There are many instances in which the older generations, the business leaders, etc. should have payed attention to what the "kids" are doing and embrace new technologies earlier. The RIAA and other music industry examples not embracing online distribution and DRM free content is the most obvious example.
Still, there are times when the "kids" are, well, kids, and that taking their trends too seriously is asking for trouble of its own. And then there are times when I'm not quite sure.
My topic of interest here comes from this article on CNET about how current trends among teenagers suggest that email usage is becoming less and less prevalent outside of business. Instead, it is social networking sites, instant messager, and texts that they are using to communicate with each other.
I'm at a crossroads here not because I'm debating whether this is true; it absolutely is. Rather, I'm not sure if we should embrace or worry about this kind of change.
First, for anyone in the working world, I ask you this - does your job use IM clients, Skype, or programs like Webex? I'm going to guess you will say yes to one of these?
Now I ask you - does your company use email daily? And I know the answer is going to be yes.
Second, for those in or recently out of college - how often do you check your email? I'm going to guess most of you will say "several times a day", but that is because you're all technophiles like me. But you would likely be like me, in that you knew lots of college folks who would answer "Once a day" or even "Once a week"
Next question for the same crowd - how often do you check Facebook. If you're still like me, the answer is once a week, maybe twice. Most people though would answer "several times a day".
This is the reality of things. The younger crowd just doesn't use email anymore, but something like Facebook is crucial. So says the article even - kids can't live without it even (back in my day...).
Why is this? I can't really say for sure. I suppose its that Facebook offers more information, and the ability to contact many people in many ways instantly, without dealing with contacts and mailing lists. It also allows for a bit more fun than a traditional email. There's the whole "Social" aspect to it: email is generally person to person. On Facebook, everyone can see what you're doing, and if "what you're doing" is communicating with tons of friends and taking pictures of cool places, it helps in the popularity game.
Here's the problem with assuming this, or IM or whatever, is going to replace email: while it is all communication in the end, it is very different kinds of communication. IM is informal and spontaneous. It is great for quick contact about unimportant issues or chitchat. That, or drama. The only thing equivalent in business is quick chats about small issues. Because of this, many jobs do use some sort if IM client. But it simply can't handle bigger issues of communication. As for pictures and wall postings, there's simply no need. If documents or simply documentation needs to be shared, there are also wikis. Social networking is more or less an extension of high school hallways and campus walkways, but it isn't the board room or even the water cooler.
Email has other advantages. It is universal. Everyone knows how to use it, and everyone can get to it. And while there are many email services to choose from, they all work together. The kids in the article bemoan having to deal with many social sites to contact people. There is simply no excuse for such bullshit when dealing with the bottom line of a real-deal company. As alluded to earlier, email is also better suited for bigger issues. You can write out a nice long email with many points, instructions, paragraphs, whatever is needed. It also forces the writer to put a little more thought into what they are saying than in an IM. Granted, it isn't on quite the scale as a handwritten letter, but I haven't ever read a professional email that didn't use proper grammar at the very least.
Email does have its issues. Spam can be a problem still these days, and even people who have an email client open all the time are prone to missing critical messages until much later. There are ways to combat these problems however (gmail alone solves both of them), and it doesn't even take much in the way of know-how.
If I had to make a choice on this one, then I wouldn't side with the kids. I would say that rather than listening to their "advice", we tell them to stop being so lazy and grow up a bit. Learn things like how to construct a real sentence, how to be patient, especially for non critical information, and to understand the right time and place to say certain things (ex: an email can beat a chat, but sometimes a phone call beats an email at work). Otherwise, who knows what these teens will do when it comes to getting real jobs.
Wake up your time is nearly over
No more the supernova
No action guaranteed
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