March 10, 2008 | Posted by: Lee
For those of you over 30 and especially anyone in their 40's, it's a totally different world out there when it comes to being social. The web has radically changed how the younger generation interacts with each other. Today's teen doesn't know a world without the Internet, IM, or cell phones. Heck, they can barely remember not having iPods, Flickr, and MySpace.
They're wired, and wired to each other 24x7. Communications is liquid, flowing from one source to another, creating connections based on likes, dislikes, music, movies, unicorns, you name it.
- 93% of American teens use the Internet compared to 70% of American adults.
- 64% of online teens ages 12-17 have participated in one or more among a wide range of content-creating activities on the Internet.
- 55% of online teens ages 12-17 have created a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace.
- And my favorite, teenagers think email "is for old people" (according to a study by The Pew Trusts).
I started playing around with social media a couple years ago when I create a Facebook page (contrary to my kids believing I was stalking them online, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about). It changes how you think. It makes communications more fluid and timeless. But I know that I'm still not thinking about social media the same way they do, because they don't have to "think" about it - it's just part of who they are.
So if you want a glimpse into their heads, just ask them to tell you about what they do online all day (and night). Or better yet, watch their reactions when you explain what a busy signal is (was), or talk about a time when there wasn't call waiting, voice mail, cell phones, or instant messaging.