There’s a theory that Communication majors learn about in college, called the “spiral of silence.” Basically this hypothesis developed by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann says that less popular opinions tend not to be heard, as they get drowned out by the opinions of the majority. She links this to the role of mass communication mediums in forming public opinions.

I agree with this theory. Those who don’t agree with the majority, often risk getting shredded apart. Society almost never forgives individuals who are against “common sense.” Just look at what happened to the protestors of the Brazilian dictatorship.

But that’s all back in the world of the X’s, Baby Boomers, and Veterans. In the world of Y’s, this theory simply doesn’t apply. Today the norm is disagreement. The dissonance comes from young people, very young people who aren’t afraid to question, contest, and protest.

Online communities, chat forums, and social networks, are the greatest proof of this. It’s very common to see young people joining online communities where they criticize the very businesses they are applying to be a part of. They say what they think without any filters. The spiral of silence is over. Today it’s cool to disagree! And people are actually the opposite of what Noelle-Newman argues. And they are admired and respected, precisely for that.

During her lecture, Eline always talks about how Generation Y wants to be different from other generations. When it comes to speaking their mind openly they are in fact very different. They haven’t lived through a time of censorship. I experienced the end of the dictatorship, and even though I was only a child, I knew that there were certain things you just couldn’t say. You had to watch your back and always be conscious of your surroundings. You had to speak low.

Today we have the great freedom of being able to say what we think. I believe that generation Y and the generations after them will really benefit from this freedom, which no other generation has experienced up until now. They probably won’t realize how valuable this freedom is, for they haven’t experienced the sourness of not being able to really say what they think, as those before them did. So it seems that the theories of communication will have to silence the very spiral of silence.

“This is Cory. He’s our social media guy,” says Manager to the new hires. “He gets paid to play on Facebook all day.” I just roll my eyes and tell the new hires to ignore him. I’m happy because I finally got the IT Manager to undo the block on social media sites that he had instituted company wide. I turn back to my work, where I’ve got 10 different tabs open on Firefox. I do indeed have Facebook up; I also have Twitter, LinkedIn, Gmail, the company blog, as well as several other sites that I’m using for research.

Throughout the day a friend sends me, via Google Chat, a hot lead on a new company that could use our services. Another sends me a DM on Twitter to let me know that Jeremiah Owyang is going to be in town tonight. Owyang just left Forrester research, where he was the youngest analyst they’ve had, after only two years into his career there. His following is legion and he’s leaving to become a partner in a new firm. I can’t wait to go meet him. His meetups are full of useful information on social media, marketing, and best practices for business.

While I’m checking my Twitter account I laugh at some jokes, reply to a couple of random questions, and build relationships with some of the most influential marketers in my industry.

A little later I walk over to refill my water bottle. People are standing around talking in the kitchen. Some of the older generation have been standing around for 15 minutes. It’s nice to stand and take a break after a while. It’s also nice to laugh with coworkers and build relationships with them.

At the end of the day, I’ve built dozens of new links to our company’s website, got us two major positive media mentions, resolved two customer issues, and found three solid sales leads for our sales team. I’m feeling pretty productive.

On my way home I check email via phone and answer a couple of work related emails. I’m really curious about some of what I see, so I log into our analytics tracker to see how our site is performing. Later that night I get a brilliant idea for a new marketing tactic so I log into the corporate WordPress admin page and write up a quick draft post. All told, I’ve probably spent about 90 minutes on work related stuff when I’m not at work. I probably spent about the same amount of time on non-work related stuff while I was at work.

I’ve got this relationship with my job that I just love. I get to do things that I find really interesting and integrate many different skills. At the same time, I can’t turn my brain off when I’m not at work. I’m a pretty right brained person, so ideas strike me at odd moments. I have to act on them when I get them or they go away, so I work when the Muse strikes.

I also like having the freedom to integrate every aspect of my life into my job. I don’t really keep my work life separate from my private life – at least, not the way that my parents’ generation seemed to do. My friends send me great work ideas one minute and a hilarious internet video the next. I do the same for them. We feel productive and we get results – but not the way that some of our bosses would approve.

Every generation has its disagreements with the generation that comes both before and after it. We don’t want to repeat the mistakes of our parents’ generation, and we want to make sure the next generation doesn’t repeat ours.

I totally understand that. I’ve seen too many people in the generation before work themselves into the ground. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. At the same time, I recognize that those of a younger set have to spend some time paying their dues if they want to attain positions of influence and substantial income while working for others. Perhaps that’s why so many people from my generation are starting their own businesses and thriving. It seems like every person I know in my age bracket has their own side business.

As the rising Gen Y integrates more into the upper echelons of the work force, our method of always-on communication will integrate as well. When your communication channels are always on, it’s nearly impossible to completely separate the personal from professional – in fact, the personal often becomes the professional. People that we have built strong ties with will communicate with us and send us funny videos, and in the same five minute time span, send us the contact information for a hard to get client that can end up being a game changer for your organization. It’s just the way we operate.

Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t speak for my whole generation.

Cory Huff is a social media specialist for a search engine marketing firm in Portland, Oregon. He also runs TheAbundantArtist.com, where he teaches artists of all stripes how to sell art online

As I was growing up, the act of flirtation took place “live.” For the most part, this is not something Generation Y can really relate to. We got to see magic lighting up the other’s glance, the sparkling eyes, and the instant “click” that seemed to produce such intense passions. Live, we witnessed shaky, sweaty, palms, and we knew that romantic conquest was near.

Today, the language of seduction and romantic conquests has changed. Everything happens through Texts, Twitter, and Facebook. These new ways of expressing emotion leave body language behind, as it rests on a secondary plane. Today, it’s rare for people to even have the opportunity to express themselves in face-to-face interactions.

The Anthropologist Edward Hall was the first to speak of the “Silent Language.” Hall refers to body language as facial expressions, and writes about how the body speaks, using its hands, posture, and a series of codes that convey what words often cannot.

In Brazilian culture especially, we joke that we can’t speak without our hands. We speak through a sort of dance, walking, singing, gesturing, glancing, and smiling. We let our bodies do much of the talking. As we say one thing, we know that our bodies often express something else, as body and speech don’t always match.

With this new culture, in which young people swap texts all day, talking through MSN, Facebook, and Twitter, I wonder what communication will be like in the future? What will happen as our language becomes more and more textual, losing its colorful images? This question was addressed in a really interesting article in “The Wall Street Journal”

Body language is something we do unconsciously. I wonder, how will emotion be expressed solely through text? Leaders for example, rely greatly on emotion, and charisma, to engage their team. Dr. Laurent Lapierre, a Canadian Professor, lectured about the way in which an orchestra conductor knows he’s ready, once he can direct without his hands, relying on the emotions conveyed through his facial expressions.

How will Generation Y express their emotions in texts often limited by 140 characters? How will they express their energy, creativity, sense of urgency, anxiety, and happiness? How is it possible to transmit all this without physical presence?

I also wonder about how leadership from afar works. How will all these new ways of communicating affect the corporate world?