Get ready for the earth to crack open.

That was the visual Peter Leyden used to exemplify the tectonic paradigm shift that our country and world are experiencing as the Millennial Generation comes to power.

Leyden is the former managing editor of Wired Magazine and recently stepped down as the director of the New Politics Institute. He brought a fast-paced and fascinating presentation titled “The Millennial Moment: How the Young Millennial Generation is Changing America and the World” to the Reed Union building at Penn State Behrend Tuesday evening.

Fueled by scores of demographic data and generational comparisons, Leyden’s main premise was that only four times previously in our national history has the USA experienced the kind of explosive political and societal change that we are experiencing today. Leading the charge are the Millennials, those 12 to 30 year olds who embrace technology, the new media, and civic responsibility in game-changing ways.

At the center of this transformation are what Leyden calls the “tools” of the computer and the Internet revolution. As a relevant example of how these tools are changing our context, Leyden examined how the Internet has affected the presidential election. The old political paradigm is raising lots of cash from a few wealthy people to be able to air tons of TV commercials. However, we now also have the power of the Internet to have literally millions of average “Joes” to donate a few hundred dollars each and have an even greater impact through social networking, grassroots collaboration, and viral marketing.

Ten years ago, Peter Leyden helped guide America through the emerging Web 1.0 and the dot.com boom and bust. Now he guiding our political and business leaders to understand the total transformation our society will endure orchestrated by the empowering of what will be the largest and most diverse generation in American history: the Millennial Generation.

Find out more about Peter Leyden’s work at nextagenda.org.