15 Reasons why the New generation uses Facebook

Don’t be surprised when I say that 81% of Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) use Facebook or that a whooping majority of Gen Z (born after 2000) are constantly ‘connected’, are emotionally attached to their devices and they prefer to connect online more than face to face.

Gen Y is now their 20s and Gen Z are now kids or getting into teens. Together they make the new generation. I am sure you have one of them near you -in all probability in your family as your son or daughter or in your school/colleges as students or in your organizations as an employee.

The new Generation feels that it is very important for them to stay connected. However since they are constrained with time, even as they call themselves a bit ‘socially lazy’, they prefer 'online' to stay connected. The new generation is heavily connected on social media, for personal, social and professional reasons.

Despite the advent of other instant messaging services, Facebook outscores everything else in social networking. My research on the new generation has thrown up reasons behind the continued popularity of Facebook . New Generations feels Facebook helps them to stay connected and use it for one or more reasons.

Here are the top 15 -

1. The new generation is generally curious and Facebook helps them to know what’s going on in the lives of others. It also helps them to know personal things about other people in a very impersonal way.
   
   
2. Facebook helps them stay abreast with the major life events of their friends and acquaintances.
   
   
3. It helps them to bridge the gap of distance and time that they suffer with their friends and remain in touch.
   
   
4. Facebook helps them to forge and nurture relationships. Birthday, anniversary wishing is very common.
   
   
5. Many use Facebook to engage with brands.
   
   
6. Facebook helps them improve their networking skills.
   
   
7. They use Facebook to maintain close friends-group camaraderie.
   
   
8. Facebook helps them compare their life and live an aspirational life.
   
   
9. At times even brag, boast and make others jealous or simply get the ‘Likes’.
   
   
10. Facebook helps them to know and share interesting stuff (updates - information, photos, selfies and jokes).
    
    
11. Helps them earn virtual currency (for example Facebook Credit, Farmville Cash and Microsoft Points).
    
    
12. Promote their work (Facebook pages).
    
    
13. Search lost friends.
    
    
14. Seek help.
    
    
15. Beat loneliness.

Some of them also use LinkedIn for professional networking. They also heavily use their smartphones and messaging apps like Whats App to stay connected. Many are constantly on Whats App.

What’s interesting is that the line between online and offline is blurring for the new generation and for them it is parallel existence in both these worlds. They find it strange when their parents, teachers or employers ask them to give up their gadgets, or come out of the online world or restrict their social media usage. For them the online and offline world are one and the same, one diffusing into the other.

Social Media & Individual Liberty

Nothing is private on social media, not even when you try to ensure that it remains private by using closed groups or anything. Surprises on social media could be pleasant at times, and sometimes they may be definitely unwelcome. Like yesterday, someone tagged me to photo on Facebook without any knowledge of mine. When I checked my mail (that is my username for my FB account), I saw some 15 comments on that photo. The comments were not that good, worse some thought that I had posted that photo. However the good thing was that I could immediately clear the air by posting a comment and ensured that I could be untagged from the photo. Despite this the experience was not all that sweet. My right to express should not be hijacked by someone else who tags me to something that I neither know nor do I subscribe to.


Social media is a unique many to many communication tool that ensures messages, comments, news, events etc. becoming viral on the web in matter of minutes or hours. The impact is huge. The power of social media is unmatched and profound. It has given people like Justin Bieber superstardom status.

Having said this, from a user point of view one needs to be a little careful about one’s social media activity. Whatever one shares on social media could reach many intended and also to many more unintended in very less time. I am all for the free nature of social media. But I think both individuals and companies need to be careful of their social media activity that it does not breach any other individual’s liberty. No one has the right to trespass on the liberty of others, as much as they have right to protect their own.

Take for instance, late last year a British body that helps improve relationships with workers warned employers that they could end up being sued if they use sites like Facebook to spy on the private lives of their employees. The body found that some companies were using social media and web to glean personal information like religious belief of their employees and using it against them. While social media offers employers an opportunity to pre-qualify their candidates before hiring using social media and web information, technically called backchannel referencing; some companies seem to be trying to get hold of the personal information of their employees.

Bubble to thwart trouble

Infosys recently launched 'Infy Bubble', an internal social networking site is supposedly a platform for disgruntled Infoscions to vent on. The site mirrors Facebook and allows employees to connect across borders with colleagues as well as bicker about anything they want.The IT giant seems to be learning its lessons finally. Troubled with a very high attrition-rate (some 7000 odd employees have reportedly left during April-June 2011 period) and unimpressive performance ending quarter June 2011, the wisdom seems to be prevailing finally.

Comparative Financial Performance of TCS and Infosys (quarter ending June 2011)*
	TCS		Infosys
	Quarter ending June 2011 (figures in Rupees Crore)	Percentage Growth YOY	Quarter ending June 2011 (figures in Rupees Crore)	Percentage Growth YOY
Net Sales	10797.02	31.39%	7485	20.8%
Operating profit	2824.92	25.67%	1952	11.23%
Consolidated Net profit	2414.76	26.69%	1722	15.7%
Total Employees	198614		133560
Attrition Rate	14%		17.5%

*Data are to the closest approximation, based on published open sources.

Not too long back there was a huge issue of infoscions baring their feelings in the social networking sites over the controversial iRACE. At that time the company took a strong exception and went to the extent of introducing a social media rule book to tell employees what they can share and what not on the social media (read my extensive article on this Policing social media isn't a smart policy). However the company has perhaps realized that this way cannot be for long in today era of  competitiveness.
And so this bubble (an attempted internal PR exercise) for a change is expected to thwart the trouble that the company finds itself in today.

Trending Social Media in HR Processes

'In-house social networking platforms have done what above-normal salary hikes have not been able to do – control attrition...' Just a small byte from my column in Business Line today - The Use of Social Media in HR Processes... please Read

The Social Media Engagement

‘The CEO of a Mumbai-based pharma company — let’s call him A — was recently in a fix. For some weeks now, a few of his younger colleagues have been urging him to open a Facebook account. The problem is, the only brush with social networking that A, who is in his late 40s, has had is what he reads in the newspapers. Faced with the prospect of some of the younger members on his team wanting to see him better networked, A did the next best thing: He got his young personal assistant to open a Facebook and Twitter account…



Bosses who previously banned or blocked social networking sites in office, are now realising that getting onto FB, Orkut, Twitter or even YouTube is actually a great way to connect with their younger, more wired colleagues. Not only is it helping them to ‘learn’ the language of the youth much faster, but the sites are also giving them a platform to get their ideas across to their teams — in a less formal way.


While some senior managers are using the sites to pass on better-management nuggets or give mini pep-talks to staff, others are broadcasting their business plans and goals, and seeking mass feedback from employees.


For some companies, social networking by the head honchos has become a full-fledged HR strategy to make the company Gen Next ready, at a time when the average working age in India Inc is falling rapidly…


"Empowerment is the new engagement. People want to stay connected with their friends and colleagues through their networks,” says Future Group business head (Private Brands), Devendra Chawla. “They want their voices to be heard, and ideas to play around with. Technology and social media have come together to give one various ways to express oneself.”…’ - Writankar Mukherjee- Head honchos get trained in using social networking sites

Social Media is in big way, no questions asked. Trying to keep employees away from the same or trying to 'police' the same was never a smart idea. Social Media which is seen as a threat by some companies can be converted to their advantage. Social Media can be used for  networking, communicating and engaging people better. Overall companies must realize that social media presents an excellent opportunity to build and strengthen their employer brands.