By Sarah Newton

I was recently asked some really fascinating questions regarding social media and youth for an interview. I have posted them below – what do you think has social media changed today’s youth?

1. Do you believe that social media sites have placed a pressure on our youth to perform or behave in a certain manner?

I think what social media has done is given our children an ‘always on’ perspective; they all feel that they are one YouTube away from being famous. However, I don’t think this is a pressure as such; I think it allows them to be more creative and express themselves more. Unlike before, social media teenagers can now play with identities and ways of behaving on line that may be different to who they are, to see how it fits them. They no longer have to play these things out in real life. I think there is a pressure to be always connected to our friends, so that we don’t miss out, but I don’t think the feeling is any different, just the medium used.

2. Do you feel that Facebook has driven young consumers to increase their clothing and cosmetics consumption?

No, not at all. Youngsters will always be interested in these things and actually they stay in much more than going out, so they may have less clothing. What it has done is make them feel pressured to always look good, but you can position a photo or webcam to only pick up the bits you want.

3. Do you feel that social media sites are breeding a ‘look at me’ culture, or at least fuelling materialism/consumption? If so, how does this occur?

Not necessarily a ‘look at me’ culture, but one of, ‘I am influential and have something to say’. Social media has given our young people so many more influences from all over the globe and I think this is certainly impacting their belief of their self importance. I don’t feel it is fuelling materialism/consumption at all, in fact I think it is making youth more discerning. They don’t listen so much to advertising messages and trust their friend’s recommendations over anything else.

4. What advice would you give to parents whose children are addicted to Facebook, or are posting pictures of them on the internet?

I always advise every parent that they need to make a condition of their child joining Facebook that they are their friend. I think we need to be careful about saying people are addicted to Facebook; just because a young person communicates that way and that is the way they connect, that is not an addiction, it is about connection.

I always advise parents to:

1. be your child’s friend.

2. Check through their friends regularly and challenge them on people you don’t know.

3. Ensure their privacy settings are set so their profile is private.

4. Have a technology-free day in your home where everyone is free from the computer.

As for posting pictures, if you’re child has their privacy settings set up correctly I see no problem with it, it is just a form of self-expression.

5. Do you think that social media will have a positive or negative impact on Gen Y’s and Gen Z’s? If so, could you please expand on the matter?

Wow, big question! I think it has had both.

Positive

It has made them more creative.

It has given them a voice.

It has opened them up to information.

It allows them to find innovative ways to communicate.

It allows them to be more discerning about the networks they build.

It is making them quick decision makers who are good at prioritising.

Negatives

I am not going to state the obvious like paedophiles and bullying, as I think they are old problems with a modern twist

Overload – modern teens fit 8.5 hrs into 6

The ‘always on’ mentality – always having to look good

The lack of consequences or responsibility in on-line behaviour

Increased search ability is meaning that teens are not learning the skills of researching and discerning information so well.

Lack of meaning – while the internet can deliver a lot, it cannot deliver the meaning of emotions such as honesty, etc.

By Sarah Newton

There is no doubt that the work force has become so much more diverse in every way. From the amount of different generations, the retirement age higher than ever and the gap between young and old and their beliefs of and use of technology have created some big canyons that employers have a challenge crossing. So it is great to see a book addressing this.

According to Bob Weinstein, from Troy Media, the book “Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters – Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work” offers the following six tips on dealing with generational conflict:

1. Understand work styles. Traditionalists and baby boomers don’t like to be micromanaged, while Gen Y and Linksters (born after 1995) crave specific, detailed instructions about how to do things and are used to hovering authorities.

Yes, yes and double yes, however let me add something here to make this clearer. While traditionalists and boomers don’t like to be micromanaged, they like to know the process, how things are done and then get on with it. Gen Y and Linksters want to know the end result and the structure but they want to make up their own process and check in on the way. So the older employees want to know the how of it and the younger the why of it.

2. Consider generational values. Each generation is protecting a distinct set of values and conflict may threaten these values. For example, baby boomers value teamwork, cooperation, and buy-in, while Gen X prefers to make a unilateral decision and move on, preferably solo.

And let’s add that Gen Y and the linksters value open, honest teams that collaborate and share together and let’s not forget that they like options.

3. Share perceptions. When employees of two or more generations are involved in a workplace conflict, they can learn a great deal by sharing their perceptions. A traditionalist may find the lack of formality and manners of Gen Y offensive, while Gen Y may feel “dissed” when this older employee fails to respect his or her opinions and input.

What I have found to be really helpful here is to have the distinct groups create picture boards of things they value as a generation. They are a visual reminder for everyone and show the difference in a clear way. Also, a fun activity that does not make anyone wrong for how they see things or what they value.

4. Find a generationally appropriate fix. You can’t change people’s life experiences, but you can work with the set of workplace attitudes and expectations that result. A knowledgeable boomer who is frustrated by the lack of experience shown by a member of Gen Y can, coupled with his or her sense of entitlement, be turned into a mentor.

