spread happiness among social circles which added further to the phenomenon of reckless shopping.
Eating lip smacking cuisines at varied restaurants has become a part and parcel of everyday life. A lot of new cafes and restaurants with theme-based ambience like forest, beach etc. are opening in residentials colonies at urban locations and in tier II/III cities. Buffets offering a plethora of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes coupled with hard drinks entice them to visit the place at least once. In addition, free wi-fi, flavored hookas and separate smoking zones are readily available. Live music shows or poetry sessions helps to distract the mind and relieve stress while enjoying the food and beverages. Youngsters prefer elegant ambience, pleasing service and delightful food while spending some quality time at cafes and restaurants. They believe that clicking good pictures to be put on social media and overall nice experience makes paying the high prices at such places worthwhile. ‘Drive In Restaurants’ i.e. serving food to customers sitting in personal vehicle also attracted them to enjoy the meals while maintaining social distance during covid times.
#Traveltheworld #travelingisfun or alike are some famous hashtags seen on the internet. Our young generation is very keen to explore different places across the country and abroad. They stay in luxury hotels, have meals and booze, undertake adventure activities and visit famous places in the vicinity. They want to gather experiences ranging from relaxing in spas and wellness centres, trying hands in casinos to booking luxury cruise tours. They are ready to spend few months’ earnings to derive pleasure from travelling. In covid times, ‘staycation’ which means stay of an individual or family in hotel and enjoying leisure activities for a short period is seen as a great alternative to come out of the four walls of houses, feel free and pampered. They resorted to ‘revenge travel’ (i.e. a desire to visit a place to break the monotony of usual life) even if it meant greater risk to health, crowding at public places, violating social distancing norms and splurging money. The individual selfies as well as pictures of overcrowded places in Shimla, Manali etc. became famous in June this year.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube etc. are the famous subscription services that showcases movies, documentaries and web shows for our entertainment. The concept of ‘movies on demand’ or ‘shows on demand’ is highly appealing to youngsters. They praise huge collection, high relatability of content and portrayal of different emotions in these web-shows. The way suspense is created at the end of each episode makes them forget having the meals or taking proper sleep at night. They find it hard to focus on their studies or assignments at workplace. This vicious cycle creates lifestyle disorder and has become one of the prominent reasons behind health issues in early 20s and 30s. Multiplexes, adventure/theme parks, gaming zones are other avenues to indulge in fun-loving activities and spend time with close people. Stand-up comedy has become a popular source of entertainment in India for the past few years. It couldn’t happen during lockdown so the comedians adapted their genre of comedy and hone their skills to make people giggle in the online shows. The youth felt deprived of socializing with people to such an extent that coming and interacting with audience multiple times in these shows was good value for money.
Accommodation is another decision having a huge impact on young generation. They prefer to stay in flats vis-à-vis hostels or private pg which gives them freedom to decide the roommates to live with, in and out timings, meals to be cooked or ordered from restaurants, have drinks and throw a party as much as they like. They are willing to stay away from hometown and bear the increased cost of living irrespective of being a college student or a working professional. When it comes to standard of living, buying specific assets like car or house on installments is the thing of the past. Now is the time to purchase expensive electronics/gadgets like LED TV, Refrigerator, mobile phones, laptops, smart watches etc. needed in daily life. They become obsessed with the latest design and technology of such gadgets that they go extra miles away from affordable options and take them on installments. Easy availability of credit and zero interest charges helps in making quick purchases which can be eventually shown to get validation among social circle.
The basic mantra followed is “live in the moment” or “go with the flow”. All the money is spent to enjoy a lavish lifestyle with no or little concern for future. The life goes smooth as long as source of earning remains. In case of emergent situation on account of job loss or health issues or family problems, they find it hard to take up the responsibility. That is why financial stability has become one of the core concerns for not getting married or doing family planning. In case of covid-19, there has been a phenomenal rise in the procurement of instant loans via loan apps without checking the background of the institution or terms and conditions on which such loans are issued. Moreover, they have started attaching emotions to materialistic stuff instead of feeling the warmth of loved ones in good/bad times. They are fearful of giving commitment in a relationship as it might restrict their personal growth or take away the opportunity to search a better partner. They increasingly prefer to have casual dates or being in an open relationship with new people. The proportion of youth remaining single till 30s is on a great rise. There is a constant pressure to remain in the race of getting higher achievements without any finish line. Overall, there is a lack of satisfaction in personal as well as professional sphere of life resulting in complete hollowness among youth.
To conclude, there is a dramatic shift in the factors affecting the choices and behaviour of young generation in India. They place high value on convenience, self-pampering, gathering experiences with different people/locations and complete freedom in life. They also deal with lifestyle disorders, high cost of living, emotional turmoil which adds to the inability to handle emergent situations or give long term commitment.
Authored by Anusha Goel, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi