” A new generation is rising”  states William Struass. And no doubt, he’s not making it up. Just turn on the TV and watch Kyle XY or Degrassi. What do you see? Technology technology technology. Even if its not outright used, or discussed right in your face, its everywhere on TV by young people. Kyle XY seems to evoke this new age ( aside from the Eden-like beginning with the snake etc.), even in the opening scene…ITS A YOUNG TEEN EMERGING FROM THE WILD INTO THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE CITY, and what is it he’s an expert at? You guessed it: technology. It’s a subtle strategy, some of us perhaps just enjoying the interesting plot of the outsider, but really it’s just your average millennial doing what we do best: learning technology from day 1, ( learning in general actually), befriending diversity, believing in teamwork, the list goes on. In fact Kyle’s ” host mom” outright tells him, ” You’re a special boy”, a general compliment that millennials tend to get. Not to mention the Mom is the seeming breadwinner, the Dad stays home, the kids and adults have liberal discussions and the whole family just seems loved- the kind of household Millennials tend to come from according to Strauss.   The most obvious millennial moment: when Kyle instantly knows how to fix the computer that Stephen ( the dad, who is it seems…a computer repair man?) has spilled coffee on. Ironic? Yes. It appears that the “New Generation” is here, and is eager to face the world with more knowledge than the previous generation. I’d also like to point out the social aspects where unlike most tv shows with an outsider, the two Trager children seem very open to Kyle after the first episode ( note ending scene at dinner table). Usually it takes a lot for that outsider to get accepted, but not with Milennials, give them a 42 minute episode and then you’re family.

As for Degrassi, its a little more obvious. In the opening scene we see a computer screen and Emma and Manny ( 7th graders!) are discussing Emma’s online relationship. How risque of you Emma, do you know who Jordan really is? But thats beside the point, because what we see is the early stages of social networking online! The internet was still in its infancy when the show came out, especially when Emma walks by the classroom of computers that ” all have the internet!” on them. But nontheless we have a plan on “the new generation” even in the title. The kids seem enthusiastic and full of ideas.  It also helps that the pilot is about old vs new, and that these new kids beginning their Degrassi experience have what their parents didn’t: technology. Even Emma’s mom states, ” I couldn’t hack myself out of a paper bag”, let alone read Emma’s email. It’s the kind of ” foreignness ” with technology that these Degrassi kids, or millennials have never seemed to experience.  We’ve grown up with it. One thing that really struck me was a short moment as Emma was sitting at her computer in the dark ( perhaps evoking the old image of the child under the bed-sheets reading comic books with a flashlight) and the camera is close to her hand. We see a blurry outline that looks like pencils, but then the camera focuses and we see her hand on the mouse. Coincidence? I think not. The mouse seems to be the tool that Milennials will use to change their future. Another point evoked by these two shows is that even our TV watching experience is different than our parents. Now we can connect with other fans of Kyle XY and speculate for days about where he came from and what certain subtle hints mean in the show. We’re connected online by our watching experience and the medium to communicate with the hundreds of other fans. TV shows never had websites back in the day. Now they do, and some ( like Kyle XY) seem to take advantage of that fact, and our willingness to interact with the show OUTSIDE of the watching experience. I guess that makes us go-getters right?