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Let’s first address why you think Gen Y should be using Twitter:
Statements like these (in CNET’s “Generation Y: We’re just not that into Twitter,” which is an otherwise great read) piss me off. Why? How about this for an opening sentence:
“Given that Generation Y is often pegged as narcissistic, lazy, having high expectations, craving the limelight, and other such flattering characterizations, one might expect we’d be Twittering as if it were breathing.”
Not only is the author a Millenial herself, she is proliferating this ridiculous idea that Gen Y is just a bunch of lazy fat-asses. Where did this idea start in the first place? Who knows, but I’d be willing to bet it was as fodder for some high-end media piece. In fact, it is usually the MSM that is behind the times and, given that the majority of our country follows only what they read in the papers and see on TV news, should we really expect anyone to believe anything better?
Why should anyone use Twitter? Business, that’s why. Whether it be for networking, personal branding, job searching, or any number of things, it’s always business-related. Anybody that uses Twitter for entirely personal purposes will quickly lose interest and go back to Facebook.
Any Generation Y “analyst” or “guru” or “expert” that tells you we’re somehow special is bordering on insanity. I know I have no scientific data to back me up on this, and that’s of course where my argument can fall apart. But, my gut instinct on this matter is that Generation Y needs to stop being treated so differently than others, when it comes to technology at least.
The fastest-growing demographic on Facebook is women over 55. Obviously, plenty of older generations are “getting” social media, and even more are stepping into the waters as we speak.
I think when people say Gen Y is tech savvy, they really mean they are natives to the current technology. It's always been around for them. And it's true for every young generation. When I was in high school, my great grandmother (who was born in 1897) thought I was brilliant because I could run the cash register at the drug store I worked at. For her, a cash register was high tech.
People are afraid of the technology that they are not natives of.
I really don't care whether Gen Y uses Twitter. Well, only so far as I want to know whether or not you are. And I know you're not, and that's fine--it means that I'm not going to use Twitter if I want to reach people your age. There are lots of tools, and no real point in using all of them at once.
Personally, I'd prefer Twitter die a quick, agonizingly painful, and very public flaming death due to misuse and neglect. There are FAR better uses for internet bandwidth.
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Great post! I definitely agree that most Gen Yers who are on Twitter are using it mostly for business and continuing to keep their Facebook profiles personal. So until more Millennials enter the working world, I don't think they will find much value in Twitter.
Actually, a very public Tweet from someone dealing with secret terrorism issues, followed by a very public raid and shutdown of Twitter by Homeland Security would work better for me.
I actually have a post about this on my blog, I agree with you in that Gen Y should use it for buisiness and networking but only that it doesn't really have use for personal stuff unless you have a lot of personal friends on twitter (which doesn't usually happen unless you're like a celebrity or something). I think Facebook will remain the "go to" for personal stuff.
I'm not sure why JRandom42 is so anti-Twitter, especially when one considers the integral role it has played in the current Iranian protests, the recent massive quake in China and other events.
RE: Tyler's declaration that Twitter is only for business, I offer my TweetDeck groups as a refutation: Local Twits, Out-of-Towners, Random Bloggers, Biz Bloggers, @replies, Newsfeeds, DMs, Celebs, Politicians, and #Madison. Obviously, "business purposes" aren't my only, let alone primary, concern when I'm reading other tweets. When it comes to the value that I bring in my own 140 character posts, I offer personal and professional insights, a diversity of RTs and the occasional rant/rave. The beauty of Twitter (when compared to FB) is that I can follow people I don't know without creeping them out, and vise versa. There's a healthy limit to our relationship.
I find a broad range of values in Twitter and limiting it narrowly is short-sighted and myopic. I'll be the first to admit, Twitter isn't for everybody. But just because it isn't for you, JRandom42, does that mean it's not for anyone? Of course not.
Tim, good point. Twitter can indeed be used for primarily personal uses, but anyone who uses Twitter for entirely personal uses would be better off using other mediums from what I can see. How is your tracking of these celebrities, newsfeeds, politicians, etc. via Twitter better than RSS?
