By Tatiana Kielberman
In the last weeks a phenomenon has swept over social networks in Brazil. Nothing unexpected, especially because as social-network-addicts know, it’s impossible to predict what crazily cool thing they’ll come up with next.
Allowing Orkut contacts (currently the most popular social network in Brazil) to be transferred to Facebook, is a monumental step. Perhaps the creator of this application didn’t realize what kind of enormous reprecussions his creation would have.
Brazil has the most Orkut users in the world. Other social networks like Twitter and Facebook are slowly growing in Brazil. People have gotten used to the Brazilian style of Orkut. It has truly become a second home to them.
Generation Y discovered these tools, allowing them to connect with friends, that they might have never seen again or kept in touch with, without social networks. More than just a distraction, social networks are becoming a social habit. Society has grown accustomed to, and become relatively dependent on this medium of communication.
Perhaps this is why Gen Y has been a bit resistant towards Facebook. They were happy in their Orkut world. Orkut and its applications are extremely familiar to them, and easy to use.
Also, the new innovations popping up on Orkut were never hard to get a grip on, as they were always user friendly. While other countries dominated Facebook from A to Z, Brazilians still asked “Why Change?” Especially because most of their friends didn’t know the site. Moving everybody to Facebook would be a lot of work.
Yet little by little, young Brazilians, especially those belonging to Generation Y, became the motor propelling social networks. They were invited and encouraged to get to know “Facebook.”
One thing that Brazilians really seem to love is the idea originally taken from Twitter where Facebook users share “what are you doing?” The idea of telling others in real-time what you are thinking is really interesting. Also, a lot of games available exclusively on Facebook allow friends to play and compete together. This also goes along with the idea of sharing in real-time.
And so the Facebook fever rose. Now with the ability to import Orkut contacts onto Facebook, people will feel more and more at “home” on Facebook. Brazilian participation has risen significantly, for the simple fact that this tool greatly facilitates conversion, and wasn’t available before. There’s no doubt that with a large Brazilian presence on Facebook, the social network will continue to grow exponentially.
And what does all this have to do with Gen Y and Brazil? A lot! It allows us to understand what moves youth today. They are moved by familiarity. They are drawn to that which is not threatening, and doesn’t go out of their comfort zone too much. Of course, Gen Y in Brazil does want to “shake and move,” exploring new experiences, but only to a certain point.
Brazilians, especially in comparison to Europeans and Americans still romanticize this idea of “home sweet home.” Although Gen Y is constantly characterized by their speed, velocity, and instantaneous nature, they are still loyal to their origins.
In this case, the origin is Orkut, and Brazilians may take a while to realize that they can come and go as they please when it comes to social networks. Facebook was a beginning, but clearly there will be many more beginnings and middles, captivating the attention of Gen Y in Brazil. Whether we like it or not this generation is the beginning of everything.
