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It really used to get on my nerves when people described social media as a fad, an extracurricular activity, just playing around. But now when I hear someone describe it that way, one word comes to mind: opportunity.
At my first Social Media Club breakfast, one of the attenders brought up a presentation he’d seen recently by Don Tapscott (author of books Wikinomics, Growing up Digital and Grown up Digital) on the digital generation. He relayed Tapscott’s theory that the Internet created a generation that thinks, plays and relates to their world in a way that’s radically different from that of their parents. One aspect of the theory stuck out in my mind: Members of the younger generation have grown up with social media. Sure, it may not have been prevalent when they were born, but they grew up with it in high school, college and now in their first few years as young professionals in the workplace.
Why is this important? Because it discounts that whole “social media is a fad” idea. To the digital generation, social media is a way of life. They blog, friend and tweet just as they eat, drink and sleep. That’s how this generation communicates and its members aren’t going to change so that we can continue to feel comfortable controlling our messages, setting up our processes and parceling out information to our employee base. We’re the ones who need to change.
Take my stepmom, for instance. She and my dad are both 72 and if you’d asked them about Facebook even six months ago, my dad would have made some corny joke about how all books have faces on them.
But that all changed recently when my stepmom’s granddaughter showed her how they could keep in touch with each other on Facebook. Soon after, I received friend requests from them and now every weekend when I talk to my dad he starts the conversation with—“How’s the painting going? What did you shoot at the golf course? How was the Royals game?” Where does he get all these conversation starters? My Facebook status, of course.
The key to Tapscott’s message isn’t just that the new generation entering the workforce uses social media and that you might want to give it a try so you can relate to them better. It’s that the digital generation will undoubtedly drive the way the workforce communicates in the future. And they use Facebook, Twitter, texting and other social media on an everyday basis. So organizations need to get on the Web 2.0 train or risk becoming irrelevant.
It’s likely that you work with members of the digital generation on an everyday basis. How do they communicate? Whether they’re talking about a project at work or happy hour plans, they’re talking about it online. To the digital generation, social media (Web 2.0) is the Internet. And they’re going to expect to use the same type of communication tools they use externally with their friends (e.g. social networks, blogs, IM) to do their jobs.
Back in the early ’90s, there were a few people who said the Internet was going to change the way we communicate. But most people were hesitant to commit. Same with e-mail a few years later. And then came instant messaging. Fast forward to today. People are saying the same thing about Web 2.0. And once again, people are hesitant to buy in.
Now, let me ask you this: What would you say to someone today who told you the Internet was a fad, e-mail was an extracurricular activity or IM was just used to play around? You’d call them crazy, wouldn’t you?
The change that the digital generation is bringing is inevitable. But don’t take my word for it. Just ask Tapscott, who notes: “The digital generation is an unprecedented force to change every institution in society. The question is—’Are you ready?’”
Justin Goldsborough is a social media communication manager for Sprint. Read his eXchange blog at: Justin case you were wondering or follow his Twitter: JGoldsborough. |
