This is a guest post from Joe Flowers, a Millennial and co-worker of mine. To read more about Joe, scroll to bottom of post.
Yesterday afternoon, Jeff was kind enough to ruin my Wednesday by sending me a link to a blog post entitled “Twitter: It’s a GenX Thing.” The blog was just a re-posting to the author’s comment to another article, “Study Shows Gen Y Not In Love With Twitter, “ found here. I patiently read both before sending a flurry of angry message to Jeff letting him know that both links were nothing but garbage. He responded by saying I should write a blog for him about it. I thought to myself, “Well the articles say my generation needs constant praise and attention,” so here we are.
The original article states that only 22 percent of Gen Y a.k.a. Millennials use Twitter. It’s source for such an astounding statistic? “PMN conducted the study in May 2009 with its research partner, the Lubin School of Business’ Interactive and Direct Marketing (IDM) Lab at Pace University, by questioning 200 PMN panel members and consumers between the ages of 18-24.” Hmm, a tiny cross section from a small school lab in New York that doesn’t even cover the appropriate range of ages of the generation it’s claiming to represent. It doesn’t get much more credible than that, does it?
By this study’s definition, I’m a 26-year-old GenXer. A product of the Cold War along with other apparently notable GenXers like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake and 95% of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Is it any surprise a study favored GenXers using Twitter if they have a 20 year span compared to the six years awarded to Millennials?
This report has been picked up by major news networks as well as the Twittersphere as fact. As we speak, an infection of ill-informed “gurus” is off to the races touting this story as gospel in an attempt to cash in on the social media craze. News flash: the report is as much a credible fact as the movie Titanic is a credible source to the actual disaster.
Nielsen states that they don’t have an accurate enough sample size to represent the 18-24 year old range, but the 25-34 range represents 19.6 percent of unique visitors to Twitter. This obviously pales in comparison to the 41.7 percent unique visitors ages 35-49. [Source]
On the opposite end, Quantcast says that young adults are leading the Twitter demographic with the 18-34 demographic representing 43 percent of users compared to the 33% represented by ages 35-49. [Source]
Staying in the statistics vein for one more example, a recent poll of people named Joe currently sitting in my desk chair revealed startling news. It appears 100% of people polled think that these surveys can kiss roughly 98% of my ass. 
Now that I’m fired up, I’d like to address the real source of frustration in all of this. That would be the comments left by Miss JessieX. JessieX describes herself as an “an old school marketer with a new media swing. An avid hula hooper and Iconic GenXer.” Now, I’m not sure what she thinks she did to consider herself an “iconic GenXer,” but having spent a bulk of my night reading her old tweets, she has little to contribute as far as productive conversations. She mostly reflects on the weather, her family, the occasional tech posting and far too many hashtags for me to handle.
Of course, I am a self-admitted link regurgitator so I have little room to speak so let’s move on.
In her response to the incredibly detailed and accurate report from the brains at Pace University, she said Millennials can’t adjust to Twitter because “they are a peer-oriented, collective can-do generation.” Well of course, JessieX! Twitter is a “Me, Me, Me!” network used to simply inflate one’s ego. It is not a social networking site that encourages collaborative work. We’ve all been such fools!
She goes on to say Gen Y is “oriented more to group-think and the collective heart-space they share in their peer groups.” Once again, how does this ideology not line up perfectly with Twitter? We also rely on a structured learning approach, need hands on attention and guidance.
Also, don’t think for a minute I’ve missed the complete irony in this woman saying Twitter isn’t for group-thinkers while she defines it as a place to “broadcast, engage and connect.” Must be a typo.
Of course, maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m looking at this all wrong. It’s probably because my generation relies on a teamwork approach and I’m sitting at my desk all by my lonesome. No one is here to inspire my can-do attitude or tell me that, gee whiz, I’m doing a great job. Aw shucks, I’m just a poor, snarky and inexperienced lost soul wandering the Internet wasteland searching for a hero from a previous generation from whose knowledge I can feed. I need someone to tell me what exactly my next step should be and how I should do it.
If you would like to help me and my current situation, here’s how:
RT @unhatched: Helpless Millennial searching expert guidance and mentoring from GenXer. Must be willing to hold my hand and pat my back.
