The Power of ‘Publish’ on a Generation
I grew up with a mouse and keyboard in my hand. Sure, I played Oregon Trail, competed with my brother and sister in computer games, and hung out every night on AIM. I grew up with technology as it was becoming social.
The power of social technologies has amplified the power of consumers. In the digital age, every individual has the opportunity to be an influencer. The ‘publish’ button has given us the power (and the responsibility) to be citizen watchdogs. While this capability has always existed through traditional in-person word of mouth, it is amplified by the power of social technologies. Little did we know the drastic change that was happening while we stared at our shining screens worried about our Ox mid-game on the Trail.
Needless to say, Generation Y has been at the heart of this change, and the Net Generation is not far behind.
There have been numerous reports, studies and blog posts written on the Generation Y ‘Narrative,’ exploring the fight for individualism balanced with care for the common collective and a growing ambiguity between life online and offline. Insightful reports define the traits of this elusive audience by going beyond mere demographics to dig deeply and explore the roots that have influenced the Millennial point of view. However, when it comes down to it, Generation Y has options to change the world and itself thanks to the power of ‘publish’. I see it everyday, with organizations and events that are creating different ways to spread the message about causes that aren’t getting the attention they deserve. Our online hang outs are not for posting party pictures and our daily whereabouts (despite what many believe); they can be much more. They create community, which ultimately is leading to changes in how we gather and disseminate information.
Generation Y is the ultimate consumfluencer (my own portmanteau) and are empowered to be more vocal than ever before. While other generations may have had limited access and ability, Generation Y grew up innately understanding its role as the hybrid consumer/influencer.
Generation Y is still young (although quickly entering the work force) and Millennials are truly finding themselves in the process (myself included). Millennials’ Tumblrs, Facebooks, Twitter and Flickr streams go beyond noise to act as projections values, dreams and desires.
But we (Generation Y) are just at the beginning of creating social change and expressing ourselves through the power of social technologies. We need to keep pushing the envelope, and keep pushing ‘publish.’
Image credit: MasterNewMedia.org
Tags: Generation Y, publish, self-expression, social change
This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am and is filed under Consumer Insight, social media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
