Shining a Spotlight on “Net Geners”
Tonight I read the first of a BusinessWeek eight-part series Don Tapscott is authoring about my super stimulated, very digital generation.
With tomorrow’s election as the backdrop, Don brings up some good points about how we as a generation tend to behave and think. He’s right–we multi-task like crazy and we prefer to learn through collaboration rather than lectures. And in my own experience, young people definitely have a tremendous ability and affinity for uniting in groups online, whether it’s around a common interest, political event or social community.
Musing about how my generation organizes online, I can’t help but think of my friend Jessica. In late August, one of my best childhood friends was in a horrific car crash. Within what felt like minutes, a Facebook group was created, where hundreds of Jessica’s friends joined together to receive updates on her condition, upload photos, and leave messages of strength and love. When Jess passed away a few days later, the group transformed into an active tribute, and the page filled with memories and I miss yous. This sort of digital community grieving has never existed before. And this type of organization online extends to all kinds of human interaction, from conversation, education, and celebration.
One thing I guess I find strange is the idea that this generation spans ages 11-31. I think with the way social, information and entertainment technology are evolving at the speed of light, generations might need to be separated more. Within the Net Generation, there are probably three or more sub-generations that have grown up and experience mobile and the Web differently from each other.
Let’s keep talking about Facebook. For instance, my class year in school was the first to start college with Facebook. Facebook was a huge defining part of my college experience, start to finish. Someone who is 31 has probably only used the site as a professional and most likely has a different experience with it. And then someone who is 11 technically can’t use Facebook yet, and who knows what his or her experience will be. Maybe for these kids, Facebook will be a central element to their adolescence, or maybe by that time, this site and sites like it will be too saturated with “old people” and Facebook will take on a different meaning for this age group. I understand there are differences within every traditional generation, but I think the reality today is generations are getting smaller as technology and society move faster.
In any case, I’m really looking forward to reading the forthcoming seven articles in Don’s series. Give this one a read and let’s talk about it.
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Hey Amanda. It’s interesting that you’re defining your generation based on a technology, specifically Facebook. I would think that the age range of 11-31 would include a social technology platform for all of the ages included: Club Penguin, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn. I’d see the ‘Net Generation as one whose lives have have been entwined with Internet technology, for whom it has been their information gathering, entertainment viewing, and social engagement tool. Unlike guys like me who remember having to call the movie theater to see what was playing and remembers board games!
I’m about 8 years past the top age of the ‘Net Gen scale but it has been a huge part of my life, a career changing one actually, since the mid-90s. I have a child coming in early ‘09 who will be hyper-blogged and flickred! I would argue that a definition of ‘Net Generation, is less about demographic of age, but a psychographic of usage. I find it much more informative to think of Gen Y (or Gen Why?), Gen X and Baby Boomers.