About Joe
Joe is a non-profit employee based in Dallas, Texas. He claims to specialize in social media marketing because it’s the trend right now, but also dabbles in the creative arts. Besides his benefits paying job, he also freelances as a Web designer, copywriter and technical proofreader. Actual previous job titles include cooking instructor, department store pianist, fight promoter and zamboni driver. He is available for sarcastic and serious conversations 24/7 at twitter.com/unhatched.
interesting. you get upset about being in the generation claimed to require constant praise (it’s really more about “attention” than “praise,” but that’s another subject.) then you claim you’re a 26 yo genxer. which are you?
oh, perhaps you’re in that bridge. that space between. an early waver to your gen. or a last waver. i understand some of that frustration. born in 1963, i’m an early wave genxer myself.
i’m thinking you might enjoy the work of william strauss and neil howe. great insights into generations. will calm you, perhaps. @dsohigian is a most excellent source for bite-sizing the data. his blog rocks and he has a stellar understanding of generations that blends the academic theory with real-world understanding. http://www.thegenxfiles.com/2009/06/02/millennial-generation-teamwork-in-video-games/
and, dear, just a tip for your young emerging self: you might want to be careful with the ad hominen attacks. remember, Life will always ensure you take it as well as you give it.
There’s definitely a lot of bad demographics and data going around now. I’m part of a group that’s hoping to fix that, by getting as much data as possible and doing better analysis of it than has ever been done.
Email me for details
-david
Thanks David. We look forward to seeing your results.
Thanks @jessiex for the feedback. Not sure if Joe wants to respond or not. We’ll see.
You are right, JessieX, there are gray lines when you get to those couple of years before or after a generation is defined. I am safely in the Millennial range (just having a bit of sarcastic fun). However, trying to define generations has become such a slippery slope these days. Plenty of boomers embrace the digital age and there are just as many Millennials and GenXers that completely reject it. I relate better to boomers on some ideologies, GenXers on others and, of course, with my own generation.
Thanks for the tip on Howe and Strauss. I’ve read some of their literature before courtesy of my psych and sociology classes, but should look into more of their research.
I do want to apologize if I offended you, I was a bit fired up and my generation’s been summarized as willing to voice their opinion with little censorship. But, darling, you must realize that those kind of attacks come with the territory of being an icon.
@JessieX – thanks for the compliment on the blog. I hope to live up to it someday.
@Joe – I won’t get involved in the statistics about whether Gen X or Millennials use Twitter more, but I do think that JessieX has an interesting point in her blog. I think that many people would say Twitter is naturally an application that Millennials (born 1982-2003) would love: it’s real-time, digital and broadcasts personal opinions to peers. So it is surprising that Gen X (born 1961-1981) seem to really love using the thing, given their reputation as individualists.
We probably won’t ever get a good demographic layout of Twitter users, but a more interesting point would be about how each generation uses the tool. Even just an anecdotal report would be intriguing. For example, I use twitter primarily as a marketing tool, and my followers are made of a small amount of friends (from when I first joined) and a larger group of people interested in generational research. It is a way for me to reach that niche with bite-sized updates and suggestions. I admit that I have not been particularly into Twitter lately as I have been focusing on other marketing approaches. But it is NOT a way for me to keep in touch with friends – I use Facebook (and, eeek! email) for that.
How do you use Twitter?
Statistics can be useful when you want to prove your point, but there are so many ways to skew them it’s a matter of taking it all in context – and a huge grain of salt.
Beyond that, it seems that Twitter attracts one type of personality and Facebook another – regardless of demographic. While never diagnosed as such, I have ADD tendencies when it comes to online. I like Twitter because I get a bunch of cool information at a rapid pace, can bounce around a lot and I don’t need to interact with anyone if I so choose.
To me, Facebook is more for those sitting down with a cup of coffee looking to interact with friends and family – people who know you and expect a response back. Not to say I am anti-social, at least not all of the time, but I don’t have the patience or time it takes to spend on Facebook. Lord knows I’ve been trying – largely because my job kinda requires it – but this is one Gen Xer who can’t sit still for it. FB status updates on Tweetdeck make it that much easier
For what it is worth…
[...] follow and understand the debate, and ultimately chose to ignore it. But just this afternoon I read another post on the matter that reminded me of what’s really important [...]
This is a inter-blog affair at this point.
Joe, you are so right. 98% of your ass. lol….
Actually, I have no idea what pissed you off. Is it that JessieX said your generation needed attention or that you don’t use twitter as much as the gen-xers do?
I have yet to understand the archetypes that JessieX & Dave speak of on their blogs, but I do know one thing about Gen-X and that is that they like to piss people off. It appears that you may have experienced this recently. Notice how none of the gen-xers act angry, just wordy.
