It was only a matter of time. While the Baby Boomers—still endlessly gazing into the mirror—come to terms with their receding hairlines, Generation Y is rising in prominence. Before long, Gen Y will even surpass the post-war children in total population, both in the United States and in Europe.

To get a sense of the changes ahead, consider this: by 2030, millennials will hold five times more wealth than they do today. A massive intergenerational transfer of assets is underway — €62 trillion is set to move from Boomer bank accounts into millennial pockets.

So, how will millennials shape the world… if they shape it in their own image?

And their image is precisely the point — a topic that fascinates this generation raised on digital. It’s simple: where previous generations sought to conquer the world, millennials are on a quest to understand themselves. Some call it self-centeredness, others a return to what really matters

When you see how important social groups are in their lives, you might be more inclined to think it’s simply a shift in priorities.

At the center: the individual, unique.

Surrounding them: groups (often wildly eclectic), that provide a sense of belonging and a relative sense of wholeness.

And the outer circle: values, wrapping around (and protecting) all of the above.

It’s these values that truly set millennials apart — they shape their every action (without overly idealizing them, let’s be honest).

They dare, quite simply. They dare to question the ideal of the nuclear family, the meaning of sexuality, the role of activism in society, the place of brands... In short, it’s what we call progressivism. And progressives have always existed. It’s just that these particular progressives spend 2.5 hours a day watching videos — one hour less than Gen Z, for the record. Just sayin’.

We hear everywhere that millennials value creativity, authenticity, and transparency. Sure, they probably do — but not as some grand mission. They've moved beyond that. These qualities are already part of their everyday lives, in their own way.

Because in the end, like every generation that has emerged since the dawn of time, they have to navigate an existing world. No one lives outside of society.

Certainly not them — they’re well aware of how rough the world is, and of what’s looming on the horizon. No need to list everything making them think twice about having kids — we already have kids.

If we stopped looking at them like strange beings from another planet, we might even see that this societal shift is nothing new. Baby boomers had May ’68, Gen X had Occupy Wall Street, and millennials… well, they’re doing their thing.

Tick tock, tick tock...