We have been described as dumb (in The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)), depressed (in Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled–and More Miserable Than Ever Before), great (in Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation), or just simply as taking over (in Generation We: How Millennial Youth are Taking Over America And Changing Our World Forever). Can all of these contradictory views of generation Y can be true? Does the lack of consistency between the views of generation Y show that these books and profiles are quick to stereotype what is actually quite a large and diverse group of young Americans? And, most pressingly, do any of these views answer the question: what is Generation Y really like?

Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University and author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30), would have you believe that Generation Y, unless it gets its act together, could be the least curious and politically active generation in American history. “Generation Y is easily the most blissfully ignorant generation to come around in the past 100 years,” he says, “and the fact that they spend so much time on leisure hours and their social lives is impeding historical progress.”

Lisa Orrell is trying to change this. A self-described “generational relations expert” and author of Millenials Incorporated, Orrell has spent much of her time working with and interviewing Gen Yers, and she doesn’t see many of the negative stereotypes ascribed to them. “On the whole, Generation Y is a hardworking, loyal, and intelligent group of young adults that doesn’t deserve the scrutiny that has been put on them.” She says she understands that most discussions about generations will contain certain stereotypes, but that there are still defining traits of all generations that a majority of those people will feel a connection to. “The media finds it more exciting to be negative because it makes a better story, but the truth is that Generation Y isn’t more ignorant or lazy than any other previous generation.”

While the conventional wisdom would say that there has been more protest and civil unrest in previous generations—particularly in the baby boom generation—this view seems to forget that it was just as easy to ignore the political realities around you by cradling a bong and zoning out to Jethro Tull records in 1969, as it is to ignore the world in 2009 by uploading half-naked pictures of yourself on to Facebook and obsessively following the life of Robert Pattinson. According to Morely Winograd, a former USC professor and author of Millenial Makeover: Myspace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics, the idea of the typical boomer as a liberal, peace-loving, weed-toking hippie is purely a manufactured image. “The typical liberal boomer stereotype was completely fabricated by liberal boomers after the fact,” he said in a phone interview. “If you look at the data, you’ll actually see that baby-boomers were just as evenly divided between liberals and conservatives. It just happened that the narrative of the boomers as hippies won out in the long run.”

The question that remains now is: where does it all go from here? As Generation Y begins to age and to show its contributions to society, will there be a bevy of prognosticators dueling it out, fighting each other over who was more prescient about the future world that Generation Y will encompass?  The only thing that seemingly everyone can agree on, is that Generation Y, with its record setting number of members (roughly 95 million, although it depends on what years you use), is going to do something big, and that whatever it does is going to have an impact on how the world works for a long, long time.

“Generation Y is going to be the next great hero generation,” says Winograd. “I don’t know what it is specifically that they’re going to do, but they are going to dominate the future, and I think they’re going to do something great.” Even Mark Bauerlein can’t entirely disagree. “Generation Y has the potential to do something great. They first just have to get their heads out of the sand.”

No TV. No Facebook. No Texting. Can anyone imagine such a world?

This became reality for 26 students at the University of Central Florida. Last year their English professor, Mary Ann Murdoch, challenged her students to unplug and live a technology-free life for five days.

Only two of 26 students in Murdoch’s class were able to relinquish cell phones, iPods, portable CD players, text messaging, e-mail, computers, TVs, DVDs, and video games.

I crafted a similar technology-free experiment for myself. No texting. No web surfing. No social networks. No iPods, CD’s, TV, video games or personal e-mails. Just my phone for basic calls and my laptop for emergency school-related email and Microsoft Office programs. For one week.

Tech Diaries

Sunday Night 11:45pm –
The experiment was set to start at midnight. Before I unplugged from my comforting world of chargers and wires, I posted a disclaimer on all my social media profiles stating: Doing a social experiment for a class which involves me giving up most technology for a week.  If you wanna talk to me, call me or stop by my place! Starts tonight at midnight! Bets on if I can do it?

My experiment warranted initial reactions of “Maybe I will send you a hand written letter bahahah”, “Good luck with that!” and “Well, guess I will talk to you in a week. L8r!” It seemed most of my friends thought my experiment was pointless.

“When I heard you were going a week without technology, I couldn’t believe it,” said Johns Hopkins University senior Kayla Culver. “I thought I could never do that.”