And can I add here that in my experience if you want a problem solving with a creative solution, go to the younger staff. In studies, people immersed in digital technology as a way of life are 10% better at solving problems than their older counterparts. Don’t assume that the decisions and solutions must come from the elders. Gen Y and beyond are the most creative generation we have seen for a long time. Use the skills of each generation to its best.

5. Find commonality. Traditional and Gen Y employees tend to value security and stability. Traditional and boomers resist change, but both crave training and development. Gen X and Gen Y employees place a high value on workplace flexibility and work-life balance. Boomers and linksters are most comfortable with diversity and alternative lifestyles. Gen Y and linksters are technologically adept and committed to socially responsible policies.

Absolutely! Point this out and also their difference. Help them figure out as a team how they can use their strengths as generations. Make them aware of the generation cycle and each generation’s jobs within that, so they can see where they fit in the bigger picture.

6. Learn from each other. Each generation has valuable lessons to teach the next. Traditional and boomers have a wealth of knowledge and tricks of the trade that younger workers need. Generation X employees are widely known for their fairness and mediation abilities. Generation Y workers are technology wizards. And linksters hold clues to future workplace, marketing, and business trends.

Yes, and take this one step further, see if you can have Skills Exchange Days. A day where someone from one generation teaches another a skill they have. What fun that would be!

Read more: How five generations can work together

“Millennials Won’t Change Work; Work Will Change Millennials” is the title of a recent article of Andrew McAfee in Harvard Business Review. This started a lively discussion and I want to share our command to this issue.

Last 10 years our PhD and complementary research was focused on the impact of new generations on the organizational culture in Dutch companies. Desk research – studies of generation literature of the last two centuries – taught us that we create generations for one survival reason only: to stimulate the evolution of social systems, such as companies.

Research in approximately one hundred Dutch companies found that the Pragmatic Generation (1970-1985) lost working energy and enthusiasm when they were ‘forced’, by the older generations, to cope with ways of working which they instinctively considered to be old-fashioned. The focus of this specific generation is on speeding up learning processes while working, and restyling other conducts such as decision-making.

However, during the last decennium the Pragmatics adapted almost entirely to old-fashioned and ‘slow’ processes. Against their will. But …. also against the will of the older generations. The reason for this phenomenon is still indeterminate. We are on our way to unravel this mystery.

Will the Dutch Generation Y (1985-2000), also called Generation Einstein or Screenagers, adapt to ongoing organizational habits, which they consider to be out-of-date, swift and smarmy as well? This is still a big uncertainty. Anyhow, we don’t think they will. There are three reasons for this belief. First: not one new generation in history has ever received so much attention as this one. Therefore the older generations know relatively much about them. Second: we experienced, while working with some groups belonging to this generation, that they are open towards other generations even though they have a strong tendency to stay authentic in everything that they do. Third: in many companies there is a growing awareness and need to innovate, especially through social innovation. They are curious for ‘generation stuff’ and are willing to explore its possibilities.

But … innovating organizational processes and culture can only happen when the older generations open up for this movement and actively support these youngsters.

If Andrew McFee meets companies where the impact of Generation Y is minimal, we advise him to ring the alarm. We advise him to ring it very loudly, since these companies are getting exceptionally outdated. Doesn’t this seem to be obtuse and even suicidal in these times of crisis?!

*Aart Bontekoning is an organizational psychologist: he supports the process during strategic, policy and organizational (cultural) development. He is the supervisor of workshops on management methodology and is also an investigator of organizational culture. At about 2000 he started promotion research on generation influences and development of organizations. Marieke Grondstra is a Junior Advisor at Berckeley Square, also studying about generations with Bontekoning.

By Sarah Newton

Generation Y employees are always being discussed and yet again, more research has the papers saying yes, they do have a sense of entitlement.

There is a post that says:

“Gen Y workers get a bad rap in the workplace, with many a geezer complaining that their work ethic is less developed than their sense of entitlement.” But is that really fair?

Yes, according to new research that has yielded actual data to back up that notion.

In a series of studies using surveys that measure psychological entitlement and narcissism, University of New Hampshire management professor Paul Harvey found that Gen Y respondents scored 25 percent higher than respondents ages 40 to 60 and a whopping 50 percent higher than those over 61.

In addition, Gen Y’s were twice as likely to rank in the top 20 percent in their level of entitlement – the “highly entitled range” – as someone between 40 and 60, and four times more likely than a golden-ager.

And if you think the Gen Yers in your workplace are oversensitive as well as entitled, Harvey’s findings back that up, too. Today’s 20-somethings have an “automatic, knee-jerk reaction to criticism,” he says, and tend to dismiss it. ”

I do think however that the entitled label can send a very negative vibe to potential employees. I like to think of them as expecting the best and wanting more, which I think is a good thing for business and organisations, who so often get away with treating graduates very badly. I was talking to my Dad the other day, who used to train graduates at a top US company and the stories of how they used to make their youth work all the hours that God sent were painful to the ears!

