There's an interesting conversation going on at IBM's Smart Work Jam about the concept of age being just a number when it comes to social networking and virtual worlds.
"I've led groups of zealous, older managers into Second Life sessions, where a number of younger managers were less interested, and managers of all ages have opted into the online community that I launched for them," one commenter states.
As a result, many have begun using "Generation V," or "Generation Virtual," which is not age-specific, to describe individuals who engage in Web 2.0 and virtual worlds. In fact, as one commenter stated, the debate over the generational divide in the workplace when it comes to technology is actually diverting attention from the real issue: "When workers of any age (including old) see business value, they are quick to adopt. So here's the issue that's masked: how do we demonstrate business value to people of all ages?"
I agree that we should pay less attention to the so-called generational divide in the workplace and start focusing on the contributions of all generations that inform and change the way we work.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Nextgov does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.