Ghosted by the American Dream: How young people's interpretation of the ideal is changing its very meaning

The “American Dream” has been core to the nation’s identity, in its truths and mistruths, since its early founding. It asserts that anyone, regardless of their birth, can achieve success in the United States through hard work and ingenuity. For the past several generations the “Dream” has translated into all the trappings of a comfortable [upper] middle class lifestyle. But, for younger generations the “Dream” increasingly reads like a chapter in a history textbook rather than a modern, accessible framework for living. They’ve already experienced the fragility of core institutions like housing, education, and healthcare in their short lives. And they carry the emotional burdens of inheriting an unjust world and a dying planet. Is the “American Dream” nothing but a veneer driven by the thrill of hope, competition and opportunity? In its place young generations are joining movements and adopting ways of life that are more just/fair and are less focused on consumerism by design. But what is the role of design when it comes to the American Dream? In this talk, SYLVAIN Founder and CEO Alain Sylvain will argue that the American Dream has ghosted younger generations, and that their new interpretation is changing its meaning entirely. Through contemporary and historical examples across politics, economics, and pop culture, he’ll demonstrate how the world of design plays a crucial role in arming consumers with the information they need to create a new kind of dream.