I don’t think Gen Y are entitled, I just think they care about their free time and value themselves, which cannot be a bad thing.

However I think that what can seem an entitled attitude can be a challenge for most employees.

So how do you handle it? Well first, as I have mentioned before, I think you need youth-friendly places but I also think handling this problem can be as simple as using their strengths, for example, their spirit of collaboration.

If you present something as a problem that you need to solve as a team and ask them the best way to meet the objective, you are more likely to get their buy-in. So a “Right, this project needs to be completed for tomorrow, so we are all in for an all-nighter!” would become, “Right, we have an extremely tight deadline on this one, tomorrow morning. How can we work together to sort this out?”

If we focus on what is bad about Gen Y, then that is what we will get, but if we focus on their strengths of collaboration, innovation and creativity, we may just get the very best out of them.

By Carol Phillips*

“I don’t read a lot, I never have. I was happy when the movie ‘Where the Wild things Are’ came out, ’cause that’s the first movie I’ve ever been qualified to say that the book was better than the movie.” — Tony Grayson, High School Senior, Oak Park, IL

As a professor, I am obsessed with reading and constantly writing. So I am concerned by two recent blog posts on The Next Great Generation that suggest indifference toward traditional texts and library books at the college level.

Jeannie: “Getting Gen Y’s Attention” – “Even if I had the money to buy every textbook I ever needed in college, most of them would have collected dust on my shelves all semester. One could chalk it up to having a typical Millenial attention span –one that understands thoughts in 140 characters or less – but just like my textbooks, I don’t buy that. Part of my complete disinterest in textbooks comes from the fact that the second a book is published today, it is pretty much obsolete. Since I was in fifth grade, I have been able to access almost any information on the Internet more quickly and accurately than I ever could in a textbook. Furthermore, this online information is free (or if it’s not free, I’ll go look on another site until I find it for free). With a limited budget and unlimited free resources, is there any kind of textbook that could ever capture my interest?”

Katie Wall: “I Graduated From College Without Ever Checking Out A Book” – “That’s right – in May of 2009 I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a school consistently ranked as one of the best public universities in the country, and never checked out a single book. I’m not saying that UNC-Chapel Hill wasn’t a challenging school – quite the opposite, actually, but for all of the time I spent reading and studying, I never once needed to check out a book from the library. When it came to writing research papers I was able to find everything I needed online…. because of various internet platforms, there were multitudes of valuable resources at my finger tips that once required digging through books and microfiches. The UNC library system had an incredible online database that housed an endless supply of books and scholarly journals, and I suspect that most universities are moving toward making more of their resources available online.”

Although I understand these young women’s point about online alternatives to books, it distresses me to hear them say they don’t value reading books.

I work hard to ensure my students read their assignments. I have tried different approaches over the years — daily quizzes, weekly case essays, frequent tests on text material. This year I tried a new, Millennial-friendly text, MKTG3, by 4LTR Press. Students really liked the book, so they read it.

What made this book so much more readable? First it was highly visual. Text was often treated as a graphic element. There were big colorful pictures. Second, the writing style was approachable, not dumbed down but meant to be interesting. Finally, the text provided just what was required, with the ‘extras’ provided through integrated online content. Based on my just released class evaluations, students loved the online quizzes, cases and extra material.

There is much evidence that Millennials do read.
First, as I pointed out in an earlier post, Millennials are ‘news junkies‘. An April study by McKinsey in the U.K. reports that the average person consumed 72 minutes of news a day, compared with just 60 minutes in 2006. They further report that the increase was driven almost entirely by people under the age of 35.

Second, reading may not be a priority, but Millennials do spend more time reading than older generations. According to fascinating interactive graphic by the New York Times, those over 64 spent by far the most time reading per day: 1 hour and 24 minutes. But 15-24 year olds spend on average 50 minutes a day reading and pursuing other interests. This is much higher than 25-64 year olds who spend just 32 minutes.

However, Millennials read differently.
They are reading for information, so they read with purpose and are very good ’scanners‘. My 16-year old son reads very little fiction other than what is required for his Brit Lit course, but he does read Sports Illustrated and looks up stories of interest to him – like volcano eruptions and oil spills, new movies, and travel destinations. But this also means that they may not be giving their reading their full attention.

In his book, Grown Up Digital, Don Tapscott describes Joe O’Shea, a 22-year old student leader from Florida State who was on his way to study at Oxford. O’Shea had this to say about reading books:

“I don’t read books per se, I go to Google and I can absorb relevant information quickly. Some of this comes from books. But sitting down and going through a book from cover to cover doesn’t make sense. It’s not a good use of my time as I an get all the information I need faster through the web. You need to know how to do it — to be a skilled hunter.”

