Generation Y has played a key role in the marketplace and business world during the Computer Age. This generation is the first to grow up immersed in the world of technology, particularly communications technology, and has produced a valuable market segment entering the work force. As Generation Y grew older, advancements in communication technology rapidly changed not only how people communicated, but also the values and attributes they placed on communication. Prior generations have had to adapt to these market changes and new technological advancements. Since they did not grow up with the technology, however, they have adapted much slower than Generation Y.
As Generation Y entered the workforce, there came a wave of technological know-how that moved seamlessly with rapidly expanding and changing communications technology. This resulted in a keen understanding of technology’s potential in the business climate. Generation Y has been surrounded by computers since early youth, and this complete immersion the technology of today has created an intimate understanding and an innate comprehension that prior generations, for the most part, do not have. Much of Generation Y entered the workforce with valuable computer skills, such as graphic and web-design, and with cutting-edge ideas on sales and marketing initiatives, which businesses have relied on heavily in the changing, fast-moving marketplace. Generation Y was the moving force behind the emergence of social media, which developed from cloud computing concepts. In general, it’s focused on always improving communications with technology.
For rapidity, convenience, and ease, cloud computing, to this generation, holds tremendous potential, and is practically a no-brainer in terms of moving forward in the business world. Cloud computing makes it possible for users to interact with a software interface that only requires access to the Internet and a sufficient Web browser. No “heavy-lifting” is required of the software or hardware of the user’s computer – no downloading, no installation, and no licensing. MySpace, for instance, evolved from a platform provided by cloud computing software solutions. Without downloading a single kilobyte of software, users can log on, connect with other users, upload photos, and communicate on large scales by posting bulletins, which can reach as many other users as the sender desired. Since communication and staying connected was so easy due to the could computing infrastructure, users were able to connect with and meet more and more people.
As MySpace became a virtual social circle, marketers took notice, and word-of-mouth and viral marketing took on a new media. Then, Facebook emerged as MySpace’s major competitor, and Generation Y again proved to be the first to jump on the bandwagon. Facebook, with a cloud computing infrastructure, offered features that differentiated it from Myspace, and made it even easier to connect and communicate on a larger scale. Many marketers then created Facebook pages for businesses, using the platform for promotional purposes and also to observe the behavior of consumers.
Then, of course, came Twitter. Twitter’s cloud computing platform focused on the desire to communicate on large scales and in real time. Twitter users have been equal parts individuals and businesses – in addition to groups of friends making accounts, major broadcast networks and television news networks urge consumers to follow their updates on Twitter.
Generation Y is the generation of advancements in communication. Factors such as ease, convenience, and rapidity have become more important in marketplace exchanges, especially because Generation Y has grown up with being able to make purchases online. Cloud computing has had a dramatic impact on this generation, always working towards improving those factors.
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