Many people talk about the ever-widening gap in technology and internet usage between generations that is occurring right now. A lot of people seem to focus on the actual technology, that it is cumbersome, or hard to learn as a reason why previous generations are having a difficult time adapting. I think it is a combination of new values, other generations don’t see the value in using the internet for relationships, as well as having to learn to work in a new way.
All the collegiate graduates popping into the workforce over the next 12 months will be the start of the facebook and blogging generations entering the workforce en masse. They will have a tremendous advantage in regards to connectedness, speed and technology understanding. What most people used to put on their resumes (competency in HTML, etc.) are now pretty common skills, like using Microsoft Word was 5 years ago. And the “way” this generation will get results, and where they look for answers, and the speed at which they can find answers will continue to change the working environment.
Jeremiah Owyang has a great blog post on this topic where he is asking some great questions about this generation, if it will continue to use these technologies, and what changes are afoot because of it. Whether there or here, what do you think of these changes, and what effect are they going to have on relationships, work environment and society as a whole?
The question remains: Is this a generational thing that Gen Y will continue to communicate this way for the rest of their lives? Or is this a life stage experience where only the young participate online. I’m going with the former, expect to see my kid sister texting her friends until the next technology comes along, some sort of embedded in-person communication tool. [From Life Imitates Art Web]