Earlier in his book, Tapscott spends several pages describing how and why Millennials developed such terrific scanning skills and explains how this ability may provide them with the broader frame of reference needed to be more sophisticated readers:

“I believe the challenges of the Internet can actually provide the Net Gener to do the hard thinking to make sense of a broader scope of information than the one that would have been available to the boomer. … The Net Gen brain may be able to execute certain perceptual tasks more rapidly, and may maintain more items in working memory. In order to deal with all that incoming infomration you have to be a great scanner. Digital immerision has given the Net Generationa the visual skills that make them superior scanners. They’ve learned to develop the filters they need to sort out what’s important from what’s not.”

Millennial’s habit of scanning, and of reading with purpose, can be good news for marketers.
By understanding the kinds of information Millennials are seeking, it may be possible for marketers to engage them more deeply in content. What’s more, finding out what kinds of information they seek has never been easier. Key words, twitter trending topics and other tools provide gateways into relevant content.

Perhaps the biggest take away however, is that Millennials are capable of taking in a lot of visual information at once, probably more than older generations, provided it is presented in an attractive and easily digestible way. This makes good design as important, if not more important, than good writing. In studies where we have had an opportunity to compare age groups, it is striking how much more attuned younger consumers are to the way information appears on the page. Older consumers tend to overlook poor design and focus on the meaning. Millennials have a hard time getting past the way it looks.

*Carol Phillips is the president and founder of the brand strategy consulting firm “Brand Amplitude.” She is also a Professor at the prestigious University of Notre Dame. Carol began her career as a market researcher and strategic planner at Leo Burnett. Later, as an Account Director, she led agency teams at four different agencies – Y&R, Leo Burnett, Mullen and JWT – for a variety of clients including Sprint, Nextel, Ameritech, Heinz, 7UP, and Philip Morris. She blogs at www.millennialmarketing.com.

The premise of generational marketing is that each generation assumes a characteristic set of values and behaviors. While it’s not everything you need to know to market effectively, it provides a cultural foundation and helps avoid the ego-centric mistake of thinking other generations are just like you, only younger or older.

While Millennials are socially more liberal than other generations, their values are fairly traditional.

(For more on this see earlier posts, “Millennial Values: Back to the Future?” and “Millennials More Upright than Kids 20 Years Ago“.)

They value family, personal connection, and loyalty.

They seek out the genuine and are repulsed by phony.

They are famously optimistic and believe in the possibility of change.

They advocate for the environment and social justice.

They treasure tolerance and diversity, teamwork and balance.

They seek spirituality and are open to the possibility of the divine.

There’s nothing revolutionary here, I could be describing my grandmother’s generation. It would be very easy to be fooled into thinking nothing’s changed because what has changed is not the content but the dedication to those values.

Millennials can be defined both by their strongly held values and their strong intention to live by them. Generation Y is passionate about making a difference in the world. This is a common thread through dozens of values studies conducted globally.

It’s easy to dismiss their “unwavering commitment as still too young to understand the harsh realities of compromise/capitulation”, as suggested by my Twitter friend, J. Maureen Henderson. And it’s true that their values are not that evident, at least so far, in their shopping, voting and volunteer behavior. Most Gen Y buy green products when it suits them and volunteer rates are no higher for Gen Y than Gen X. They did not turn out to vote in Massachusetts last month.

Certainly, time will tell. They will either be a generation remarkable for its accomplishments, or one that is notable for its disillusionment.

Personally I think that disillusionment is unlikely. Young adults understand that ‘not everyone grows up to be Gandhi’. Leading a purposeful, life consistent with one’s values is reward enough as Henderson suggests in her Brazen Careerist blog post, “You’re Not Going to Change the World, and That’s Okay.”

“Those of us who grew up as part of the middle-class North American majority learned that we could be anything we wanted, but somewhere along the way, we got it twisted around in our heads that we had to be everything the world wanted/needed in order to be successful. Money wasn’t enough, nor was the love of family and friends, we wanted to matter, to make a difference, to prove ourselves, even if we couldn’t define exactly what this entailed. …..The desire not to hide our individual lights under a bushel is a laudable one, but not everyone is going to be a game changer. And there’s no shame or failure or inadequacy in working an “ordinary” job, in leading a quiet life, in surrounding yourself with a handful of close friends and family. In fact, those are the lives most of us end up with, with the smarter of us realizing that they’re every bit as meaningful as the marquee existences we feel we ought to aspire to.”

For marketers, whether or not Gen Y does or does not change the world doesn’t matter. Values representing the overriding, governing motivations for decision-making, and they matter a lot.

A deep understanding of values is critical to creating desirable products and meaningful communication. Employers who take Millennials seriously will be more attractive to the best and brightest. Marketers who take Millennial values seriously are better positioned to win with the consumer of the future.

