The Investigation of Two Generations on Social Media
Over the years, I’ve become a fan of investigative shows and thought I’d take a stab (pun intended) at writing my own report. My first target: social media across two generations.
Investigative Report
Subject: Frank Wells, Male, DOB: 8/26/1958, Baby Boomer generation
Background info:
My father joined Facebook about four years ago. He has almost 400 friends and probably knows/interacts with 399 of them! He received over 150 birthday wishes.
I joined Facebook about seven years ago. I have almost 600 friends and received a grand total of 50 birthday wishes.
Question at hand:
How/why did my dad receive a significantly higher amount of birthday wishes than I did!?
Report:
The answer is actually quite simple: my generation is much different from my dad’s generation and we each use social media differently and for different reasons.
Baby Boomers vs. Millennials
We all know Baby Boomers didn’t grow up with technology right at their fingertips. But in recent years, they’ve become much more tech savvy. Baby Boomers are discovering social media and using it more and more.
Per my observations, Baby Boomers prefer communicating via phone whereas Millennials prefer texting. Baby Boomers appreciate a good conversation. Millennials are on the go; we want what’s convenient and fast. Now this doesn’t mean we don’t care about a good conversation, it just means that we prioritize differently.
So what do these differences have to do with my dad receiving more birthday wishes than I did? Well, Baby Boomers are using social media as an additional communication tool to catch up with their friends. They’re using it as a way to reach those with whom they’ve lost touch. My generation is doing what they’ve been doing from the start: using social media to keep up with the times, expressing themselves through statuses/pictures/posts, and maybe overlooking a friend’s birthday because #Beyonce is trending.
I have no hard feelings about this investigation’s findings. I’m genuinely happy that my dad has so many people that love him! And, as a marketer, I find it so fascinating to see the differences between the two generations.
To sum up my investigation, I will end with this video titled, “Happy Birthday To My Loose Acquaintance”!