“Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.” - John F. Kennedy

Quick Summary

• Baby Boomer Generation – Born Post-World War II
• Generation X – Born 1960’s – 1980’s
• Generation Y/Millennial – Born 1980’s – 2000’s

Constant Communication. The force that drives Millennials to keep up-to-date, execute projects and stay motivated at work and in life. Cut off a Millennials communication and you have cut off their life supply. How did this come to be? Why does this happen? How has something as small as communication penetrate the fabric of an entire generation of people around the world?

Here are some events that have transpired over the 1980’s, the 1990’s and into the 2000’s that explains the necessity of communication to effective manage the Millennials of the future.

Television

Television has been around for decades, it’s primary purpose being effective communication of anyone that wished (and had the money) to broadcast. Political, religious and major events were broadcast all over black-and-white televisions across the world in effect keeping everyone in tune to the movements and rhythms of an actual event. Reading it in the newspaper was not actually “being” there, television was.

In the 80’s and on, television had successfully integrated itself into society as a communication medium. Local, national and global channels were in excess, why watch one local news channel when you have three more to choose from? This flexibility in options was the beginning of “anytime” contact, the choice of when to receive media. Missed the six o’ clock news? That’s fine it’s on at eleven. Want to watch Full House later because it’s on during school hours? Record it and play it later. Multiple options to fit anyone’s schedule, unlike when television first arrived in the 40’s. No need to be a Baby Boomer and tune into the radio station putting life on hold, or a Generation Y gathering everyone up to watch the a Friday night movie  in the evening, the flexibility of technology and programming helped Millennials begin to shape the television around them.

Internet

In elementary schools, teachers would link their students to “pen pals” across the world. Writing a letter to someone in Tokyo living in North America was an interesting experience, you would spend time using your pencil to write something that was meaningful and creative. Maybe you would include drawings in your envelope to show off when you sent your letter. Weeks later you would get a response; unfortunately, weeks later you forgot you sent a letter in the first place. There needed to be an easier way.

In the 1980’s, computer technology was there but not mainstream. In the early 90’s, computers were becoming mainstream in schools where students could practice using a mouse and keyboard. Productivity applications then came out, and students could then create and edit letters, graphics and equations. In colleges and universities, there would be advanced programming to then build applications.

Then comes 1995. Windows 95 comes out and helps everyone begin connecting to basic internet with the addition of Netscape. The students in school have had lessons in computer operation; their parents and grandparents have not, resulting in an influx of Millenials helping Generation Xer’s connect and navigate the computer and Internet.

Continuing on past the year 2000, almost every millennial was beginning to or has adapted to use of a computer and the Internet. This wave of “digital education” in schools helped Millennials communicate in a medium that their parents and beyond never had access to. However, one piece of the puzzle was missing that started to explode past 2005.

Social Networking

Web 1.0 has run its phase, much like television, Web 1.0 was more of a reference design where you could look up whatever information you needed anytime you wanted to. The advent of Web 2.0 was the major advancement for millennials to be in constant communication. With sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, now millennials could design content that they wanted to share with others. Why read the local news instantly when you can make instant news instantly. Using their knowledge in computers and software applications, millennials know had the tools along with the education to start writing blogs, post on their friends “walls”, upload photos to share their activities and “tweet” what they are doing from their cell phones.

This new sense of “meaning” also altered the perception of time in Millennials. Pre-1990’s, when you were working and had a project at work, it stayed at work. Everyone went home and enjoyed quality time with their families (or the television). Working from home was rare due to the tools not being readily available to everyone. In the age we live in now, if Milennials need to communicate with their boss at ten in the evening, why wait until tomorrow? They can send a text message, send an e-mail, send a message via Facebook or LinkedIn or even “tweet” what they want to communicate.

Of course, Millennials expect communication back to establish that the message went through; telling someone something face-to-face does not need a confirmation, electronic messages do. Social Networking will continue to influence how and when Millennials communicate to their family, friends, peers or bosses, onwards to the next generation as technology continues to evolve.

Where do we go from here?

Television, Internet and Social Networking are all technologies that have helped us communicate more effectively. A tool is only effective if it is being utilized properly. Whether you are a Baby Boomer, Gen X or Gen Y, everyone needs to understand that faster does not necessarily mean better. Peter Drucker states that “communication is what the listener does”. No matter how many social networks you build and how many ways to communicate are in your arsenal, what matters now and until the end of time is what is being communicated. The technology is here to stay and continuously improve, what we need to do is adapt and stay on top of how to use it effectively.