*Carol Phillips is the president and founder of the brand strategy consulting firm “Brand Amplitude.” She is also a Professor at the prestigious University of Notre Dame. Carol began her career as a market researcher and strategic planner at Leo Burnett. Later, as an Account Director, she led agency teams at four different agencies – Y&R, Leo Burnett, Mullen and JWT – for a variety of clients including Sprint, Nextel, Ameritech, Heinz, 7UP, and Philip Morris. She blogs at www.millennialmarketing.com.

By Mauro Segura

I know business executives who have been very successful in their own careers.  Yet they’ve faced tremendous difficulties in helping their kids as they embark on their own professional journey.  At this moment, all parents find themselves in the same boat.  It doesn’t matter if you’re got a PhD from Harvard, or if you’ve led thousands of employees in your corporation.  Much of what we learn in the business world just doesn’t cut it inside the household.

In the past, things were much more difficult.  Young people had much more difficulty obtaining information in regards to professions, and even areas of specialization.  This process depended very much on the interest and initiative students took to explore and discover things for themselves.  You really had to get out “in the field” to obtain correct information, and gain knowledge about new careers, understanding if they were for you or not.

I remember the “old” vocational test, which wasn’t particularly captivating or insightful.  Actually, if I had based myself on the test, I would have studied Geography, and probably become a Librarian.

The reality today is different.  The world is interconnected and this “opening” helps a lot.  Information is delivered straight to your home, via the Internet, and through other channels of communication.  Students are bombarded with information.  What hasn’t changed is the need for initiative and curiosity on the part of young people, so that they can understand all the options, hear advice, and exchange ideas.  This is exactly how parents can help their children.

What inspired me to write this post are some conversations, I’ve recently had with both my sons. They are at the beginning of their professional careers, and yet they are full of doubts and dilemmas.

The following steps come from the practical experience I’ve gained from my friends and coworkers, as well as from my own experience in dealing with my children.

1- UNDERSTAND WHAT SUCCESS IS TO HIM OR HER.  This is crucial, it’s important not to assume that your conception of success is the same as the conception your son or daughter has.  Success is relative.  What success is for him or her may not be what it is for you.

2- AVOID BEING ASSERTIVE

Don’t be affirmative all the time.  In the end, advice that is very pragmatic can pressure your child into taking a path that he or she wouldn’t naturally take.

3- HAVE AN OPEN CONVERSATION

Your most important role as a parent is to create an environment in which you can exchange ideas, and have an open conversation, free from the “right” or “wrong” way of thinking.

4- LISTEN MORE THAN YOU SPEAK

Encourage your child to speak about his or her worries, decisions, doubts, and interests.  Most likely, the things your child is feeling are not so different from what you felt as a young person.  So remember that. Make sure to keep an open mind during these conversations.

5- INCENTIVATE YOUR CHILD TO EXPLORE, DISCOVER, AND SEARCH FOR INFORMATION.

Give your child the incentive to search for information regarding careers, professions, and above that encourage him or her to speak to other people about these things.  Even your own friends are a great option, and you can and should facilitate those connections.

6- DON’T DO THE WORK FOR THEM

Please don’t do the research for them.  They are responsible for that, and if they really want to know and are really interested, you don’t have to do anything.  Your child will look for you, with all the needed information already in hand.

7- HELP YOUR CHILD DISCOVER THEIR NATURAL STRENGHTS

Motivate them to self-reflect, and think about what sort of work they would love to do.

8- ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE FOR A DIALOGUE

It’s extremely important to always be available for a dialogue.  This will be a blessing for your child.  Your child will probably live moments full of doubt, as he or she struggles to make important decisions.  You can help by always being there.

9- HAVE PATIENCE.  THEY NEED TIME.

If you have patience, you will help your child immensely.  During these moments, your most important mission is to encourage your child to continue thinking and conversing.  Encourage them to question themselves.  There’s no rush.

10- ACCEPT ENTREPREUNERSHIP AS AN OPTION

The future of the job market indicates that more and more, workers will be entrepreneurs.  The first “entrepreneur” moment for your child is at the beginning of his or her career.  Open conversations and paradigms, as well as keeping an open mind and perspective, are key to helping your child as they embark on their career.

Another recommendation is to not preoccupy yourself if your child ends up choosing the same field as you.  Even if you feel that he or she has been a bit influenced by you.  The biggest preoccupation you should have is to make sure that he or she made this choice, based on their own initiative and desires.

In conclusion, despite the fact that this new generation is very informed, and mature in terms of their knowledge of careers, they also have the same anxieties and worries as we did in the past.

Imagining what you would have liked to get from your own parents, can serve as inspiration when dealing with your kids.  Just don’t forget that the world is going through many social changes, where professional success probably won’t be obtained through a fixed salary at the end of each month.  After all, entrepreneurship is personal satisfaction…

By Vanessa Van Petten

I wrote a post called “Teen Slang: Decoding What Your Teens Are Saying”  and it did well for about 2 weeks until the negative comments started rolling in.

