Thesis Pieces: Millennials and Social Media

Are Millennials Digital Natives or Techie Savages?

The period of the 1960’s was pivotal, during-which the Baby Boomers were coming of age, and saw climactic generational tumult. During this time period, a great majority of the public (74%) believed that there was a generation gap in America. Taking into account the current dynamics, the perceived gap has actually increased. In 2010, 79% of the public believed there was a gap (Pew, 2014). The modern gap is not viewed as malignant, however; it is largely attributed to technological shifts.  

Robert Putnam (2000) brought to the fore the possibility that advances in technology, such as TV, air conditioning, and the Internet, were harming collective activities. It does not seem that increased technology and Internet use have damaged Millennial political activity and civic engagement. Rather, it appears that Millennials are using increased connectedness to engage in new ways. In other words, they digitally participate in different ways from their counterparts from previous generations. The rise of the internet has provided Millennials with new tools and avenues to become involved.

          The Pew Internet Research Project (2009) attempted to uncover whether online activism corresponded to offline activism. Indeed, they found that 73% of those who were politically active online (participated in two or more activities online in the past year) were also active offline. However, when one reverses the variables, the study found that less than half of those politically active offline were also active online. In 2003, M. Kent Jennings and Vicki Zeitner performed a cross-cohort analysis attempting to uncover generational differences in relation to Internet usage and civic engagement. They found that those already politically engaged supplemented their engagement with the internet. Internet use among younger people positively correlated to indicators of civic engagement, but the generational divide over technology was reinforced by an older cohort continued the same trends of political access after the internet was introduced.

Sharing is caring. This seems to ring true for political issues on social

media platforms like facebook, twitter, and youtube. Thirty-nine percent of adults political engage on social media sites. This is done in myriad ways, posting news articles on issues, “liking” posts from others, encouraging people in one’s social network to vote, and following elected officials and organizations on social media. Millennials stand out in their political engagement on social media, with nearly 75% of 18-24 year olds in the Millennial cohort who use social media engaging in political activities (Smith, 2013). Millennials often use social media to connect with their favorite nonprofits instead of the organization’s website. Of the Millennials who interact with nonprofits on facebook, 92% have “liked” an organization’s page. 74% said they would share information about events on facebook, and 69% looked for news from these organizations (Achieve, 2013).

          Social capital may also be benefitting from social media. Initially, the fear was that local community would suffer as people became more vested in web-based relationships, but social media sites like Meetup encourage users to find and connect with people of similar tastes and interests. Meetup is often used to unite religious groups, hobbyists, book clubs, and crafters that would not have had the resources to find each other just a few short years ago. As highlighted earlier, social media is reinforcing and strengthening community and political engagement on many fronts, and it is part of the fabric of Millennials’ lives, so it is imperative that organizations seeking to reach them become tech-literate.

Diane Ty, Co-Founder of YouthNoise, Inc. and former AARP Senior Vice-President for Strategic Market Development, emphasized the digital realm as a mechanism to reinforce engagement. She told me, “Millennials are digital natives, we [older generations] are digital immigrants. It is very important to have people in key outreach positions who understand how technology can facilitate engagement.”