Can You Relate to The Net Generation?

By Hilary TopperIn ReviewsPosted

Don Tapscott‘s book, “Grown Up Digital” takes an in-depth look at people ages 11 through 31. He calls them the net generation (net geners). It’s a fascinating book about how net geners learn, work and relate to family. How many people do you know under the age of 30 who reads a traditional newspapers? Most of the people in that age group, my son excluded, read the news from their mobile devices. People who were born in 1979 through 1998, grew up with computers and technology and therefore, it is second nature to them.

Educators must understand that when it comes to learning, net geners need to be taught differently then the way we were taught. Employers must understand that when it comes to working, net geners have different work ethics then we had. And, parents must understand that net geners relate differently then we did. (Mr. Tapscott writes in the book that if we were mad at our parents, we ran out of the house to escape. If net geners are upset, they run to their computers and social networks to escape.)

One of the most interesting chapters was on net geners as consumers. The net generation tends to listen to each other and not to the traditional media, as we did growing up. Some of the important guidelines that Mr. Tapscott mentions in the book includes”

  • Engage consumers
  • Create customer experiences
  • Stop advertising on Broadcast media (net geners aren’t seeing them)
  • Rethink your brand
  • Be honest and transparent
  • Forget about the four “P’s” — Product, place, price and promotion. Instead replace with ABCDE – Anyplace, brand, communication, discover and experience.

If you are in marketing, advertising, public relations or sales and you want to see the big picture going forward, then I would recommend getting this book. It wasn’t an easy read but it was worth the time.

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Hilary Topper

Hilary Topper