Lexis-Nexis recently conducted an interesting survey measuring perceptions of technology among different generations. [Click here for a brief recap of the findings, with a link to the original survey results.]
Aside from my peronal distate for the categories used — Boomers (ages 44-60), Generation X (ages 29-43) and Generation Y (ages 28 and younger) — the survey points out some interesting similarities and differences in how professionals of all ages view social media and technology:
All ages and levels of workers in the white collar workplace use technology and software at their jobs, with almost 100% penetration of the most important forms of hardware and software:
–100% use either a laptop or desktop or both
–100% use e-mail and calendar programs
–94% use an Internet browser
Additionally, all ages and levels of white collar workers agree that new technology and software applications have made it easier to:
–Get up-to-the-minute information (95% agree)
–Perform research (94% agree)
–Improve productivity (90%)
–Manage information (87%)
Finally, 88% of white collar workers think that devices, such as laptops, PDAs and mobile phones, make people significantly more productive.
But it is perhaps the “proper” use statistics that are most interesting:
While a over two thirds (68%) of all Boomers agree that PDAs andmobile phones contribute to a decline in proper workplace etiquette, less than half (46%) of Gen Y workers think so.
While over two thirds of Boomer workers think the use of a laptop or PDA during in-person meetings is “distracting”(68%), less than half (49%) of Gen Y workers think so.
While only 17% of Boomers think using laptops or PDAs during in-person meetings is “efficient,”over one third (35%) of Gen Y think it is.
While only 28% of Boomers think that blogging about work-related issues is acceptable, 41% of Gen Y do.•While almost half of Gen Y workers (47%) think it’s acceptable to befriend a client on a social networking site, only 24% of Boomers do.
While only 38% of Boomers think it’s appropriate to befriend a colleague on a social networking site, over three quarters 76% of Gen Y workers do.
Certainly these statistics are relevant when you think about communicating with your customers. But how relevant are they to your workplace? Do they hold true?
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