Social media and pop culture seem to have influenceover the perception we have about any generation. However,millennials, or those 18 to 34 years old, seem likethey are part of a misunderstood generation, accused of beingnarcissistic for taking one-too-many selfies and lazy for nothaving jobs.

In an effort to better understand millennials and find out theirneeds and wants, a recent article on AdWeek hasorganized this generation, some 80 million young adults, into 12categories, which are briefed in this article. The data analysis of4 million young adults by Exponential, a digital advertisingnetwork, was presented during Advertising Week in New York thisyear.

While the research is fascinating, keep in mind that thesepersonality types do not portray all millennials. These types arejust an idea of the kind of prospects you might encounter, how torelate to them and what stages in life they might be in. Maybe somemillennials present a kaleidoscope of these traits in their ownpersonalities, but if you’re patient and listen to your client orprospect’s needs, you should be able to understand and serve thembetter.

1. Boss babes

If you have watched "Scandal," the TV show, then you know we’retalking about an Olivia Pope-type of millennial, played by KerryWashington. She’s fierce, ambitious, assertive and focused on hercareer. She has a high purchase power and professional influence.She might also not be interested in dating.

(Photo: Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope in ABC's"Scandal." AP Photo/ABC, Eric McCandless)

See also: How to attract and keep the next generation ofclients

2. Brogrammers

Beer and sports with a hint of “nerd” and a dash of“fist-pumping,” “brogrammers” (“bros” + programmers) are the latestversion of Revenge of the Nerds, if the nerds actuallywere jocks or vice versa, at some point. For example, Snapchatfounder Evan Spiegel is an illustration of who brogrammers are.

(Photo: Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. AP Photo/Jae C.Hong, File)

See also: Why should you focus on millennials?

3. The underemployed

You might have read their résumés at one point or another. Somemight have even applied for an entry-level position, even thoughtheir education and/or experience would place them at a higherlevel or higher earning position. But they’re desperate and need topay off their student loans or just want to have a job to becomemore financially independent from their parents. The article choseHannah Horvath, the character from HBO’s "Girls" played by LenaDunham, as the illustration of this type of millennial.

These millennials might also still have roommates to be able toafford rent in the most desirable cities for young people.

(Photo: Lena Dunham from HBO's "GIRLS." DanSteinberg/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)

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LIMRA: Most parents financially support adultchildren

4. The shut-out

If educated millennials are having a hard time finding their wayin this economic market, the “shut-outs” are worse off. These areunemployed millennials with impractical degrees or no collegeeducation. For example, from TV’s "New Girl," NickMiller is a law school dropout, who is stuck in limbo. According tothe article, many can’t afford college and it would take them 10 to15 years to recover the lost ground, “and that’s if they startedtoday. Each month of unemployment creates a wider gap in theirresume, and many economists fear they have the makings of apermanent underclass,” the article states.

(Photo: Actor Jake Johnson who plays Nick Miller on thetelevision series "New Girl." Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP)

5. The nostalgics

And of course by “nostalgics” they just mean “hipsters” or thosewho fetishize blue-collar traditions or have returned to theirchildhood pastimes for comfort, according to the article. A greatillustration is basically every character in "Portlandia." It’skind of cool to “rediscover” the “old” or “vintage” (like when Ifound my mom’s 1970’s "Saturday Night Fever" LPs) and that’sexactly what these hipsters do: seek comfort in nostalgia.

(Photo: In this undated file publicity image released byIFC, Fred Armisen, left, and Carrie Brownstein appear in a scenefrom the IFC series "Portlandia." Armisen's famous quip on the showthat Portland is "a city where young people go to retire," ledPortland State University researchers to investigate the realitybehind the comment. AP Photo/IFC, Scott Green, File)

6. Travel enthusiasts

Not very affluent, world-trotting adventurers are trying tosatisfy their insatiable wanderlust. Travel enthusiasts use theirsmartphone with tons of travel apps to get the best deals and doself-guided tours. They feel like a citizen of a borderless globalculture and have a sense of travel safety. The article saysCanadian travel vlogger (video blogger) Nadine Sykora is anexample of this type of millennial.

