Why, Oh Why, Gen Y?
First, full disclosure: I fall smack in the middle of Gen X. You can do the math (that was never my strong suit). So while I'm not that far removed from Gen Y, as I pointed out yesterday I'm more of a "digital immigrant" (or "digital nomad") than a "digital native." There are many terms for this generation -- Gen Y, millenials, digital natives -- but the point is that someone born after 1980 likely grew up with a mouse in their hand. Using a computer came naturally, and the transition from school to the workplace didn't involve learning new ways to search for information (Dewey Decimel System vs. Web browsing) or adopting different methods of communicating (faxes vs. instant messaging). Bottomline: exactly what has this lifelong immersion in technology done to Gen Y's social skills? Admittedly, it's a broad question, but we try to answer it (at least in part) tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
