As I have been having many more extensive conversations on the digital divide between the various currently available generations, I’ve come across some great source material in the last few weeks. But most notably one article from TechWeb: Younger Generation Embracing Technology Like Never Before
Now, this is somethign that we in the technology world have been talking about profusely over the last year or so. But, as I mentioned in a recent post, this is something that many boomers are unaware of, and very important to lend a thought to. The most notable quote from the article being:
Gen Yers spend an average of 12.2 hours online every week, which is 28 percent longer than Gen Xers and almost twice as long as older Boomers, which range from 51 to 61 years old, Forrester said. Gen Yers are 50 percent more likely than Gen Xers to send instant messages, twice as likely to read blogs and three times as likely to use social networking sites.
What this basically means is that choices on communication, collaboration, and media are being taken online by the Digital Generation (as refered to here as Gen Y, can also be called Gen M, or the Hand-Me-Up generation).
The most important underlying fact here is that our generation uses the online world as a social space. Interacting with friends, consuming media, collaborating, and creating for reconsumption back into the internet.
How does this apply to management and work space decisions? When an entire generation is used to essentially “living” part of their waking lives online.
Are 9-5 workdays as important anymore? Should the office/school/home environment be adjusted to suit different collaboration and workflow styles? Should the current social software interface styles be more like those environments? How?
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