BTW when you said, <<>> I realize that you might have said this with a sarcastic tone.
BUT when you said…” He responded by saying I should write a blog for him about it. I thought to myself, “Well the articles say my generation needs constant praise and attention,” so here we are.”
That seems like the real you. Interestingly, isn’t Jeff a generation different from you, and didn’t he suggest your next move. Did you promptly take him up on his offer?
I don’t care who uses twitter more or which generation you are in. Or that I am in for that matter. Generational information is only good for trying to get a feeling about a larger population. Every post/comment contains at least one, ” I am a gen-xer, gen-y, boomer, whatever, but I feel more like a .
Who cares about the individual is….or how they behave. Studies, like quotes, and like the bible are used out of context to prove a point. Let’s see, if i had my notable quotable next to me I’d show you what I mean.
Joe, I also like how you tried to apologize in your comment but then ended with another attack. Typical Gen-Y bullshit. It is ALWAYS someone elses fault. If your parents taught you only one thing it was definitely that.
@girlfriend, FB is boring. It still sucks major amounts of my time, but it is boring. Twitter gets me to interesting blogs like this one!
The above comments say much of what I wanted to say when I read your post, Joe, but the only other thing I’d mention–that I talk about all the time when dealing with generational issues–is to remember that trends and generalizations about generations were never intended to be applied to individuals. I feel like we do that a lot in the U.S.: taking a statistic about a population and assuming it will tell us something specific about an individual.
And JessieX is right: Strauss and Howe’s book, Generations, is awesome, and the only one in my opinion that actually has some explanation as to WHY they divide the generations where they do.
Great conversation, folks.
Joe – You’re a charmer! Yes, you’ll go far young man.
Ms. Mama – I like what you say about GenX like to piss people off. I believe that for GenXers there is a deep need to cut through BS, and that rocking the boat a bit can cut through Big Vision clutter and chatter. That’s how I see it, at least.
I offer that any conversation about generations, twitter and any other social media is informed less by stats and more by WHY. Why is twitter popular now? Because someone created technology? A tool? Yet-another geeky thing? Hardly. Twitter, I believe, is popular because whatever gen is ascending into midlife (that’s GenX) has the most power and influence of and for the times. So GenX — back to my original position — orient toward GAPS. Why, cuz Boomers tend to take up space and squat on turf and not move over when the natural time for them to move on over occurs. GenX know this in the core of their souls. So rather than fight an entire generation of turf-squatters, we find gaps. The spaces not filled. The neglected areas. The opportunities that, cobbled together, bit by bit, make for magnificent change.
And, Twitter, is a tool for filling small gaps. It’s SMALL. It’s specific. It provides no room for deep, prolonged naval gazing (sorry boomers, had to stick that one in). No room for deep, meaningful exploration of a subject. Function. Now. Reality. GenX. Gaps. Small spaces. Small opportunities.
Twitter: It’s a GenX Thing.
Hey, I’m right back at where I started.
Never the one to shy away from a learning opportunity, I will say I picked up Generations this weekend. I’m sure I’ll be the coolest kid poolside with that bad boy, but I’m pretty pumped to read it.
I’ve enjoyed all the conversations and hope that caught the oversaturation of sarcasm and took it all with a grain of salt.
Jamie, you’re absolutely right on not taking the generalizations personal. After a bit, though, you get tired of them and need to have a mini-lashout (sorry JessieX this time it was partially at your expense).
Finally, Dave, an anecdotal study sounds a lot more interesting to me than a bunch of numbers (sure, it’s not as accurate, but are any of these reports?). I use Twitter mostly to network for freelancing gigs, but I also use it to continue to develop and educate myself as a graphic and Web designer. As a foodie, I also use it to post and exchange cooking tips and recipes with folks that I have no business even talking to.
How about you?
[...] to Comments My post, Twitter: It’s a GenX Thing, caused a stir and flurry of comments on this blog. (Translate that as anyone who wants to read me being bashed might like the initial post.) [...]
@Joe – I use twitter mainly for marketing and keeping touch with specific topics: generational research and sales stuff in my case. And I think this kind of usage supports JessieX’s point: although Millennials may use Twitter (a lot, even) they use other methods to keep up with their close social network (and they do that a lot). Gen X’er are more fully in the job world (at least until the younger Millennials get out of school) and so they probably will dominate the medium as long as it is used for primarily career focused goals. Of course, you probably don’t plan on making money as a foodie (yet) and same for me on generations research. So, who knows.
Yeah, anecdotal is more interesting.