It seems like the last few industry conferences I have been to have had lectures on understanding and reaching out to generational groups. Each of these lectures seem to focus on the tools; facebook, myspace, twitter etc… and less about the growing gap in experience that is changing our society.
I was trolling the internets the other day when I happened across a program called Growing Up Online. This program is all about how the internet is tearing down “traditional” boundaries and changing the dynamics of relationships.
It is one thing to say that kids are spending more time online it is another to realize that an entire generation of youth are growing up never having done offline research and see google and wikipedia as the prime resources of information. My nephew who just entered college has never even used a rotary phone, and my niece who is eight can’t imagine not having a cellphone.
For myself this documentary really captured how I felt growing up. I was a teenager during the infancy of the internet and most of my formative years were spent online developing and bridging connections with lifetime friends some of whom I have never even met off-line. Today those connections are even easier to make and to no small degree I empathize with both groups, elders trying to communicate with the up and coming youth and the youth trying to understand concepts which are completely foreign to their experiences growing up online.
Even though I am turning 30 this year I still feel closer to most of the teenagers highlighted in this program. Working with my staff who range from Baby Boomers to Millenials each different motivations and expectations. While the program is less about the how of generational communication and more about exposing the challenges GenY and Millenials face growing up, if you are looking for that insight then you should definately check out Growing Up Online.
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