Monday

Slept in an extra two hours today. Wandered around my room not knowing what exactly I should be doing. Went to class and came back for another nap. Sooooo bored. Went to bed early. Perhaps I could get used to this !

“It is so funny that is your definition of boredom,” said Dian Schaffhauser, a business and technology writer for Campus Technology. “You had all this extra time to do stuff but you didn’t see value in that. Generation Y views technology as a necessity rather than an accessory; the baseline for what we need to get along has changed.”

Tuesday

Went into the bookstore to get a work study application for the spring semester. Asked the woman behind the counter for an application and she responded with “You can access our application online.” I politely asked if they had any in-store copies, she stared at me before bringing the supervisor over to solve this problem.

I repeated my question and the supervisor repeated I could access the information on line. I started to explain my experiment to them, but exasperated, I conceded defeat and walked out empty handed.

Wednesday

Had an interesting experience at the NYU library today. I figured since I can’t use the internet to look up information, the library will help me out. Dewey Decimal System, here I come! Unfortunately, I needed technology there more than I imagined.

In order to look up any books, I had to use the internet access tied to the NYU network database: Bobcat. I don’t know why I expected to use a card catalog (haven’t heard that world in a while).

Realizing I would need some assistance looking up information, I wandered over to a librarian and asked her if she could help me find a book. She looked at me and said, “You know, you can look it up online.”

No, duh. She looked at me like I was stupid. I informed her I couldn’t use the computer as per a class assignment. She huffed and puffed before agreeing to help me find the book.

Thursday

Hi, my name is Kelly and I have a problem. I’m addicted to technology. Having headaches and feeling nauseous today. Feel pretty heavy. I think I’m due for some Technology Rehab.

Friday
No one called to tell me that my Ultimate Frisbee scrimmage at Columbia University was cancelled. Rode all the way up there to meet a dark stadium and an empty field. Wasted $4.50 and two hours!

Saturday

Stepped outside today and slid my iPod headphones in my ears. Walked four blocks before realizing I ever put them in. That’s muscle memory for you! Reading and napping all day. Bo-ring!

Sunday
By far the easiest day of the whole experiment. Just counting the hours. Excited to feast on all the technology meals I missed this week!

First post experiment food? Facebook.

Importance of Technology to a Generation

Sure, I shed a few electronic pounds on my technology diet. I read two decent books, reconnected with an old acquaintance and became a self-declared solitaire champion. But truthfully, I wasted more time without technology than I ever did with it. Without my iPod buds in my ears, I felt lost. Without my thumbs stomping across the letters on my cell phone, I felt lost. And without seeing the Lady Gaga video the second it premiered on MTV, I felt lost. So instead of trying to find a path out of this “lost-ness”, I slept it away.

She then closes the video-chat session and shuts off her laptop computer.

Yap, 21, an international student from Singapore, is a junior at NYU. Her boyfriend, also from Singapore, is studying in Shanghai, China. They maintain their long-distance romance through video chatting via built-in cameras on their computers. It had only been ten days into their romance in summer of 2007 when Yap had to leave for freshman year at NYU. Over two years later, they are still video chatting and still dating.

“It makes you feel like you’re there with the person, in a way,” she says. “At least with video chat, we ‘see’ each other everyday.

Video chat has become an increasingly popular way for college students to keep in touch with all loved ones, whether friends, lovers or relatives, especially while separated by physical distance. Not every college student is eager to jump in front of a camera just yet. Instant Messages, e-mails and phone calls are still most popular among the Gen Y community. Yet for tech-savvy college students who want to maintain relationships over distance but care about saving money too, video chatting is a simple solution.

Even Kevin Jonas uses video chat.

“This comes as a result of the prevailing technology that allows video chatting to be more than a fad,” says Tom Ricardo, an IT consultant for On Site in 60, a computer consulting company in New York City. Several years ago, video chatting was difficult and expensive. Since then, Internet connections have significantly increased in speed, video equipment has become quite cheap, and most computers now come with installed cameras.  “It is a utilization of technology that wasn’t available years ago.”

Some use video chatting to take long-term relationships to the ultimate level.  Jessi* (not her real name) is a junior at NYU with a boyfriend who goes to college in the Midwest. She and her boyfriend maintain an essence of a sex life when they aren’t physically together. “I put on a little show for him,” she says. It’s like sexting – sending sexual photos over cellphones – except in live video rather than still form. Together on video, she and her boyfriend undress and masturbate together.  “It doesn’t substitute for sex,” she says, “but it’s related. There’s just something about seeing someone live in front of you.”

