Brett April 13th, 2009
We always hear that Millennials are different, and that their constant online interaction is changing the very way they interact. However, I do not know if I believe all of the hype. While older generations may not understand Gen Y’s methods, they should realize that these new communication tools enable people to connect faster and more efficiently than ever before. No longer do countless teenagers and young adults have to miss each other while trying to catch a movie a la an episode of Seinfeld, and can instead always find their friends on Loopt. Also, even though it seems that Millennials are always texting on their phones, a recent OTX study shows that hanging out with friends, going out with a girlfriend/boyfriend, and listening to music are a Millennial’s top activities. Going online, using social media applications, and texting do not even appear on this list, which means the stereotype of Gen Y losing themselves to the online morass must be off.
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Brett February 9th, 2009
Many people have wrongly classified Millennials and other young professionals as lazy and self-centered, but I believe this stereotype results from this generation defining success differently than previous generations. Unlike their predecessors, this group has been taught to push the envelope and not simply define success as receiving the golden watch after 25 plus years of service at a company. Millennials have watched their parents work 9-5 each day, only to be later downsized and out of work 20 years into their careers, and as a result, young professionals have expanded their definition of success to places outside of work. A young professional’s accomplishments in their career are only a small piece of the total picture, which now encompasses personal growth, constant learning, a strong family life, and a sense of accomplishment when everything is said and done. Millennials want to blaze their own path and most especially control their own destiny. As Mr. Michael Malone writes in his article “The Next American Frontier” (Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2008), the Millennials have become a generation of entrepreneurs. Continue Reading »
Brett February 3rd, 2009
Has your mom ever nagged you for being online or playing video games for too long?? Well you are in luck because new research shows that internet savvy Gen Ys (or those who use technology most frequently) see a two fold increase in brain activity when searching on the internet compared with non tech people. Internet savvy participants also had increased activity in the frontal cortex or decision making part of the brain.
Gary Small, a neuroscientist, believes that the increased brain activity allows Millennials to successfully multitask. So when it appears that Gen Ys are ignoring you while listening to their Ipods, Dr. Small theorizes that Millennials might just have the ability to listen to both the Ipod and the speaker. He says the key is not to judge how young professionals and students learn, but rather understand that these people have adjusted to the incredible technology revolution we have experienced over the past 20 years and therefore take in information differently.
On a side note, I have heard that a genius like Einstein only used 50% of his brain, and some people have suggested that the percentage of brain used has a positive correlation with intelligence. A question I am wondering, and would like to hear some comments on is: do you think that because Gen Ys use more of their brain when using technology that they are smarter than non tech oriented people?
Links:
cbs news story
cbs blog article on Gen Ys
Brett December 10th, 2008
Corporations have had an incredible reluctance to embrace Web 2.0 technology, especially programs employees download on their own. In most cases these decisions to limit the technology affect the organization’s Millennials and other young professionals who typically use these tools. In some regards their fears are well founded: they do not want sensitive data migrating outside their intranet (an opening for hackers) or a loss of worker productivity from using these applications such as Facebook, AIM, etc.
Unfortunately, times have changed. In a global work environment where technology, news, and information move so quickly, employees need many of the tools to keep up with the massive amounts of data. In the emerging real-time corporate world, employees must have access to these applications in order to be part of the 24/7 public opinion conversation. The impenetrable firewall; however, many corporations institute stifles and restricts employee movement on the internet, and prevents employees from exercising flexibility or judgment about what is and is not appropriate. Continue Reading »
Brett November 5th, 2008
“Hi, I’m representing the Silent Generation (born before World War II) on today’s panel, and I can’t stand it when all these young kids always ask why.” And with that the panel introductions ended, and I found myself staring into a less than supportive crowd of 200 plus executives nodding their head in agreement.
Let’s back up a bit…
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Brett October 28th, 2008
We’ve heard for years about the ‘Tweeners’. Those kids who are too young to be teenagers, but aspire to be like them. They have been a marketer’s little slice of heaven. Through targeted marketing campaigns that played on their anxiety and desire to be older, corporations have been able to create blockbuster products like Hannah Montana.
While the Tweeners are today a widely recognized group, another demographic has begun to develop on the other side of the spectrum: young professionals between the age of 21-30. This might strike everyone as incredibly odd, but in fact if you look closely, this age group is in as much a transition as the original Tweeners. Even though very few people talk about it, the tail end of Gen X and the beginning of Generation Y is currently in the middle of an incredible evolution. Continue Reading »
Brett April 26th, 2008
Is it just me or has anyone out there found social networking sites not very social? Marc Zuckerburg and many of the other founders all talk about this grand society network that’s being created, but in all honesty are you even interacting with the person whose profile you are staring at? In many ways, you’re just a passive observer of your friend’s life, which seems almost opposite of what you’d want to do to be friends with someone.
The worst one of all, I think, is Twitter. When I first heard of the site, it actually seemed really interesting, but when I started using it, I felt almost like part of my humanity was being sapped out of me. Describing my entire life in 150 characters seems borderline insane. Then for Jack Dorsey to suggest that we must go to this level because we are all too busy to actually stop and talk with our friends or perhaps even meet them for dinner, also seems a bit absurd. Continue Reading »
