Ann Shoket - Seventeen Magazine, Vine, YouTube, Millennials, Gen Z - Ep. 10

My chat with long time Editor-in-Chief of 17 Magazine Ann Shoket covered many things I expected it to; the work/life balance debate most high-powered, career women are saddled with, her path as a journalist (how she got and stays there), why she waited until her late 30’s to get married and have babies, breast cancer (mine), and the excitement we both share over the new wave of feminism that is emerging in the generations coming up behind us.

What I didn’t expect was that the majority of the conversation would turn into our shared love letter to those very generations; Y and Z - also known (respectively) as millennials and those born after 1989. We discuss at length their positive use of social media, including how Twitter and the likes are enabling them to create cutting edge businesses - many of which are making the world a better place. Shoket believes social media and the “instafame” pioneers who are leading the charge are also pin pointing serious issues like body image (Beyonce’s thigh gap/Instagram debate), and homophobia (ala the recent feud between Nash Grier and Tyler Oakley - look it up). We pose the idea that all this seemingly narcissistic self-branding is actually born out of necessity, and why their “over-reliance” on these platforms is in direct proportion to the volatile, world they inherited from Xers and Boomers. We also discuss why the prevailing belief that these platforms are breeding a legion of socially-inept narcissists might not be an accurate one, and is instead helping them create a better future. For all of us. 

What this conversation ultimately became and aims to offer is another perspective on these much maligned generations, the ones that will be running YOUR world one day. You’ve already heard the negatives… and it’s not just the social media debate either! This episode runs the gamut from the Viners and YouTubers who are blowing us away with the content they’re creating, girls like Lorde and Tavi Gevinson that have sparked a whole new conversation about feminism and how Y and Z not only possess an unwavering intolerance for bigotry, they’re actually spearheading the modern gay rights movement to great effect.

Shoket wants you to start believing in our youth. She urges you, as do I, to walk a mile in their sneakers and listen to the insights and perspectives offered in this episode. Times have changed. And maybe… so should you.

This episode is sponsored by The Podcasters' Studio.

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