Tyler, you're not the first to suggest I use RSS instead of Twitter in those circumstances. However, I prefer it this way for two reasons: 1) I have one, consolidated, go-to app for my what's-happening-in-the-world-or-the-blogosphere queries and 2) I can easily RT when I find interesting posts.
For the record, my "business" uses of Twitter are nearly zilch. However, I have established great personal relationships, based on a mutual personal interest or a shared perspective on a given topic, that have developed into professional relationships. Again, it comes back to the 140 character limit and the lack of profiles guilty of over-sharing, i.e. FB.
It's worth noting that I am not on Twitter to develop business. The primary professional objective I have is to simply keep my finger on the pulse and maybe pick up business practices that could useful. Honestly, when was the last time you took a Twit seriously when all they ever tweeted about was how good their product/service is? I have a hard enough time with TV commercials -- those guys don't stand a chance in getting me to follow them.
Tim, glad to hear it :) It will be nice when more people feel comfortable enough with Twitter to use it for the same purposes you do. Clearly, I need to expand my scope when considering personal uses of social media services. Thanks for informing me!
Oh, and on your last point, I'm not exactly sure how to interpret it. I would agree, if someone only tweeted about how great their product/service is, they probably would quickly lose followers. It's the same with any other form of marketing; and that's exactly what you're talking about at that point: social marketing. If you're equating that kind of person with all "business" types on Twitter, I would disagree. But I'm not sure that's what you're saying, so I don't want to put words in your mouth!
Thanks for all your thoughts everybody! Some truly great comments on this post. What can I do better in the future?
I'm an X-er, and I fid hilarious the opening line of the article on CNET (below). Reason being, it's almost identical to the kinds of articles being written 15 years ago about Generation X. We were lazy. We were shiftless. We were going to be the downfall of the economy and a disappointment to our parents.
We weren't.
I'll bet the Boomers got the same bum rap. Play on Gen Y. You'll be great. Don't let the bastards grind you down.
"Given that Generation Y is often pegged as narcissistic, lazy, having high expectations, craving the limelight, and other such flattering characterizations, one might expect we’d be Twittering as if it were breathing.”
You know, I was always wondering that! I had my suspicions. And, I'd be willing to bet it was said (maybe on a less derisive scale) about our parents by theirs. C'est la vie, non?
What evidence do you have pointing to the fact that Generation Y doesn't go on Twitter? That hasn't been my personal experience, so I am just curious.
I just recently got on Twitter and have found it to be a great networking tool. A lot of the people that I am networking with belong to the "Gen Y" category.
I think that we use Twitter in tandem with all of our other social media outlets. Furthermore, Twitter seems like it's the ideal tool for Generation Y, at least as as far as stereotypes are concerned. It follows the Google model of online simplicity, promotes high-paced yet impersonal interaction, and is ADHD compatible (I mean that in the GenY sense of the word).
Thoughts?
Perhaps the real issue isn't who uses Twitter, but why they use Twitter: The real delineator. The younger the user, the more likely the use is purely social, the oldest, same thing. But the middle group uses Twitter (and social media in general) for business promotion, branding and job search.
I read a statistic that said the youngest generation doesn't use Twitter because they use text on their phones instead. More personal and less privacy invasion.
Senior executives are UNlikely to find jobs on Twitter, but they sure can establish a presence with their brand. Those young in their career who know how to search Twitter are more likely to find jobs...
And all those 55+ older women? They are just trying to keep in touch with their grand kids.
Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach
www.jobsearchdebugged.com
Thanks! These are interesting stats.
I've love to hear Jamie Varon's taken on this post. She's the biggest twitter junkie I know. . 4 out of every 5 of my tweets are from her!
Has anyone else noticed with Twitter being "such a Gen Y tool" it seems like the only people we hear talk about it are the Gen X'ers? You always hear about senior management screaming and shouting saying we have to get on twitter, facebook, myspace, etc etc because all the young kids are doing it so that's how we can reach out to them, or my favorite "well, i don't know why but everyone else is on it so we don't want to get left behind." The loudest people shouting about it are the people who is sterotypically is not meant for.
Stop using your companies pre-printed thank you notes. Hand write a thank you note! Hand writing is much more personal and it shows you care. More...
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