I think a main issue it comes down to is choice. We all have too much choice in this day and age, and an over saturation in the consumer market. While on one hand this is good for us, and something pushed for by earlier generations, it also can trap people into a spiral of never ending desire or confusion. We as human beings are quite fickle, and having so much choice can be overwhelming. You can basically do anything you want to, study anything you want, have any job you want, you just need to work out how to get there. Most of my friends have two or more degrees because they changed their mind after the first one, or found a new interest in something else. While i think this is an amazing option we have, that is 5/6 10? years out of your life, so you're finishing studies in your middle 20's.
We also have the consumer side of things which makes it harder to save and go onto those tradional 'adulthood' ideals marriage, house, family etc. 20/30 years ago, there really was tnothing much to buy. Maybe a few household appliances, a rang eof a few cars, clothes and small items were all there was to tempt us. Now we have such a range of everything, from cars, to household goods, to clothes, not to metion the range of computer goods, electronics, phones, video games etc, that people are only living in the here and now, keeping up with the jones type of living, blinded by the new flashy things. Coupled with an economic downturn, no wonder people in their 20's seem like we're a bit stuck. We're still studying, or working jobs we don't like to pay for study, or new flashy things, while other things such as housing are completely out of our grasp.
I LOVE choice. I'm glad I was born into this generation, but I can also see what a trapping choice can be for others.