What sets millennials apart? [Infographic]
We came across this infographic below - "Who are the Millennials?" from Flowtown - that does a great job at illustrating data from the Pew Research Center on the millennial generation - Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next. According to survey respondents, the top indicator that millennials feel makes their generation unique is technology use (24%), which is reflected throughout the various aspects of the infographic below. In addition to some extensive research and comparisons between generations, Pew also has a 14 question quiz to determine "How Millennial are You?" I scored 53 out of 100... How about you?
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Your Membership to the “Good” Life
These days thanks to technology and social media, we can support a variety of philanthropic organizations and causes in a number of meaningful ways. The increasing popularity and integration of online mobilization allows us the luxury of participating in everything and anything with just one push of a computer button or by downloading the latest cause app to our smart phones. In retrospect, civic engagement has never been so easy—or so overwhelming—especially for Millennials.
From the younger generation’s perspective, things are looking a little bleak out in the world—you’ve got the Gulf oil spill, recession, melting glaciers, student loan debts, threats of terrorism and of course Lindsay Lohan’s latest court appearance to worry about. While these issues are by no means exclusive to any one generation, they are defining and life altering for those in the Millennial group. The predicament for today’s civic minded youth is not what to join, protest, support, vote for or donate to, but rather how to navigate all of these options and be socially engaged with the cause du jour.
What’s a Millennial to do?
Enter Splashlife—a new online membership network designed to empower Millennials and help them improve their lives and the lives of others. The free online platform hosts a number of tools, resources and peer-to-peer content on everything from restoring one’s financial health to tips for breaking into the media business. Members are encouraged to share information and to take action, whether it is in the form of creating a video promoting social good or registering to vote. Interaction and engagement are rewarded with “Splash points” that members can redeem for exclusive benefits, deals and discounts.
I know what you’re thinking, the last thing we need is another online network that you log onto once and never use again. As one who is bombarded on a daily basis with invitations to join new online sites and mailing lists, I felt the same way. That is, until I heard the creator of Splashlife, Melissa Helmbrecht speak at the National Conference on Citizenship’s (NCoC) Civic Innovators Forum. I signed up for Splashlife the very next day.
The platform just recently launched and already it’s causing ripples of its own among the younger generation. As Melissa explains it, “We are counting on the Rising Generation to solve our most serious social and economic challenges. [And] for the first time in human history, it is actually possible for millions of young people to unite and collaborate through the power of social networking and social media. It is time to harness this power to make a measurable difference. We are at the very early stages of building something that can provide support to millions of young Americans. Those who join us early will help shape it. It is an exciting moment to be a part of it.”
Melissa herself is another integral part of Splashlife and a reflection of the opportunities and challenges that face the Millennial generation. She is a social entrepreneur in her own right, having founded a youth-focused nonprofit called Champions of Hope Inc. as well as United Day of Service in partnership with Youth Service America. Looking at this person standing so self-assured at the podium, I would never have guessed that medical debt would have at one time forced her to have to beg for money outside a metro station—just so she could travel to a service conference at which she was speaking.
For Melissa, this day was transformative and led to the development of Splashlife. She knows from personal experience that there are, “millions of young people who are struggling today [who] also have the power to achieve their dreams and make a difference in the world around them. But they need help. They can't do it alone.” She offers others this piece of advice, “get skills, meet people, make a difference.”
Melissa’s words are echoed in Splashlife’s mantra, “Be More,” “Do More” and “Score More.” Splashlife speaks to the holistic and individualized experience that members of this generation seek. This movement towards incentivizing service acts and creating online calls-to-action to both cultivate and sustain engagement is not new, but it is gaining traction in the nonprofit sector. I believe Splashlife is a sign of things to come in terms of successful Millennial engagement. See what others are saying about Splashlife on Twitter and Facebook.
How about you... Do you think this new network can deliver in terms of motivating and empowering the younger generation? Does the platform and system of incentives inspire you to take action? I guess the only question left is—are you going to join?
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Twitter’s 100 Million Reporters: Always a Good Thing?
