When is Gen Y inspired?

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Mark Pincus of Zynga

Move over SRK, Big B and George Clooney... These role models may be less prolific but certainly have a lasting impact on youngsters. Call it the allure of the intellectual class or the inherent charm of entrepreneurs, people from fields apart from entertainment and sport are inspiring an entire generation.

A typical hypothetical question asked to every Indian child: “Who do you want to be like when you grow up?” and the response would mostly be “Sachin Tendulkar” or “Hrithik Roshan” earlier. Now, kids are fascinated by what people like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan. They may not be splashed over glossy covers of magazines and film websites, but their activities are reaching out to Gen Y. Rakesh Jairam, a software engineer says, “I had no idea who George Calombaris and Matt Preston were until I saw Masterchef Australia, thanks to my younger sister. I started following them on Twitter and it’s pretty amazing to see the kind of work they do.
Youngsters are opening up to unconventional ideas, entrepreneurs and business ideas, which give rise to a pretty next-door kinda person reaching dizzying heights of fame. Case in point is a study that says a third of children in UK presumed that Albert Einstein is a reality TV star but 68 percent of them correctly identified Mark Zuckerberg as the founder of Facebook. Reeti Naik, a social media consultant says, “I can safely say one social network, one business idea called Facebook has changed the way the world works today. A few decades down the line and Zuckerberg will be immortalised. What makes these men more admirable is that their success stories are believable and they are more accessible. When you see a film star, there is still a feeling of surrealism.”
Many youngsters feel they aren’t so starstruck by film and sport stars anymore, and the mania that follows isn’t as high as in the earlier days. “Personally, I feel more inspired by people like Mark Pincus. He has revolutioned Internet and mobile gaming with Zynga. It reassures aspiring entreprenuers that if you have ideas and ambition, there is nothing stopping you,” says entrepreneur Meghna V. With ideas that help shape the world, change the way we live and improve our sense of being, these go-getters are certainly influencing the way young India thinks!