The development of social media is coinciding with emergence of issues that hold particular interest for young people. For a time after social unrest of the 1960s, young people didn’t have much to rally around in much of the developed world. There was no distinct agenda beyond pursuing higher education and enjoying fruits of consumerist lifestyle. Now, several societal shifts are causing youth to become more aware of themselves as a group with common interests, including:

• Being on wrong side of demographic bulge (having to support huge numbers of elderly)
• Climate change
• Massive debt in some markets

Huge majorities of both generations believe change is in order, including more than 9 in 10 millennials in each market

In the minds of many of those surveyed, social media will be a key factor in creating whatever change there is to be. Seven in 10 millennials believe social media is a force for change, but many also agree SoMe is about entertainment—suggesting this generation is perfectly comfortable with social media playing dual roles in their lives, both playful and serious.

Despite having a reputation for apathy among some in the older generations, millennials demonstrate a strong commitment to drive change. Overall, 8 in 10 millennials (9 in 10 in China) believe it’s their duty to create change, while 6 in 10 believe SoMe is a source of their power, with agreement highest in China and India, and lowest in France