There are a lot of misconceptions that social media channels and new media are only used by GenY and younger. Facts and statistics debunk that theory, but how about putting this paradigm shift into common sense examples in various age brackets?
I recently hosted a dinner party with friends and family from age 5 to age 66 at my home. It was a typical Sunday evening dinner: children playing tag, parents chatting over wine and parents of parents talking about their recent travels. But then something strange happened. Suddenly I was hearing very familiar terms like “Facebook”, “YouTube” and “Yelp” in each conversation. Immediately, I became intrigued…
While the 5 year olds played games on iPhones and pre-teens to teens were texting or showing each other photos and videos on their phones, the parents and grandparents were engaged in serious discussion over a bottle of Zin… My father hopped up from the table to change the ipod to some Ella Fitzgerald, while my mom got out her laptop to share some Flickr photos of recent travels. Several friends were discussing a new restaurant in the neighborhood and I overheard, “It’s fantastic. You should try it…I made it a favorite on my Facebook page.” Then the conversation turned to travel. “We had such a great time and the hotel was in the perfect location, so we could walk to everything.” ”How’d you know where to stay, if you hadn’t been there before?” “Yelp. We planned everything by doing a Yelp search – lodging, meals…” Meanwhile, two of my friends were discussing a local festival and one friend said to the other, “You always know about everything that is happening around here, how do you keep track?” “The other said, I follow all of our local spots on Twitter. You should totally do the same. A lot of local businesses give away discounts and free stuff.”
The topic of whether or not someone had responded to an Evite yet came up. Discussion of the grandkids pictures on Facebook came up, as well as, photos of a new home. The men gathered around the computer to show each other funny videos that they saw on YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook and were engaged in gut wrenching laughter. My father ranted about inaccurate facts on a blog forum he reads. My mom raved about how cool it is to get new Netflix recommendations because she can never remember movie titles that she wants to watch. When her friends agreed, she said “I’ll friend you, since we have similar taste in movies, and that way we can share recommendations.” They enthusiastically agreed.
We are already culturally immersed in all of the social media platforms, new media and technology at every age. Many of us are participating in reviews and providing feedback to brands, while others are using ratings and endorsements to guide our decisions. Think you aren’t part of the new media paradigm shift, think again.
6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality
Tags: 6 Degrees, 6 Degrees Group, Blog, Facebook, Flickr, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Mobile Applications, Mobile Technology, Six Degrees Group, social media marketing, Twitter, Vimeo, Web 2.0, Yelp, YouTube