Despite the benefits of video chat technology, some young people are not necessarily interested in communicating via cameras. Natalie Bezgin, 21, says that she prefers real life, face-to-face interactions or the telephone to any online communication, let alone video chat. “It freaks me out that people have cameras in their homes, and even bedrooms,” she says. The phone is preferable, she says, because there is a freedom and privacy that can be retained. “You can go shopping, lie in bed, walk around naked, organize your desk, all without the person on the other end having to know about any of it.”

Bezgin is not alone in being wary of video chatting, which perhaps accounts for why it has not grown to as great a popularity as might be expected. Video chatting is just beginning its growth, even in Gen Y, says Tim Riley, marketing strategy consultant for his own company called “Internet Enthusiasts.” Riley believes that the primary reason against video chatting seems to be that it simply demands too much from a participant. “It’s much easier to email, IM, write a message on Facebook, call a person, etc. than to set up a video chat.

That’s one of the reasons that Patrina Caruana, 20, doesn’t often engage in video chat. Rather than wanting to simply see her boyfriend on the computer, Caruana would rather talk to him over the phone during pre-bedtime rituals.  “I can close my eyes and talk to him while I’m falling asleep,” she says. “It’s more like he’s here with me, as opposed to simply seeing him in his room.”

Even for those who generally enjoy video chatting, it can sometimes be more of a negative experience. While video chatting brings a sense of intimacy and emotion that can only be evoked by seeing a loved one’s face, it is also a wonderfully orchestrated illusion of proximity. Brianne Sperber, 20, used video chatting regularly when she was studying at NYU’s main campus in New York before going to Paris for a semester. The first time Sperber video chatted with her father while in Paris, the tears flowing down her face muffled the entire conversation.

It’s gotten easier, she says, but she still tends to avoid video chatting so as to avoid homesickness. “I find video chatting heartbreaking,” she says. “While in Paris, I try not to use it because I know that it will be forever before I see these people again.”

For the past ten years, Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore has been covering fashion shows in New York, Paris, and Milan. But at fashion week in New York this year, she noticed that something was different. “Bloggers were the flavor of the month this season,” she says, noting the overwhelming presence of these hyper-intense fashion fans.

Known for their role behind computer screens, bloggers upgraded this year to front row seats at once-exclusive runway shows like Dolce & Gabbana and Rodarte. These trendsetting, influential, and style-conscious members of Gen Y seized the role of fashion editor, with the Internet as their stage.

The number of colorful blogs and fashion forums has exceeded ten thousand, providing some stiff competition for traditional fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle. Fashionistas rely on daily visits to these sites in order to keep up with the dynamic fashion industry.

“The Internet has really allowed for the democratization of fashion,” says Moore . “Now everyone can participate in the discussion of clothing and designers.”

Maneuvering around the fashion and merchandising hierarchy has become easier. Small-town girls in the Midwest, like StyleRookie’s Tavi Gevinson and Sea of Shoes’ Jane Aldridge, comment on the latest fashion trends as they come down the runway, alongside Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

In addition, online streaming, whether via Twitter tweets, Facebook status updates, or You Tube videos, has proven powerful enough to disseminate the latest in fashion, faster than an experienced Barney’s shoe sale veteran can swipe the last pair of size 7-and-a-half Christian Louboutins.

“Online sources are fast and immediate,” says Robin Givhan, fashion editor at the Washington Post. “They offer instant gratification when it comes to news about the fashion industry.”

At fashion week this year, quick online blog posts proved to be the ultimate source of breaking news. Fashionologie, a forum created in 2005, provided access to Rodarte’s runway show as it took place. With minute-to-minute updates, readers caught a sneak-peak at the collection and the backstage commotion at the show.

Meanwhile, magazine subscribers must wait two months for their glossy “fashion bibles” to hit newsstands. By that time, anything newsworthy has already been discussed and the hot Marc Jacobs handbag is already sold out in stores worldwide.

Fashion editors have taken notice. In order to maintain their reign as the gods and goddesses of clothing and accessories, they have shifted their sights towards an online existence.

“It’s all about online presence,” says Christina Roperti, fashion assistant at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). “Print media is no longer sufficient in satisfying today’s demand.”

