Allspace in a Notshall

Here’s an interesting article I came across on the Wall Street Journal via Disinfo.com.  It’s about the effect of the internet and social networking has had on the current generation of youngsters.  I found it fascinating and therefore think it’s a must read.  I’ll quote some things below:

Because so many people in their teens and early 20s are in this constant whir of socializing—accessible to each other every minute of the day via cellphone, instant messaging and social-networking Web sites—there are a host of new questions that need to be addressed in schools, in the workplace and at home. Chief among them: How much work can “hyper-socializing” students or employees really accomplish if they are holding multiple conversations with friends via text-messaging, or are obsessively checking Facebook?

“The unspoken attitude is, ‘I don’t need you. I have the Internet,’” says P.M. Forni, the 58-year-old director of the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, which studies politeness and manners. “The Net provides an opportunity to play hide-and-seek, to say and not say, to be truthful and to pretend. There is a lot of communication going on that is futile and trivial.”

While their older colleagues waste time holding meetings or engaging in long phone conversations, young people have an ability to sum things up in one-sentence text messages, Mr. Bajarin says. “They know how to optimize and prioritize. They will call or set up a meeting if it’s needed. If not, they text.” And given their vast network of online acquaintances, they discover people who can become true friends or valued business colleagues—people they wouldn’t have been able to find in the pre-Internet era.

For instance, past generations accepted that corporations were hierarchical. There were supervisors, managers and senior managers, and you communicated your questions to your immediate superior. “Young people today want accessibility,” says Ms. Gallagher, 41. “If they have a problem or suggestion, they’ll email or text senior managers, or even the CEO. They don’t have the old-school notion that there are appropriate communication models. They’ve grown up in a freedom-of-information era.”

Straight link to the WSJ article here.

Here’s a few of my thoughts.  I think that this is obviously the future and agree with the wife of principle Steve Gallagher when it’s time to embrace this change.  What we really have on our hands now is the breakdown of the social hierarchy as we know it.   As soon as the current generation of leaders either accepts this or steps aside, then we can truly progress in all facets of life.  I also find it exhilarating that people are saving time and are spending it on activities they find entertaining.  I really don’t find a problem with all people be constantly connected to each other because, after all, the ability to turn off is still there!  It’s really just a choice to be constantly connected.

Let me know your thoughts.