Posts Tagged ‘LinkedIn’

Will Gen Y ruin local community?

May 15th, 2009

Go to any meeting in a rural community and it is easy to recognize that Gen Yers (and Gen Xers as well) are not engaged in community activities. At least this is true if we are talking about traditional community activities like a community club, chamber of commerce committee, or church committee.

Obviously, part of the problem is that we have an older population in many rural communities, but it’s also true that Gen Y just doesn’t get involved like young people may have in past generations.

Today, I stumbled across a post by a Gen Yer (Rebecca Thorman) who asks: “Will Gen Y ruin local community?” At the heart of her question is the acknowledgement that although Gen Yers have “the best of intentions to be a part of the communities” they call home, there are “a number of conflicting events that contribute to a lack of involvement in local community.”

The post lists the following as some of those factors:

Gen Yers turn to on-line networks for community-building rather than physical institutions like churches (which Gen Y is often disillusioned with).
Gen Yer’s view home ownership as an “antiquated belief belonging to another generation.” And because they are not invested in a community, they don’t become involved in a community.

Interesting stuff. And it generated some interesting comments as well.

What’s going on here?

I heartily agree that Gen Y is not engaged in traditional community activities like older generations. If we (all of us old people) attempt to meet them in the world where they feel comfortable-the online world-I think we have a better shot at engaging them.

Research tells us that Gen Yers look at technology as an extension of themselves. That’s a tough concept for many of us to understand, but what it means is that Gen Yers see technology tools like texting, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. as the extension that enables them to talk to their friends. So, while Gen Y may refuse to attend a community meeting, that doesn’t mean they cannot “be there” via an on-line tools.

So why hold a meeting?

And let’s be honest for a minute. While older generations think that face-to-face conversations at meetings are necessary to “get things done,” they don’t always allow for everyone to be a part of the conversation. You know what I mean. You’ve been to that meeting where you really want to contribute your ideas, but get locked out of the conversation by one or two individuals with dominant personalities who control the conversation.

For some time now, I’ve been captivated by the Renew Newcastle movement because it began as an on-line conversation through Facebook. People in the community were interested in revitalizing the central business district, and Facebook became the forum that facilitated the discussion. The movement has grown into an organized effort with its own website, but the community still exists on Facebook. (Read more about Newcastle here.)

The point is that older generations feel we need face-to-face community meetings, but those meetings have strengths and weaknesses. If we want Gen Y to be involved, we may need to engage them via social networking tools.