Consequently, WWD has really stepped up its game. Staff members at the midtown office in Manhattan have paid increased attention to the daily trade publication’s website, and they Twitter now. At the Conde Nast building, Vogue’s own style.com has recently released an iPhone application. At the Los Angeles Times, Moore has familiarized herself with the online aspect of fashion journalism and its impact on her job.

In making the move online, magazines have gained the best of both worlds. In providing readers with the instant gratification they seek, they are also supplying expert information that is both trustworthy and influential. Voguettes such as Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington are paid the big bucks for their expertise and their involvement in the fashion world for over 25 years. Working their way up from entry-level positions, they have gained a long view of the industry. And right now, there are no bloggers with that kind of experience.

However, the invasion of the style bloggers has forced traditional fashion magazines to juggle a presence both online and in print. While media gurus claim that the future of print journalism is gloomy, fashion editors need not empty their Birkin bags just yet. Traditional fashion magazines are not doomed.

Although they lack the ability to present the breaking news of fashion trends and events, monthly issues of Harper’s Bazaar and InStyle still offer something unique. With feature articles and editorial spreads, traditional magazines provide an in-depth look at how yesterday’s fashions will affect fashionistas tomorrow. Reading a magazine is a precious experience. Just ask any fashion design student.

“I don’t think the day will ever come when I give up my subscriptions and go strictly web,” says Emily DeTomaso, 21, a design student at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). “Having the magazine in hand, flipping through page after page of glossy images and fashion delight is something that simply cannot be replaced.”

From Facebook to Twitter to blogging, Generation Y live their lives online—and nowhere more so than in fashion. In this public celebration, camera-loving Gen Yers post outfits, clothing and inspiration on the Internet, using this platform as a way for the fashion-minded to share ideas. With the unlimited possibility of the web, Generation Y has made fashion more influential, more accessible, and certainly more global.

“Fashion is no longer a one-way street to consumers, but now a two-way street,” says Susan Cernek, senior fashion editor for Glamour.com, the online counterpart to the magazine.

The Internet has drastically shortened connection time, and communication is now instantaneous around the globe. If traditional print magazines rejected online components, they would be far behind the times. Still, with the never-ending flow of online outlets, many readers look elsewhere to find their daily dose of fashion.

Blogging fits the prescription. Like thousands of others, 19-year-old fashion addict Francheska Liberman rarely buys print magazines anymore. The Marbella, Spain native finds all editorials and upcoming trends on the Internet, but prefers to read personal blogs for inspiration. Her own blog, “Fashion Canvas,” in which she posts her favorite photographs, ranks in the top 100 of about 25,000, according to Bloglovin’, a service that provides RSS feeds for blogs.

Liberman embodies the power of the Internet, and the fashion blogging community it’s formed. Hailing from a small town where no one shared her interests, she started a blog to connect with others. “We bloggers created our own little world where we can relate to one another without using speech as a form of communication, and [using] fashion instead,” she says.

While traditional fashion figures have always carried an air of exclusivity, the fashion world led by Generation Y bloggers promotes exposure, social intercourse and accessibility. “The rise of the anonymous blogger—the more accessible, relatable style icon, is a mark of the change in fashion now,” says Cernek.

Accessible fashion also links directly to street style, with the recognition that having style doesn’t mean following trends or spending money. Scott Schuman, the face behind pioneering blog The Sartorialist, brought street style to the masses. “It’s encouraging personal styles, encouraging people to want to feel more individualized than other people,” says Justin Stefano, co-founder of Refinery29.com, a fashion forum with a street-style section.

Generation Y’s awareness of fashion extends far beyond their immediate surroundings, thanks in part to these photographers that travel the world, but also to the limitless Internet.

Lookbook.nu demonstrates this iconic Generation Y awareness. An online community that began two years ago, the network is literally a global lookbook with 50,000 members from 48 countries—all Generation Yers. Users post “looks,”—creative photographs of their style and outfits, which other members can “hype” or “love,” like giving a virtual thumbs up or bookmarking it as a favorite.

“I think fashion comes from young minds, because kids are willing to try new things,” says Yuri Lee, the 25-year-old founder.

And young minds, who have long been practicing self-expression online, are eager to embrace originality in fashion. “Global street-style connects high and low, and it’s relatable,” says Ella Magun, a Columbia University sophomore inspired by style she saw in Paris. On her browser she bookmarks StyleLikeU.com, her favorite style website.