“We don’t saaaaaay that anymore.”

“These are, like, so old!”

Two weeks? Two weeks is all it takes for something to become out of date these days? I have always  found the use of slang interesting because I think it represents a lot of generational shifts and differences.

Lets take a look at a few examples of slang shifts:

1. “That’s so bomb” to “Da Bomb” to “The Bomb.com”

These might seem similar, but if you said “da bomb” during the “bomb.com” phase, you would be very uncool. The shift from “That’s so bomb” (late 80’s) to “da bomb” (early 90’s) shows the shift in that phase to rap music as opposed to rock, brief, concise and, some might say lazy teens during this time period. The shift from “da bomb” to “the bomb.com” (late 90’s) speaks to the rise of everything electronic in this period and how all encompassing the Internet was for teens in this period.

2. “Groovy” to “Cool” to “Dope” to “Sick”

The ‘groovy’ of the 70’s speaks to this time period’s inherent sexiness and desire for smooth and easy sailing. The ‘cool’ of the 80’s spoke to these teens being up for more of a exterior and not so love and peace good time. “Dope” of the early 1990’s parallels the large increases in organized drugs and crime compared to the generations of the 60’s and 70’s. The ‘sick’ of the late 90’s is congruent with the idea that Gen Yers are being born with SPF 50 on. Kids born in this era learned to take their shoes off at the airport because there might be bombs in them before even attending preschool. “Sick,” therefore, seems very appropriate.

3. Junk Mail to Spam to Spim

I love this progression because what annoys us shows how technologically we have developed. Junk mail used to be the perfect representation of what annoyed us each morning over breakfast. You do not hear about junk mail as much anymore though. Then you heard about spam, or junk email. Spam was the dread of everyone. Now, a new word has come into play: Spim, or spam through instant message. For teens, this shows how much their communication has changed. Penpal letters turned to email chains, which turned to IM.

A few other slang words that show how much our generations have changed:

E-Tact

n/adj. Tact or appropriate expression used in electronic communications such as emails, IM’s, texts or blogging.

“He broke up with me by text, he has, like, no e-tact”

Cyberbully
n. An aggressive or mean person who offends, criticizes or harasses another online or using technology.
“Mom, I need to close my IM account so my cyberbully stops bothering me.”

Social Notworking
v. Checking your social networking pages while on the job.
“I got caught Facebook stalking by my boss today. I hope he doesn’t get mad I was social notworking.”

Geequals
n. Two people who are equal in depth of arcane knowledge
“I knew I had met my geequal when Frank showed me his Star Wars light saber iPhone app.”

Pwn (pone)
v. To “power own” something or someone. Derived years ago from World of Warcraft smack talk, this slang has been adopted throughout other online games, and has since surfaced in the mainstream real world
“I pwn-ed Stephen last night in Wii Tennis.”

Hate-cation
n. Taking a vacation from being a hater where you are committed to not saying anything bad about anyone or anything; synonymous with “moral cleanse”
“Whatever, I know you have an opinion but just can’t speak your mind because you are on a hate-cation.”
Overall, I think slang is a very interesting and representative vehicle for understanding youth, beliefs and generational differences.
Come visit us at RadicalParenting.com for new and updated slang (not quite every two weeks).

Vanessa Van Petten is one of the nation’s youngest experts on parenting and youth. She wrote her parenting book from the teen’s perspective, called “You’re Grounded!,” when she was just 17. After becoming a judge for the Mom’s Choice Awards and launching her popular parenting blog, she is now on a national speaking tour, reaching out to both parents and teenagers talking about what young people really wish adults knew about them. Her blog and company: RadicalParenting.com , which she runs with 80 other teen writers, is read by thousands of teens and adults daily and has been featured on hundreds of other parenting sites around the web as the only teen written parenting blog. *She has been featured on** CNN, CBS 4 Miami and Fox 5 New York and has been in the Wall Street Journal, *Teen Vogue*, Atlanta Insite Magazine, the World Journal and many other media outlets (see our press page).  She has been an expert on numerous radio programs including Playboy Radio, KBUR, WCOJ Philadelphia and more for giving a young perspective on awesome parenting.

By Ines Schinazi

Technology is obviously changing the way we speak, communicate, interact, and relate to each other. But is technology also changing our brains? Dr. Gary Small thinks so. Of course, the brain’s extreme plasticity is nothing new. But the overwhelming flood of technology in nearly ever aspect of our lives is.

Technology has greatly contributed to making Dr. Gary Small’s research possible. In many ways, technology has sparked his thinking.

He explains, “It was really in my personal life, noticing these technologies, that I felt I wanted to understand it more… I was struck how they’re have been so few direct studies of brain function while our brains are using these new technologies.”

