The Facebook generation, or Generation F, grew up with online social networks and will change the way people develop personal and work-related networks. They merge online friends with local friends and see online networks as equally important. This generation is comfortable with self-employment and telecommuting, and employers and educational institutions may need to adjust their procedures to remain competitive. New methods will require new ways to monitor activity, evaluate efficiency, and measure accountability.
Sometimes identified as Generation F, the Facebook generation is a title used to identify those growing up in a world where the use of online social networks is common. The use of online networking sites such as Facebook are seen as forces that will significantly alter the way people develop personal and work-related networks. As a result, the underlying philosophy for communicating with others will be very different from how baboomers or kids of the Generation X or Generation Y era connect with other people.
In terms of building a social network, the Facebook generation is likely to see merging online friends with local friends as a natural part of developing a well-rounded circle of acquaintances. The online social network may or may not overlap with the local friend group, but will be seen as equally important in terms of encouragement, support and knowledge exchange. The tools integrated into sites like Facebook allow users to convey emotions, share data and interact in ways that are much more efficient than previous online attempts. With the visual, verbal and oral skills now common on these sites, the interaction is much like a face-to-face conversation.
Over time, the impact of the Facebook generation is expected to change the way businesses think about productivity and efficiency. For example, online networking makes it possible to consider ideas among peers more quickly, making the advantages or disadvantages of a given approach easily recognisable. This is in contrast to traditional methods which can take longer to fully evaluate an idea through field tests, opinion polls and other commonly used tools.
The Facebook generation is also more comfortable with self-employment. This may mean that the tendency for people to telecommute for work rather than congregate in one physical location may become the norm rather than the exception. At the same time, network capacity can also change the way people go about their workday. Rather than devoting a solid eight-hour block to work endeavors, short periods devoted to work activities can take place throughout most of the day and into the evening, based on the tasks that need to be completed on any given day.
As the Facebook Generation comes of age, employers may find it necessary to adjust their procedures to accommodate the different mindset of Generation F in order to remain competitive in their markets. Even educational institutions may find that traditional methods are no longer effective and are based on newer approaches to the education process that incorporate elements inherent in today’s online social networks. It is important to note, however, that as new methods develop, there will also be a need to create new ways to monitor activity, evaluate efficiency, and measure accountability in the online workplace.
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