Founded by Elisa Goodkind, a 52-year-old ex-stylist and her 20-year-old daughter Lily, StyleLikeU serves as an online forum for inspiring people as seen through Goodkind’s lens. Subjects are filmed in their own closets, showcasing their favorite pieces and talking of their style philosophies.

Goodkind, who left the fashion industry to make this website, believes the Internet opens many doors for the future. Now, fashion comes from the people.

“I’m trying to bring back creativity, something inspiring, something that isn’t controlled by advertisers,” says Goodkind, who finds herself attracted to people with eclectic style and fascinating stories. “This site is more of a movement, and it allows me to show that style is different than fashion.”

Williamson has limited her food purchases, walked the mile and a half to class instead of taking the subway, and skipped going out to bars and clubs in order to save up for her beloved Lululemon yoga pants and a new pair of designer jeans.

She, and other Gen Y women have grown up on brands just as they came of age with Nick at Nite, Beanie Babies, and slap bracelets. They sought out designer goods as early as middle school, first with $150 Kate Spade bags, soon after with $80 Juicy sweatpants and finally with $160 designer jeans. Over the years, Gen Y has become hyperaware of designer labels.

Although the recession has hurt premium apparel brands, they continue to find favor among fashion-conscious, Gen Y women who, so long as companies tailor their marketing strategies appropriately, are buying into affordable luxury.

Branding expert and author Rob Frankel believes that successful lines play to the desire for designer labels. “A big difference from traditional spending is that brand is far more important today than ever,” said Frankel, whose book, “The Revenge of Brand X,” instructs companies on effective branding strategies. He believes that Williamson, who is cutting back, is part of a minority. “Today, consumers will either go into debt to buy their chosen brand — or prefer to do without.” Frankel added.

Whether or not they are going into debt, members of Gen Y have enormous spending power. Adjusted for inflation, they spend five times more than their parents did at the same age, according to “Why Y Women,” an October 2009 study of Gen Y women’s influence on lifestyle trends prepared for Sugar Inc. by Radar Research. Gen Y spent more than $120 billion in 2007, found a recent Harris Interactive study.

With all of these dollars leaving Gen Y’s wallets, there is little doubt that the group is passionate about shopping. They spend more time at the mall, are surrounded by product placement, and are unwilling to repeat the same outfit, said Jayne O’Donnell, a retail reporter for USA Today. “One girl said to me, ‘if I’m going to post something on Facebook on Friday, I can’t be wearing the same thing the next Friday in my photos,’” said O’Donnel, who also co-authored “Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail.” With more people watching, the pressure to consistently debut a fresh, impressive style has shot up.

To attract Gen Y shoppers, apparel companies must spice up their images. “Especially during this time, brands really have to focus themselves as providing something unique,” said Kwesi Blair, a senior associate at Robert Burke Associates, a New York luxury consulting and brand development firm. “It’s really going to be about, ‘Why should I get this brand over something else?’” Blair points to Tory Burch, defined by its emblematic $195 shoe, the Reva ballet flat, as an example of a company that has made itself stand out.

For affordable luxury brands wishing to distinguish themselves, digital marketing campaigns are a must. Coach has ramped up its Facebook page, which now has over 470,000 fans. D&G is a heavy presence on the Dolce & Gabanna Facebook page, and Tory Burch updates its Facebook page daily. All of these brands are on Twitter.

But, even with this slew of changes, old-fashioned quality reigns supreme. “It’s more worth it for me to invest in something I know I will have forever and ever than to buy cheaper, trendier pieces that may fall apart after one wearing or that I’m not sure I will like after a few weeks,” said Courtney Griffin, an NYU junior whose closet is filled with pieces from Marc by Marc Jacobs, Juicy Couture, and Free People. All three of these labels fit into the affordable luxury category, with prices ranging from $90 to $500.

Ultimately, young female shoppers are responding well to the ways in which the fashion world is accommodating their desire for affordable luxury. “I don’t necessarily make any sacrifices to wear designer clothes, but I do try to be smart about it,” added Griffin.

Students at mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church

Instead of cramming for classes or watching TV on Sunday nights, some 400 students gather weekly for mass  at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Greenwich Village. The choir, many of them music theater majors, sing contemporary hymns as students  fill the pews. After mass, some students head  to the priests’ quarters to eat a free, home-cooked dinner. The joke at the Catholic Center is, “Go for the food, stay for the community,” according to one member. 

