1. Take a poll of your class (at least, the Gen-X and Gen-Y members). At school or work, how many regularly (e.g., daily or every few days) send or receive information (not entertainment) using (a) e-mail, (b) instant messages (such as MSN), (c) cell phone text messages, (d) blogs, (e) social network sites (e.g., Facebook), (f) online videos (e.g., YouTube)?
2. Even within each generation, there are different preferences for communication media. After conducting the poll above, ask students who don’t regularly use one or more of the listed methods why they don’t like that particular communication medium. Ask those who very often use these sources to give their point of view.
3. Companies have been slow and reluctant to adopt social networking sites, online videos, and similar forms of communication. If you were a senior manager, how would you introduce these communication technologies in the workplace to share information and knowledge more effectively?

The Millennials (Generation Y, born between 1980 and 1995) have arrived in the workplace, and they are bringing new ways to communicate. Surveys report that this generation lives by computer and cell phone communication. Three out of four Gen Y’s use instant messaging (IM); 15 percent of them are logged on to IM 24/7! Most Gen Y’s either have a space on a social network site such as Face book or frequent such sites where they have friends. These digital natives also get most of their news from the Internet rather than from TV or newspapers. “Employers are going to find this generation communicates differently. They IM (instant message), send text messages, and can’t live without a cell phone,” says Dave O’Brien, regional manager of Berbee, a company that helps businesses with their information technology needs. Frank Albi, president of Inacom, a technology and business consulting firm, agrees. “The way they (Millennials) exchange information is vastly different. It’s all about IMs and text messages—nice and short.”