Far beyond the original "What are you doing?" prompt, individuals are using Twitter to share and find breaking news before it's available from sources like CNN, the New York Times, or the local news. From the riots around the Iran election to the Hudson River crash, Twitter has become a go-to source in breaking stories around the world. Sometimes, as with the Haiti earthquake, victims and witnesses use social media to find help. And in reporting situations like the Iran election protests, which were inaccessible to traditional news media, Twitter was not just the fastest source of information for people in and outside Iran, it was the only source. Most recently, Twitter was the leading source of information when a gunman took hostages in the Discovery building in Silver Spring, Maryland. Before information became available anywhere else, people began tweeting updates and photos from inside the building and neighboring offices.
As the use of Twitter has become more widespread (now with more than 100 million users), so has our trust in the information coming from the site. Even mainstream news outlets now routinely pull information from Twitter, sometimes without fully checking facts and sources - a point that both sports reporter Mike Wise and political columnist Chris Cilliza have made in the last few weeks (albeit in different ways). The citizen journalism enabled by Twitter is undoubtedly popular because access to information has never been faster. It provides nearly instantaneous updates, and when we're holding our breath through crisis situations, our chief priority is quick access to information.
But some of the drawbacks of this instant and easily spread information leaves some wondering whether this is a good thing. Besides the time it takes to mobilize a news crew, traditional reports are typically delayed because of fact checking. Having reputations built on delivering not only fast, but accurate news, they are expected to make certain their information is correct. The expectations of the average person with a smartphone in the midst of an emergency are understandably not so high. In the case of the Discovery attack, one witness took a Twitpic of a man with a gun and identified him as the suspect. With more than 100 retweets, the photo spread like wildfire, but it later became clear that the man was actually a member of the police force dressed in plain clothes. But as many regretful Twitter users know, once you push "tweet" it's not always possible to pull that information back.
In addition to the spread of misinformation, this Twitter journalism has the potential to make a situation like the one at Discovery worse. If information about a SWAT team movement or delicate hostage negotiation is available - or even suggested - on the web, it's possible that suspects could gain access to that information as well and use it to their advantage. Such information might also cause panic, which could lead some to put themselves in harm's way before authorities can conduct an evacuation or a rescue operation. This trend in Twitter reporting creates a clash between a tightly-held right to know and share information that is becoming more and more a part of our culture and the need for accountability in sharing accurate and responsible information. And with the nature of Twitter, there may not be any way to expect or enforce standards for credible information the way we do with professional news media. Social media is certainly changing the way we find information by enabling millions of citizen reporters, but is that always a good thing?
Are the potential risks of spreading Twitter information about crisis situations worth the access to the information? Do you want the quickest access to information even if some of the details turn out to be inaccurate? Read more »
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to friend or not to friend? that is the question.
Feeling much like an entry in the entertaining “Worst-case Scenario” survival guides, I was faced with my very own online life-or-death challenge the other day—whether or not to friend my mother on Facebook. I remember logging on to the popular social networking site and wondering just who was behind the harmless little red notification flag that serves as an alert for new Friend Requests. I soon discovered, with what can only be described as a mixture of shock and chagrin, that it was my very own mother. Instantly, my entire Facebook life passed before me—every photo, every comment and every video. You get the idea.
Where do you draw the line with connections on social networking sites?
At this point, the “Ignore” button was looking increasingly attractive. Fortunately, I’ve never been one to over share so I soon realized that this situation might not end so badly. After all, Facebook has privacy protections and I can be selective about what I do and do not share. Choosing to look at the bright side and pushing aside any lingering thoughts about potentially embarrassing content, I hit “Confirm” and posted a welcome message on my mom’s wall.
At the end of the day I emerged with one more friend, but my online world would never be the same. Before this experience, Facebook represented a familiar online space where I went daily to see what my friends were up to, to post something entertaining from LOL Cats or to read the latest news from the Case Foundation (yes, that was a shameless plug). Things change though when familiar relationship roles are abandoned and the traditional rules no longer apply.
The reality is that social networking sites are rewriting the rules of etiquette, relationships and even friendships. This evolution of how we interact with one another will be particularly challenging in the coming years as different generations intersect in the online space. A recent study from the Pew Research Center revealed that while young adults still dominate the online space, older Internet users are growing exponentially. According to Pew, “Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled—from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010.”
I have to wonder how my own mom, and those who didn’t grow up with computers and social networking as part of their daily lives feel about the ongoing shift in technology and communications. With this growing rate of online use across age groups, the question now becomes whether or not we will merge together or collide when we meet at this important online intersection. To be sure, it's a tough intersection to find... my mom and I will see you there!
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