Humour

Make way for the digital natives

T A Balasubramanian focuses on the traits of the multitasking Gen-Y populace

Returning for a new session with the irrepressible Dr Don Jong, Bobo Jitter, the perennially perplexed CIO of Bazooka Company gets set to chart new territories in the IT world. Often referred to as ‘The Oddfather,’ Dr Jong has the audacious skill to come up with preposterous insights into the stickiest situations that are thrown up by technology.

“You seem more drained than usual, Bobo. Ah, so what could be the cause of such pervasive melancholy?” says Dr Jong, lighting his pipe with a flourish.

“Well, Doc, it is all due to this new 20-year-old, Neo Tinker, that I hired last week. His behavior is giving me severe migraine.”

“So we have the young rebel pushing you to the very fringe of tolerance again?”

“In his blog, he accuses me of being a ‘mainframe relic,’ which he defines as ‘a washed out bozo from the analogue age.’ He goes on to use his new word in a sentence: ‘I was supposed to write fast code and get it up and running, but instead I spent the whole afternoon with this mainframe relic, documenting ancient processes.’ That made me feel like a dinosaur.”

“Welcome to the world of ‘digital natives,’ Bobo.”

“And what does that signify?”

“It is a population defined by both post-Internet birthdates and privileged access to technology. The term ‘digital native’ applies to most Generation Y, or ‘Gen Y’ people—you could say they range from age 13 to 31. They have grown up around computers, the Internet, mobile phones, video games, and mp3 players. They are avid multitasking fiends—determined to watch TV, surf the web, listen to music, and talk or text on their phones, often performing several of these things at the same time. The term multitasking itself was originally coined to describe what a computer does during the microseconds between keystrokes. Then it came to mean something these kids are proud to do. And now, there is frazzing.”

“Frazzing?”

“Well, it is defined as ‘sloppy multitasking.’ If you get mixed up and ‘crash out’ while trying to multitask, you are said to frazz. You cannot blame yourself for thinking that Gen Y seems to be living in the Matrix—the all-pervasive digital illusion. Meanwhile, back in the ‘mainframe space,’ many analogue era guys like you and me scratch our heads, trying to make sense of these momentous changes and what they mean.”

“In my ‘mainframe space’ I expect these kids to work, Doc.”

“Of course you do, Bobo. But, according to a Duckbill & Goose report, for Gen Y, work is not their whole world. Sure, they are going to work, but it had better be fun. As the report says, ‘For Gen Y, work is not their identity—it’s just a place to ‘hang out’ for a lot of ‘screensucking’—now that is a definitive word you will find applies to Neo and his habitat.”

“And what does it mean?”

“According to Dr Edward M Hallowell, writer of the book ‘CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap!’ it means ‘wasting time engaging with any screen—for example: computer, video game, television or cell phone.’ He goes on to use his new word in a sentence: ‘I was supposed to write that article, but instead I spent the whole afternoon screensucking.’ ”

“That seems to be what Neo and his social circle seem to relish.”

“Hmm, social circles define Gen Y. As the report says, ‘Socializing dominates their time—but they want to control who they socialize with. Gen Y thinks a truly ‘private’ life is nonsense.’ Over 50% use MeowSpace, Facehook, or some other social network virtually all the time.”

“Well, isn’t that unhelpful when they start working and plan a career, Doc?”

“It seems they live and learn, like we did in our times. Most of Gen Y had to find out the hard way about the perils of posting everything online. As they have aged, they realized blogging their every thought and posting those embarrassing pictures might have hurt their jobs prospects at times, so now some of them are interested in more privacy on their social networks. They are happy to continue over-sharing with friends, but they are also learning how to protect their updates and set their profiles to private. But to get back to you, my dear ‘mainframe relic,’—they are also wary of old folks, like their bosses, trying to ‘befriend’ them in their social space, especially if they are ‘tragically un-hip and behind the times.’ Not my phrase, if you please!”

“Ouch. Tragically un-hip, Doc?”

“I know. I have a Gen Y son who thinks of me the same way. But since when have the young considered their elders as peers? If you ask me, even with all the new caution, their compulsive over-sharing is not going to stop anyway.”

“What makes them do it? All this compulsive exposure, I mean?”

“From what my son says, it seems that in their own world, they are celebrities—but not necessarily like the glamorous ones that the media chases. Notoriety is what they crave—on Facehook or MeowSpace. It is more about standing out from the crowd—while at the same time ‘hanging’ out with as many people as they can find online. As members of the ‘always on, always connected’ generation, they love to be seen surrounded by flashy digital devices, funky ‘avatars’ and weird identities. The idea is not necessarily to become famous—but to become distinctive.”

“At least Neo has a sense of style—I can say that much for him. He has all the latest gadgets and applications on him.”

“Quite so. But when it comes to making decisions, Gen Y tends to rely on the admiring circle of friends and their recommendations, not on their own native good sense. My son seems to respond to humour, irony, and the unvarnished truth—if it comes from his Facehook friends. However, from what I can observe, he has no loyalty. He is forever moving to next big thing.”

“So how do I get Neo’s attention back to work, Doc?”

“Gen Y sees no reason why a company cannot be more accommodating, offering benefits like the ability to work from anywhere, flexi-time, a culture that supports casual communication, and a ‘fun’ work environment. They do not worry much about unemployment and they are not going to put up with being treated poorly just for sake of a salary. Neo is certainly not going to blindly follow orders just because you are the boss. He would want to be ‘synced’ into why something is being done. It’s time to become ‘hip’ Bobo, and give him what he craves.”

“I see. So what do I have to do?”

“Oh, there are so many things you could try. You could, for example, become a ‘Bluetooth fairy’—a person who walks around with the blinking glow of a Bluetooth headset permanently in one ear.”

“Well, thanks, Doc. I guess it’s never too late to join the digital natives in their tribal rituals.”

“Voila, you comprehend! And the next time Neo talks of ‘mainframe relics’ you could send him a text message pointing to the Wiki page on IBM’s early days.”