Many Ecuadorians were surprised by the appointment of young people to the cabinet of President Daniel Noboa. But is there any reason to worry?

It was 2007 when I recognized myself as a digital immigrant as opposed to a digital native, terms popularized by A. Piscitelli. Digital natives, Generation Y or Millennials, born between the 80s and 90s, have technology attached to their bodies, staying connected to people and ideas.

Today, millennials are between 30 and 40 years old, they are creative, innovative, they often experiment, they are not afraid of failure, they adapt to any context, although they prefer the graphic universe to the text one. Big consumers (not for accumulating things but for short-term enjoyment), they are also connoisseurs, multicultural and tolerant regarding sexuality, religion or ethnicity. They take care of their figure and their surroundings, they love pets and are in no hurry to get married or have children.

The individualism that characterizes many illustrates the blurred boundaries between the public and private spheres (we see it in degrading entertainment programs), which does not translate into “their problems becoming the problems of others”, points out the young Italian journalist T. Leoncini in Liquid Generation, a posthumous work by Z Bauman.

In an interesting intergenerational dialogue, Bauman and Leoncini talk about the main transformations in the 3.0 era: in skin (tattoos, plastic surgeries), in aggressiveness (school bullying), in sexuality and love (the decline of taboos in commercial sentimental electronics). The result, Leoncini adds, is “the death of politics (…), the political action of citizens in public debate.”

Therefore, Noboa considers the selection of millennials, academically educated and with the desire to regain political space to occupy ministries, along with professionals with extensive experience in key positions (12 men and 12 women between 25-60) successful. years) to give a twist to political practices in today’s complex universe. The government treads cautiously in minefields, considering that the country’s biggest problem is security. The first steps in the legislation envisage the crucial importance of employment of young people.

It is impossible to look at the world only from our perspective because that world no longer exists, it is irreversibly different, so we cannot assume that what was ‘normal’ is now normal to evaluate the current generation that has no greater reference. to lead her and also faces a lack of opportunities and an uncertain future.

It is common for us to make each other uncomfortable because, as Bauman points out, we older people tend to think that they are ruining the world that cost us so much to build, and the young feel the impulse to organize what, from their point of view, we have destroyed. Aren’t we fine?

Greek philosophers believed that at the age of 50 citizens can be ready to rule, and that at 35 they must descend from the heights into the cave of the real world. But, of course, almost 2,500 years have passed. (OR)