Greenwich Village is “one of the loudest neighborhoods in the world,” said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan as he addressed the congregation during a recent Sunday mass. Amid the commotion of New York City, the Catholic Center, run by the Archdiocese of New York, provides NYU students a peaceful place to reflect on their lives and their faith. 

Many students speak about the indifference or hostility toward religion that they encounter.. “Here in New York City it’s looked down upon to be a person of faith,” said NYU senior Paolo Larano. In a class discussion of foundational texts, Larano said he”got a lot of heat” from classmates because he interpreted the Bible as a believer. “People wanted to poke fun at religion,” he said. “One part of me wanted to defend it, but the other part didn’t want to single myself out as the crazy kid.”

Shaping religious beliefs and values is a major part of personal development for 18 to 30 year olds, according to Jeffrey Arnett, the author of “Emerging Adulthood.” However, this development doesn’t only happen at church. Many people form personal relationships with God and don’t attend religious services. “To most emerging adults, participating in a religious institution, even a liberal one, requires them to abide by a certain set of beliefs and rules and therefore constitutes an intolerable compromise of their individuality,” he writes.

The students who participate in the campus ministry at St. Joseph’s, however, value the structure and constancy of religious services. “Mass is so traditional,” said NYU student Christina King. “You always know what’s going to happen. It’s home base.”

The weekly mass is not the only draw.  A smaller number of students belong to one of three undergraduate clubs that meet weekly. For these students, the Catholic Center provides them a foundation for their social and spiritual lives.

Newman Club members at a weekly meeting

The Aquinas Circle gives students a place to share a meal, socialize and talk about their lives in the context of their faith. The Newman Club focuses on the teachings of the church, especially topics such as social justice and saints. 

Many members of the Catholic Center became involved in clubs after attending a  four-day-retreat held in upstate New York. Christina King, who attended the Aquinas Circle’s Kairos retreat, said that the weekly meetings have the openness and camraderie that many students said they found at the retreat. “Aquinas is like a mini Kairos,” she said. “I take a step back and check in with myself.”

Non-Catholics as well attend the meetings. NYU sophomore Rebecca Lentjes, a member of the Newman club, explored different faiths when she arrived to college, including Buddhism and Islam. Although she initially went to the Catholic Center for the free spaghetti dinner, after attending a retreat she became a regular participant. Lentjes helps with community service projects such as taking food to the homeless and putting on a Christmas party for poor children who live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Although she isn’t’ sure if she’ll convert to Catholicism, she appreciates the company. “It’s nice to have a group of people with really good values that don’t want to get high or drunk every night,” she said. “I’ve already made these friends. I don’t want to quit because I’ve decided not to follow their religion.”

Overall, Generation Y breaks into three religious categories.  There are 27 percent who consider themselves “Godly,” 27 percent who are “Godless,” and 46 percent who are Undecided.  This is according to the survey OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era. This survey found that while today’s young people still follow the same religions their parents did, they differ in their expression of faith.

For many, this means replacing religious services that may feel outdated.  “Most young people today will say they are spiritual, not religious,” said Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the Jewish chaplain at NYU.  Those spiritual youth believe holiness is subjective, and doesn’t have to be determined by an organized faith.  “People began thinking in terms of ‘me’ and not ‘the community,’” Rabbi Sarna said.

Members of Generation Y are looking to form a community outside of the church and in a more contemporary fashion.

“Religion, for me, is more of a cultural connection with the people I grew up with,” said Kaivan Sattar, a Bangladeshi Muslim sophomore at NYU.  Sattar also said that when it comes to his religion, on a scale from one to ten, he considers himself a six.  “I don’t follow every rule, but I use it as a guide or set of values,” he said.

Prof. Jeremy Walton, of NYU’s religious studies department, believes that this sort of creative construction can help to promote an individual’s spirituality. “My religion is mostly exploratory,” said Dylan Brown, a 20-year-old Jewish sophomore at NYU.  “There’s over a 1000 years of knowledge, and I like to think of it as a lifestyle, not a religion.”  By determining what they believe to be true, members of Generation Y have to determine what they believe is false.  Generation Y has been forced to think critically about religion, and they are thinking outside the box.

