That’s what my one student-for-life told me a few days ago.
I suppose Steve is an example for me of a friend who completely grew up submerged in online culture. I tutored him throughout his elementary school days and now he is smack in the middle of high school. My first memories of computers came from MS-DOS and Quest for Glory 1: So you want to be a hero (VGA re-release). His first memories came from Windows XP and Nvidia GeForce 3 video cards.
I had a conversation with Steve a few days ago – in which case, again, he told me I wasn’t on MSN enough for his liking – where he told me e-mail is boring. That was after I told him he could easily get a hold of me if I wasn’t on MSN. I have every messenger and service under the sun that I could think he possibly knows about. It seems, after a very interesting conversation, that my friend here needs real time interaction. E-mail is just too darn slow! I feel sorry for the future of Canadian Post – it’s a good thing there’s eBay.
I thought I was too young to feel a generation gap with my younger fellows, but obviously I was wrong. I know you can’t focus all your information on one source, but with the popularity of cell phone texting and other real time services, it makes this a pretty good bet. With all this talk about my generation changing the work place, imagine 10 years from now and Steve hitting the work force. Business usually runs behind technological adoption in the public… what about in 10 years?! Steve’s generation will definitely not be impressed with static web pages and thousands of e-mails.
One argument for e-mail in the business world is the classic paper trail. You can’t really get that with instant messaging of other types of related services. And people who argue for text history of conversations… I’ve seen way too many of those spoofed in online communities. I hold them in very low regard when used for things other than the benefit of sifting through responses for an answer you just can’t recall.
Ironically, while thinking about this I came across this How to Save the World post by Dave Pollard about getting rid of e-mail. It’s a good read to get thinking about.
Will this mentality also change the tactics needed for communicators to reach the public? Will streaming, live chat rooms and on location blogging become the norm or practically need to be? It’s definitely something to think about.
Update: One more for your reading pleasure – Teens say e-mail just doesn’t cut it
Mike
Nice piece! (Though I was toying around with a not-quite-similar idea and you scooped me- though your piece was so much better than mine would have been that it’s better you did!)
Do you think e-mail will head the way of the betamax sooner or around the time Steve’s generation hits the workforce in earnest? And do you think they will bring with them at long last the much-discussed “paperless-office?”
I think e-mail has its uses, but I am a fogey as a Gen Xer. And the immediacy of a conversation, even in text form, is nicer and more efficient.
Thank you for a lovely read and a good think thereafter.
AM
PS The new look of the blog is fantastic!
Glad you like the new look!
I know what you mean about the immediacy of the conversation. I’m sure anyone who works in the office place will agree to the sometimes blatant abuse of e-mail.
I’m not sure what the future will bring at this point especially with new mobile and conversation trends coming at a quicker pace.
When I enter a work place I tend to communicate how my manager or team members want me to communicate because I’m usually the latest addition to team. Will new employees five to 10 years down the road be less considerate and try to bend the work place as best they can to their preferences? We’ll see.