Thursday 6 March 2008

More on the Google Generation

Despite my previous post, I do tend to come down on the side that thinks there are key cultural differences in abilities and behaviours between older and younger generations in the workforce.

This is partly based upon working alongside some of them at Buck (until recently, a part-time employer). And partly from the descriptions provided by others (I'm a big fan of Tammy Erickson's Across the Ages for example).

But I've never heard anyone express the divide quite so well as Wayne Turmel in one his Cranky Middle Manager podcasts recently, referring to his daughter's cheerleading group:

"So I've got a bunch of high school cheer leaders in my living room. They're working on a new dance routine. One of them has her mac laptop open on her lap and she's busy downloading a bunch of songclips so they have music for the dance routine. My daughter and her friends are working on the dance moves but here's the problem: They've only got 6 members of the 18 member team. How is everyone going to know whether they like it - time is short. Here's what they do. While one is busy mixing the mucis, one other one graps her cellphone, records the first few moves of the dance and they upload it to YouTube, text all their friends and say check this out and let us know what you think at rehearsal tomorrow. If we don't want to be completely irrlevant in their lives or at least get that look in their eyes you get when what you're saying is completely irrlevant to them, get with the programme. Even if you're not a native technology speaker, take a class!"


I look forward to having some more personal vignettes when my own daughters grow up - after all, the eldest (5) has already had a go at cheerleading, but I think social networking is still some way off (Club Penguin besides of course).