While Walton sees this as being a good thing, people like Ghamashyam Das, a Hare Krishna monk, see it as a bad thing.  “If everyone has a say in religion, then it’s all relative,” he said.  “There can be no ultimate good, ultimate evil, or ultimate truth.  Instead it’s just all shades of gray.”  Das believes that this customization of beliefs is more due to Generation Y’s indifference, not their curiosity.  “Tolerance isn’t really tolerance in the world we live in,” he said.  “Beneath the surface it’s just indifference.  People are really saying, I don’t care which [religion] is right.”

Experts like Walton and Das are still trying to account for why this change is happening, but they both admit there is a change.   Today, it’s harder to find someone strongly devoted to his or her religion than someone indifferent towards it.  “I should be thinking about God 24/7, to the point where he’s putting decisions in my head,” said Evie Olson, a Catholic Studies and Journalism major at the University of St. Thomas. While Olson represents this minority of Generation Y, she still has a similar goal to her peers.  “Even though the church isn’t perfect, we still need it,” she said.  “You communicate with God through the church, it creates community.”

To Kevin Naidoo, Hinduism is more than a series of rituals performed in temple.

“When I was seven years old, there was a stage in our lives when my Dad was unemployed for nine months,” said Naidoo. “He had to sweep floors to put food on our table.” But, because of his father’s devotion to God, there was never a day the family went hungry, he said. “My dad’s faith carried our family through all those times.”

Naidoo, now 30, works as an accounts manager for a California based company, traveling the world and living life as a successful yuppie. Because of his father’s devotion and dedication, religion is of special importance to Naidoo.

“That’s why I prefer to marry someone within my faith. There’s nothing more blissful in a marriage than a husband and wife praying together.” he said. “Being the only son, my father wants me continue his legacy and uphold what we inherited.”

And in Hinduism, that which is inherited is caste.

The caste system in India has a reputation for being highly discriminatory and bigoted. While that may not be entirely far from the truth, the origins of the caste system are often misunderstood.

Gadadhara Pundit Dasa, a Hindu priest and scholar of the Bhagavad-Gita explains that according to scripture, Krishna, one of the most prominent Hindu deities, created the four main castes: Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and sudra, with each caste possessing certain attributes. Brahmins are intended to have the attribute of goodness, kshatriya the attribute of passion, vaishya a mixture of both goodness and passion and the lowest caste, sudra, the attribute of ignorance.

But, what happens next is dependent on how Hindus choose to interpret their supposed fate and the system that deals it out.

“The Caste system naturally exists, but the point is for us to go beyond it,” said Pandit Dasa. In the not so distant past, India has seen a time when even interacting with people outside of their caste was considered taboo. But, as waves of Indians migrated to the United States, many “left the caste thing behind,” according to Pundit Dasa.

In America, people of all races and religions, and of course castes, come together on a daily basis with no contention.

But at the same time, “Caste is about identity and people want to hold onto identity,” said Naidoo. At work or school, caste lines are blurred. The only way to uphold one’s caste legacy is through marriage that preserves the label. But the question remains if doing so is even important to young Hindu-Americans.

“Knowing the traditions of a caste would create harmony in a marriage. With similar standards, life is more peaceful,” said Pundit Dasa. But, is this a compelling enough reason to seek a partner who is of the same caste? “

Pundit Dasa, who is also a spiritual counselor for college students in the New York City area, has found that “caste is not really on young people’s minds.” “They’re more focused on themselves, their academics and moving on with their lives,” he said.

Often pegged as the “model minority,” education is certainly of utmost importance for Indian-Americans. “Hindus are high achievers,” said Le Moyne College sociology professor Farha Ternikar, who studies South Asian immigrant communities. Caste is in no way stopping people from achieving educations or making strides in their fields.

And in places of higher learning, students are blind to caste. Nidhi Desai, president of the NYU chapter of the Hindu Student Council, agrees with this sentiment. “The club is mainly so we can stay close to our roots and traditions, but caste never comes up and it’s not a big deal,” she said. “Things are changing.”

For some Hindu-Americans, the caste system is just too anachronistic to adhere to. “I think it’s retarded,” said Vani Dusi, 21, a senior at Binghamton University. “The values of my caste tell me not to eat meat or drink alcohol. I haven’t really been following through with that.”

