What Next for Digital Millennials: Millennials and Health

What Next for Digital Millennials: Millennials and Health

Digital Millennial is a derivative of two words; Digital and Millennial. A Millennial is a generation of teenagers born in the ’80s and ’90s with an age group of between 22 years and 37 years. They are the children of the Baby Boomers. (Foot and Stoffman, 1998, p.1).This generation can also be referred to as Generation Y. The digital measure refers to the ability of this generation to operate modern technological gadgets with ease with their daily lives and livelihood surrounded and depended on advanced technology. The Digital Millennials is a generation that has been raised with the comfort of internet and mobile devices as well as modern digital technologies, making them highly confident and fluent on the same.

With the knowledge in internet and modern technologies, a price has to be paid, with most of this generation focusing on the luxurious entity in both investments and a day to day survival routine. We have seen a new era of youngster self-made billionaires all over the globe. Nowadays, age is not a determinant factor in wealth creation. It’s common to see a billionaire teenager who makes the end meet by just operating different online businesses without even physically getting involved.

Behaviours and attitudes have changed in the past years with different social cultures shared all over the world. The dress code has been one changing factor with this generation covering the least of their bodies.it is shared and nobody is concerned, after all, who will listen to you. Their lifestyle is much changed with luxury, given the priority in their lives. With much money comes much expenditure. The most significant advances and turmoil have been reported in the health sector, with a prominent contrast accruing on the current regime of Digital Millennials. Is this age group thriving in terms of health, or is it making long strides back as far as the health issue is concerned? It’s a discussion to be made with much focus made on ways to improve the situation positively for the benefit of this generation.

Rise in teenage obesity (10-20 years) in Rotherham

The United Kingdom has seen an era of Digital Millennial itself with most of the younger generation enjoying the already established and fast-growing technologies. With technology and its advancements has resulted in health turmoil among teenagers. “In Rotherham, the region has most of its people suffering from excess weights in the United Kingdom with 43.3% of the total population suffering from general overweight while 32.6 % had obesity. Of this population are teenagers, with 18% of the total boys being obese while 17% of the same have the same issue.” (Baker, 2019, p.5).

Teenage obesity is not as harmful compared to that of the older generations. This is because excess fats cannot adversely affect the normal physiological body processes compared to adults. So far, they have been enjoying severe benefits of the digital technology trying to help curb the problem of obesity with the government offering free clinical and physiotherapy sessions which are advertised online for their wellbeing.

Great Britain is one of the countries enjoying profound advancements in technology as far as fighting obesity is concerned. Today, every house enjoys the privileges of televisions and mobile phones. These have influenced information dissemination on how to curb the menace of obesity. Surgeries have been conducted with health doctors on the internet showing how you can control your diet and physical therapy to eliminate obesity or live a life far from suffering from obesity. As far as the help to fight against obesity is concerned, the Digital Millennial are enjoying the fruits of modern technology compared to the later generation with hopes of more advancements on the same for the future ones.

Media thinking of Millennials and health

“The Digital Millennials are not only shying away from the normal physiological checkups in the hospitals, but they are also unenthusiastic to visit medics when health problems arise.”(Walker, 2019, p.1).It is very accurate to report that the current generation of Digital Millennials is not health-friendly. Despite having the knowledge that these maladies can cause severe implications in their bodies, they prefer to ignore and move on with their daily life or digital adventure without worrying about their health.

According to Harmony Healthcare IT Researchers, 2019, “Study reveals that Digital Millennials would put much trust in online resources as a reference point for diagnosis and will supplement doctors’ advice with what they have found online after thorough researching on the same.” It is true to say that with the mistrust the Millennial have with the old age doctors, this will undoubtedly happen. For most teenagers living with obesity, it is either they workout in the house following digital instructions or never gets the job done.

“This generation is much focused on healthy living than the previous generation with huge health benefits from their employers, visits the gyms more often and seek a lot of physical fitness but do not get help when they are seriously sick. Instead, they opt for self-treatments with online sources used as reference points for the process.” (Arnold, 2018, p.1).

Journals addressing the issue of Digital Millennials and Health

“It is a fact that an 18-year-old student in America and the United Kingdom can answer all health implicated questions but not understand the health content is a challenge to change how the young generation is obtaining knowledge on health.” (Lloyd, 2013, p.1).knowledge is power. In today’s world where health education is seen as a normal thing which everyone has to know about is cutting across the millennial generation with adverse effects witnessed. The question here remains that, if a teenager cannot understand how obesity can affect their health, how can they take the necessary steps to curb the situation? Is digital technology helping?

“The Digital Millennial generation has been monitored to have poor health habits with most remaining inactive in exercises. This habits of poor nutrition have led to overweight disorders and obesity.” (Barklin, 2010,p.2).This is one of the significant health implication posed to the Digital Millennials with most spending their daily routines indoors. Staying indoors will be accompanied by the consumption of junk foods with high-fat contents, no exercising and the comfort of sleep. This is the gateway to obesity and its related problems.

Both the Media and the journal have their ways of expressing the issue of obesity and how it is affecting the current digital generation. Both the papers have agreed on some problems:

• Obesity is spreading rapidly in the digital millennials.
• It is a problem that can be controlled using modern technologies.
• Poor dietary habits and lack of exercises are the primary cause of obesity
• Obesity is a medical issue, and digital technology should play an important role in eradicating.

On the other hand, a contrast has been involved with the following outlined:

• The media thinks that digital generations fear seeing doctors compared to the older generation while the journal indicates that they prefer seeing online doctors for prescriptions.
• The media thinks that the older generation was more focused on dietaries compared to the digital millennial, which the journals contrast, saying that they focus more on diets and physical exercises.
• The journals indicate that lack of knowledge on obesity is due to a misunderstanding of the health information by teenagers. At the same time, the media says that it is expected to ignorance and laziness.

How digital marketing would play a role in health in the Digital Millennials going forward.

“Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and exchanging products of value with others.” (Sigh, 2012, p.5). The marketing system in the Digital Millennial era has been made easier in terms of reach and expenditure. With health products advertised freely on the internet is a significant boost to health departments. Doctors and physicians would be available at any time for work with their adverts seen all over the internet and in related advertising agent. The most significant role would be on the number of people reached out. The more the numbers reached out, the more the health information will be absorbed by the target audience. With the various channels availed by the digital era provides a greater outreach to the preferred generation. Online services and deliveries, as well as practical manuals sold at affordable costs, would boost the health of the millennial because of the service availability compared to the non-existing ones in the past.

How marketing can affect this going forward compared to previous generations or even currently

The millennial will have full packaged information on health issues at reduced prices as the marketers realize that most teenagers do not have expensive means of catering for the same. Also, the service provider saves time; with online doctor services, the much time needed to queue in an office is reduced. Young people get bored if a service is too long; this gives perfect timing for the target market. The clients can compare and contrast different prices and commodities hence choosing the best depending on the information provided. Generally, the positive effects will be glued on the benefits of online service delivery and the importance it will play in the current generation that could not be met in the previous ones.

Fraudsters of online services have come up with many people losing cash due to fraudulent purchases has led to a massive loss of money. Sale of counterfeit drugs with little or no inspection will affect the health of most millennials negatively.Medical mistakes due to improper self-diagnosis have led to the loss of lives in the millennial. Uncertified doctors who provide health services online will result in giving poor diagnostics leading to deaths or severe damage to the victim’s health. Some online services have extra charges due to advertising and related costs making them a little more expensive.

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