The Lighthouse Diary Entry 11: The Three Enduring Truths

A colleague from school sent me a link to McCann Truth Central's global study on young people age 16 and 30. This is a follow up on an earlier study made in 2011 in which information about the lifestyle, behavior, attitude and culture of young people were collected to understand them for marketing and branding purposes. Using quantitative interviews and focus group discussions as methods to collect and gather data from eighteen countries including the Philippines, the 2017 report shows interesting findings and not so new information about millennials and the generation Z.

It turns out that millennials and the generation Z are concerned with three things, namely, finding the self, finding people (friends and a community to belong to), and finding one's place or niche in the world. Sounds familiar? We have heard these before and is considered by thinkers and philosophers, past and present as the enduring truths of human existence. Technology, especially social media, play a relevant role in their lives but the quest for these enduring truths remain the same in all age groups, demographics, even. What is remarkable in the study is that, the way young people of this age seek these truths is very much different from their predecessors.

This prompts marketers and branding agents to ask different questions to fully sell or promote an idea. McCann identifies four questions that revolve around the three enduring truths.

1. What is the truth at the heart of a brand (Finding the self)
2. Who are our people (Finding people)
3. What is your meaningful role in the lives of young people (Finding your place in the world)
4. How and where do we earn that role?

How can I use this information in my work in the high school library? I ask my own questions too, as response.

1. What is my role in the lives of young people who seek these truths?
2. As they seek their truths, how can the library and my expertise assist or help them find their truths?
3. How do library services and programs aid them in their search for identity, belongingness, acceptance and accomplishments?

Technology is a game changer, indeed. But let us not forget that there are things in this world that never really change.