Of course, without technology, Dr. Small’s elaborate research wouldn’t be possible at all.

While technology propels us forward, permitting someone like Dr. Small to explore these questions, it also paradoxically holds us back.

Through his research Dr. Small also reveals the widening “brain gap” occurring between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants,” thus affecting the family, the workplace, and society at large.

Dr. Small is a world- renowned expert on memory, aging, and the brain. He is currently the director of the UCLA “Memory & Aging Research Center at the Semel Insitute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior.” His latest book is the cleverly titled “iBrain.”

His extremely innovative research has made the headlines of “The New York Times,” “The Wall Street Journal,” and “USA today” among other publications. “Scientific American” magazine has named him one of the world’s top innovators in Science and Technology.

His recent UCLA study titled “Your Brain on Google” makes us wonder if our own brains are under the Google influence. In an exclusive interview, Dr. Small shares some of his thoughts.

Ines: Could you talk about the “Your Brain on Google” study you did at UCLA?
Dr. Small: We wanted to see what the brain looked like the first time it searched online. To do that, we had to find [older] people that were “naïve” to the Internet. That was probably the hardest part of the study. So we found these people, and matched them up with people who had Internet-search experience.

We put them in a functional MRI scanner, where we can measure brain function from moment to moment.

We simulated Internet searching and reading a book in the scanner. We found that when the Internet savvy people searched online there was a greater than two-fold increase in activation throughout the brain. We thought that that had to do with the neural networks knowing how to search online and showing greater activation.

We also have found, and are presenting this next month, that if you take these “Internet Naïve” people and have them search online for just an hour a day during a week or two, that their brains look identical to somebody who has been searching online for years. It tells us that an older brain really can adapt quite quickly.

Ines: You are considered one of the world’s top experts on memory, aging, and the brain. Specifically, how did you start exploring the connection between digital technology and the brain? What sparked the interest?
Dr. Small: My work has been primarily in Alzheimer’s disease, in memory, and in how the brain ages. I’ve spent much of career developing technology on how to measure the brain, like PET scan techniques, and so forth.

And it struck me in the past few years that all the technology that we are developing, which improves our lives, may also have an effect on the brain. It was really in my personal life, noticing these technologies, that I felt that I wanted to understand it more.

That’s why I wrote the book “iBrain.” During the course of writing “iBrain,” we did this study at UCLA called “Your Brain on Google.” Because I was struck how they’re have been so few direct studies of brain function while our brains are using these new technologies.

Ines: Your research reveals the wide disparity between digital natives and digital immigrants, which you call the “Brain Gap.” How do you perceive this brain gap affecting the family?
Dr. Small: I think it definitely affects the family. I can see that in my own family. The younger people, the young teenagers, are using technology more, they’re better at, but they’re not spending time face-to-face with human contact.

We have a rule at our house that there’s no technology during dinnertime. Yet it’s a strange situation. The other day, I said to my son, “Stop playing that video game, and come watch television with me!”

It speaks to my concern about the repeated use of technology, and not socializing. It’s a moving target. It’s a complex topic, and I don’t have all the answers. In writing “iBrain” I was hoping to generate some discussion, raise some questions, and get people to study it more…

Ines: How does the brain gap affect the workplace, as digital natives and digital immigrants must now collaborate to accomplish the same tasks?
Dr. Small: In the workplace, when people have to adapt, they do. An example is my father, who was already in his 80’s, and was still working. He wouldn’t use a computer at all. But when they changed to an electronic filing system at the office, he was forced to use a computer, and he adapted quite readily.

I think some older people will have advantages because of the “face-to-face contact” [skills]. Yet younger people will have advantages because of the technology skills in the workplace. The people, who excel the most, are those who can master both approaches.

Ines: What are the steps we can take to minimize the “brain gap” in the workplace and in the family?
Dr. Small: I think they need to first become aware of the issues, and have discussions. I think the way to bridge the gap, is to upgrade the tech skills of the older generation, and help young people, with their human contact face-to-face skills.

Ines: There’s always a great deal of discussion about the “left” and “right” sides of the brain, which determine people’s natural aptitudes.

Do you think technology-use, is comparable to other skills like Art, Math, and Literature? Do some people have more of a natural aptitude or talent? Or are people’s technological skills directly proportionate to their technology-exposure?
Dr. Small: That’s a complex question. We haven’t studied it directly. My sense is that this is something that some of us are better at innately. But it’s also something that can be learned. So it’s not just one or the other. The brain is quite plastic, and does respond well to these kinds of exposure. We found in our study “Your Brain on Google” that an older brain really adapts quite quickly.

Ines: You find that digital natives often lack basic “people skills,” such as reading facial expressions, or feeling empathy. In the future, are digital natives at risk of losing their “people skills” all together?
Dr. Small: Yes. That is an issue. People see it anecdotally all the time. Young people are not showing eye contact when they’re having a conversation. They really can’t read non-verbal cues when they are having a conversation. So I think this is a risk, and that’s one reason I try to heighten people’s attention to it.