Especially in America, caste-ly values do not jive with the times. So, why bother trying to uphold a legacy that is not even rightfully maintained?

“Caste is superficial if you can’t uphold the lifestyle,” said Pundit Dasa. If people are not carrying out their duties, why should they be told to maintain a legacy, said Pundit Dasa. “How in good conscience can we enforce this?”

“Ultimately, we should be looking for the strength of the love, financial stability and education of the other person over their caste or religion or race,” said Arjun Kalyan, 23, a software engineer from Boston. “And I would like to believe that people now a days are tending towards this.”

One click, and everything changed.

Though earlier Internet adventures had helped Rodriguez accept his attraction to men, he had never seen a gay image he could relate to until he discovered bear porn. “I was 12, chubby as hell,” he said, “I never knew any gay people, so all I had to go by was the skinny, hairless twinks in the porn I was watching early on,” he said. “I always thought that being gay meant being effeminate…my biggest fear was that if I told my parents I was gay, they’d make me wear a dress.”

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez, now 20, felt that since he didn’t fit the image of gay men he saw in the media, he would never be able to have a relationship with a man. “I thought I was the last person in the world anyone would want to have sex with. The bear thing completely changed my life,” he said.

So, what is a bear?

Defining the bear image is simple. The apocryphal bear is a large, hairy, bearded man, and often sports a belly and “blue-collar” accessories like flannel and work boots. He’s the ultimate representation of traditional masculinity and the ultimate foil to the ubiquitous mainstream image of the gay man as a young, thin, effeminate party boy, the so-called “twink.”

But such a general definition misses the point. In his introduction to The Bear Book, the first academic study of the bear phenomenon, sociologist Les Wright explained why it’s so difficult to define bears. “For some, [bears are defined by] an attitude. For some it’s an image, and for some it is parts of both, for some the absolute refusal to submit to categorization is the essence of being a bear,” he wrote.

Though they disagree on a strict definition of the term “bear”, experts and self-identified bears alike point to two essential elements that constitute bear culture: the bear image and the bear attitude. In the last decade, the growth of bear media on the Internet and the advent of online social networking is helping a new generation of young, net-savvy men find comfortable sexual identities.

Ray Kampf, author of The Bear Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Those Who Are Husky, Hairy, and Homosexual and Those Who Love ‘Em, describes the development of the bear attitude in the 1980s, as small social groups of generally larger, hairier, and older gay men formed in gay enclaves across the country. According to Kampf, these men simply wanted to be comfortable with their bodies and enjoy their sexuality. “It was just a group of men who enjoyed trivial pursuits and having sex together,” he wrote. “They were open to anyone who wanted to have a good time, regardless of what they looked like.”

In a 2008 study on bear masculinity, researchers Eric Manley, Heidi Levitt, and Chad Mosher explained the appeal of the bear concept. “[the bear community is] a safe haven for gay men who may have felt forced to remain on the margins of gay and heterosexual cultures,” they wrote.

The bear image was born in the mid 1980s out of collective frustration with a rigid and oppressive mainstream gay culture that only accepted depictions of gay men as “twinks,” wrote Peter Hennen, author of Faeries, Bears, and Leathermen: Men in Community Queering the Masculine

With the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, the bear community expanded across the nation and around the world. “[The Internet] increased the visibility and cohesiveness of [the bear] community,” wrote Manley, Levitt, and Mosher. In The Bear Book II, Wright called bears “the first Internet-generated global community.”

Increasingly, the gay men of the Internet generation are embracing the self-accepting bear attitude, even if they don’t fit the bear image. In Netporn: DIY Web Culture and Sexual Politics, media professor Katrien Jacobs argued that the birth of online social networking has given them unprecedented abundance and variety of imagery on the web has “revolutioniz[ed] ” the way young would-be bears develop their sexual identities.

The bears’ more inclusive attitude towards masculinity gave Rodriguez the courage to explore his sexuality on the Internet. “The first thing I did at midnight, the day I turned 18, was join [gay social networking site] ManHunt,” he said.

As it turns out, exploration and experimentation can pay off. “I started hooking up with bears and I felt like God. For the first time, I felt ok being big, gay, and masculine – being myself.”

In the end, it seems that the bear community offers young gay men like Rodriguez the validation of knowing that no matter who you are or what you look like, someone, somewhere will find you attractive.

Now, thanks to the Internet, that someone is just one click away.