7. Culinary explorers

What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? Of course you can’ttalk about millennials without talking about “foodies” or a personinterested in food and beverages who seeks new food experiences asa hobby.

Chef and food stylist Camille Becerra is theillustration of this type of millennial. Culinary explorers thriveon exotic and authentic cuisine experiences and are usually moreaffluent than travel enthusiasts, but have less time to leavetown.

See also: 11 ways to attract and recruit millennial clients

(Photo: Instagram screenshot)

8. The exuberants

Maybe this type of millennial is the one that most people claimto “know” or have heard about. The exuberants are characterized bybeing defined by the image they project on social media. They’reconstantly updating their many profiles to maintain that publicimage with selfies. They blog about everything. They are alsosocially competitive and driven to try new things because of thefear of missing out (FOMO). Although Kim Kardashian comes to mind,the article says that a great example of this type of millennial isAziz Ansari’s character, Tom Haverford, in the TV show "Parks& Recreation."

(Photo: Aziz Ansari arrives at the 71st annual GoldenGlobe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014,in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

9. The collectors

They might look like “passive” social media users, but inreality, these types of millennials are absorbing everything on theweb like a sponge, but rarely create any social media contentthemselves. They are “digital listeners” and are illustrated by theweird, yet highly intelligent and silly, like Abed Nadir, acharacter from the TV show "Community" (played by Danny Pudi). Theyare typically introverted and like to discover experiences postedby exuberants, maybe living vicariously through them, because theyeither lack the time or the resources to enjoy that experience inperson.

Interestingly enough, the research found that most millennialsare actually collectors.

(Photo: Danny Pudi with a puppet of his charactercourtesy of Samsung Galaxy, taken during the Paley Center forMedia's PaleyFest, honoring "Community," at the Saban Theatre,Tuesday March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. KevinParry/Invision/AP)

10. The quarter-life crisis millennial

Have you ever been to the coffee section of your grocery store?There are so many choices: bean types, regions or countries,different roasts, bean blends and flavored coffee … Paralyzed by somany options, this type of millennial wouldn’t be able to pick onecoffee from the store, if picking coffee from a shelf were a lifechoice, of course.

The quarter-life crisis millennials are plagued bysevere student loan debt, “helicopter-parent”upbringing, a chronic inability to choose anything from lifestylepurchases to career opportunities, and a tendency to pursue a widerange of religions and spiritual identities, according to thearticle. The somewhat exaggerated example of this millennial iscartoon character Cheryl from "Archer."

(Photo: YouTube)

11. Millennial Marthas

The Martha Stewarts of the new millennium, these are millennialswho make everything crafty and stylish, no skill or sweat required,at least to onlookers. While they produce a lot of social mediacontent, like exuberants, they are focused on their expertiseareas. “Millennials bookmark to privately gather and filterinspiring ideas, which they can use to help define theiridentities, then use social media to share this image. From anoutsider perspective, this makes their image appear authentic andeffortless,” the research found. An example of this millennial isYouTubepersonality Bethany Mota.

12. Millennial moms

Forty-six percent of millennial women born between 1980 and 1995are moms. Millennial moms are usually all over Facebook and veryactive on other social media networks. The research found that theyhave a high purchasing power, 71 percent of them work, while theyfeel socially pressured to “have it all,” they are also veryfocused on health and are interested in DIY, fitness, home anddécor.

And what about millennial dads? “What may be unnerving is thatthere’s no expectation for millennial dads – no consensus on whathe should do and even little sense of men changing in a significantway as they become parents,” the research found.

You can read the full article here.

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Only half of millennial investors save what they need[infographic]

Finding the ‘sweet spot’ in attracting millennials to insurancecareers