Ines: We live in the world of the iPod, the iPhone, the iMac, and now the “iBrain.” How did you come up with the creative title for your latest book?
Dr. Small: I have to credit our editor, Mary-Ellen O’Neill. It was a very good idea. It’s a terrific title. The book is about the brain, and the effect of new technology on the brain.

So, you were just doing a play on words with “iBrain, iPhone, etc.” [In regards to the meaning of the “I”] you could say it stands for “intelligent” or “interactive.” It’s interesting because in the study “Your Brain on Google” we found the frontal lobe was particularly activated, and that’s the interactive part of the brain. So searching online is quite interactive. You’re making lots of decisions. You’re going back and forth. It really engages neural circuits in the frontal lobe of the brain.

Ines: Your research insists on the positive aspects of internet-use. You find that the Internet helps develop important skills like multi-tasking, complex reasoning, and decision making, in both the young and the aging. That said the effects are only positive if people use technology responsibly, not giving into its addictive nature.

We know that Internet addiction is a growing problem all over the world, as there have recently been a lot of rehab centers opening up to treat this problem. Are the brains of addicts wired differently?
Dr. Small: We do know that some people have a predisposition for addiction. So they’re brain wiring may be a bit different, and there may be some genetic determining of that.

But I think all of us have the capacity to become addicted to things. It depends on the amount of exposure, the situation, and a lot of different factors. I think that just like with any condition, there’s a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

You find that people that get addicted to technology are often the same people that have a tendency to get addicted to alcohol, drugs, and food. It’s the same dopamine reward system. The primitive systems of the brain drive these addictions. We talk about this to some extent in “I Brain.”

Ines: What are your suggestions for avoiding the addiction problem as a society?
Dr. Small: I think there’s a lot of controversy about it. Not so much in Asia, and in some other countries. But in the U.S. the American Psychiatric Association hasn’t decided yet that there is such a thing. I think there is, and I think we should take it seriously and try to help people.

Ines: What are your thoughts on popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter? Are they good for the brain?
Dr. Small: I think like anything they can be good. But when overdone they can be negative. I’ve talked to a lot of schools, and a lot of kids, who are spending a lot of time on Facebook.

A negative is that they’re losing their face-to-face communication skills. But they’re getting good at their “Facebook-to-Facebook” skills.

You know, it’s marvelous how we can network with this. But I think that we need to use it in moderation, and not overdue it. I always recommend a balance, that you spend time offline, to balance the online time.

Ines: And these social network sites seem particularly addictive…
Dr. Small: Yeah, anyone who has been involved with [social networking sites], really sees the draw. For me, it’s not Facebook, but I have so much business on e-mail that it’s hard for me to get off my e-mail. It’s helpful. But too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I think you have to have a balance and know when to use the electronic communication and when to use the old-style communication.

Ines: Much of your research works towards helping the old stay as young as possible. Your research is an effort towards reconciling good health with old age.

However, do you think that some of the enormous attraction to this type of research comes from our society’s general fear of aging?
Dr. Small: Yes. We want to stay young. We want to stay healthy. There’s certainly an emphasis on youth.

What we’re learning from science is that we have more control than we think. Genetics only accounts for part of what determines how well and how long we live. So we’re trying to help people understand that, and figure out when they can do today to live better and longer.

Ines: We know that with the excessive use of technology, individuals are developing more “virtual ties” and “virtual relationships” than “real life” ones.

Is the trend of virtual relationships also a product of the changing brain? Or does it say more about our society and socialization in general?
Dr. Small: I think it speaks to how enticing all these things are. I love technology. It’s really tremendous. I think that it’s something that can really enhance our lives, and it does.

But I think it’s “sneaked up” on us so quickly, we haven’t thought about the positives and the negatives. That’s what “iBrain” is about. To try and put it in balance, and think about it intelligently, to enhance our lives, to control the technology, to make things better rather than the other way around.

Ines: A study affirms that women are inherently better at multi-tasking because ever since ancient times, while their husbands were out hunting, they sustained the family, by multitasking. This same historical context also caused men to be better at focusing on a single task at a time.

In your opinion, how will the digital age, with its constant multi-tasking, impact future generations and their gender roles?
Dr. Small: I think there’s a kind of “narrowing” of the gender divide as a result of this.

Interestingly men seem to get into the technology earlier, but now there’s not so much of a divide.

But there are some differences in terms of “use patterns,” going back to evolutionary development, defining the roles of men and women, where men were the hunters, and women the nurturers.

That’s interesting, the thought of multi-tasking, and women being better at it. I think there’s some truth to that. I find I can focus on a single task, whereas my wife has a little bit harder time doing that, and will notice other things going on.

I think all bets are off with the technology today. We’re seeing fewer differences between men and women.