Generation Web: Virtually Understood?

Generation Web, or ‘GenWeb’, can be simply defined as the generation today whose daily lives revolve around using the Internet. GenWeb typically checks emails at every opportunity, chats with friends on MSN or Skype, browse and tag photos on Facebook, watch funny videos on YouTube and ride on a hot air balloon in Second Life. Sound familiar?

This is the virtual world created by GenWeb and in which GenWeb thrives. However, many have asked this question: How has the virtual revolution impact GenWeb?

Web Animals

According to Professor David Nicholas (University College London) on BBC’s The Virtual Revolution: Homo Interneticus, as a result of the hyperlinked virtual world, GenWeb has two types of thinking: linear and associative. This makes them either ‘foxes’ or ‘hedgehogs’. These Web animals are actually at the two ends of a scale, based on three Web behavior characteristics: browsing speed, information sources and the ability to multitask. The Web Fox occupies one end of being fast-moving, sociable and adaptable. While the Web Hedgehog is at the other end of being slow-moving, solitary and specialized. To account for the fact that everyone is different from one another, six other Web animals - bear, elephant, leopard, elk, octopus and ostrich – are identified, each having a different mix of web behavior characteristics other than the two extreme types. Anyone is free to take the Web Behavior Test from BBC to find out which Web animal he/she is.

Brain power or brain drain?

Apart from web behavior, how is GenWeb’s thinking affected by the use of Internet? Research has shown that Internet use has positive effects on the brain in terms of improving memory, visual ability and decision-making (Simpson, 2008). Older people also benefit from using the Internet as studies show Internet searching helps to exercise and improve their brain functions (Marcus, 2008).

On the other hand, the negative impact of Internet use is hard to ignore. GenWeb no longer reads, but ‘scans’ information online. At the same time, GenWeb is easily distracted with various online stimuli which the brain naturally seeks as they hop from one link to another. Even if they appear to be multitasking, they are in fact not managing the multiple tasks well as they have difficulty concentrating on each specific task (Rosen, 2009). Simpson (2008) also acknowledges that while Internet use benefits the brain, the functions linked to empathy and abstract thinking related to human interaction may be affected as well.

The value of Facebook

Having said that, thanks to social networking sites like Facebook, human interaction is still valued in the virtual context. GenWeb perhaps have more friends compared to any other generation. Facebook allows anyone to create their own online community of friends to connect with. But are GenWeb’s ‘friends’ in Facebook real friends or just acquaintances?

Possibly the latter, as it was concluded in a study by Lewis & West (2009) that Facebook enables people to maintain weak, low commitment ties with friends who are mostly acquaintances. The number of real Facebook friends that one has is comparatively little and Facebook helps to foster these ‘already made’ friendships. It is rarely used as a basis to form new friends, but more as a supplementary form of communication through active and passive (inter)action. Active interaction involves writing on each other’s walls and posting private messages. Passive action involves simply browsing the photos posted by others as an act of voyeurism. Frequent interaction is only maintained between close friends. This being said, it is really up to you to decide how far you want to take the whole Facebook adventure. Of course, peer pressure among teens and young adults makes it hard to resist a website where you can track everyone you know or have ever known (Lewis & West, 2009).

Beyond that, Facebook is a powerful tool for mass collaboration among communities of friends who identify with a common cause together. For instance, supporters of the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign actively used Facebook to spread news and information on the campaign (Tapscott, 2009). The campaign’s success is evidence of GenWeb’s innovation in using online social networks to make an impact on the real world.

To conclude

The virtual revolution has impacted GenWeb in different ways, in terms of web behavior, thinking and social interaction. For better or for worse, as long as the Internet exists, GenWeb will continue to thrive. To understand GenWeb is the key to understanding the future.

Sources

Lewis, J and West, A. (2009) ‘Friending’: London-based undergraduates’ experience of Facebook. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from New Media Society 2009; Vol 11(7): 1209–1229: http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/7/1209

Marcus, M. B. (2008, October 15). Internet search results: Increased brain activity. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-14-ibrain-internet-reading_N.htm

Rosen, Rebecca J. (2009) This Is Your Brain on the Web, Wilson Quarterly, 03633276, Autumn 2009, Vol. 33, Issue 4. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete on February 28, 2010.

Simpson, A. (2008, October 26). Internet 'speeds up decision making and brain function'. Retrieved March 4, 2010, from Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3262597/Internet-speeds-up-decision-making-and-brain-function.html

Tapscott, D. (2009). Grown Up Digital. United States of America: The McGraw-Hill Companies

SM-E-Marketing

Everybody knows at least a few online marketing campaigns from big multinationals like Burger King and Coca-Cola. They invest a lot of money to get our attention and to create a lot of buzz. But are money and expertise the only factors for an online business-success? Because this would implicate that small and middle-sized enterprises do not have a lot chance to be successfully present on the World Wide Web.

 
E- Marketing

Before answering this question it is best to keep a few things in mind. E-marketing -the use of digital interactive technologies and information technology to fulfill the traditional marketing practices of creating, communicating and delivering value to customers  (Strauss & Frost, 2005)- is more than having a well designed website. It is all about creating an online experience for a -potential- customer who afterwards may want to buy your product if not online.

Implementation in SME’s

A big advantage of E-marketing is internetalisation  (Mathews & Healy, 2008). This means that a company does not have to worry about geographical borders so they can reach a lot more consumers. Another advantage is that the cost can be considerably lower than for traditional  marketing activities. The biggest costs are in the beginning for example to set-up a website. Afterwards the maintenance of the online media can be done by someone of the company. This also includes the updating of online accounts on social network sites like Twitter and Facebook, link exchange and e-mail marketing (All Business). SME’s can cut the costs of printing catalogues and fancy brochures. Instead they can use digital alternatives like Google AdWords. This is a very easy-to-use and low cost tool to get advertisement space on websites who target the same target group of a SME and also newsletter advertisements are an interesting possibility.

E-Marketing and marketing research

Research is very important before, during and after a company made his first steps online. First it is important to understand which online media are used by their their potential customers. The challenge is to gain awareness on the digital places where the target group spend its time online. Once there is traffic to a company’s website it is important to start to analyze the visitors’ online behavior. There are different ways to analyze what your websites visitors are up to: record the time they have spent on your website, a site overlay in which you can see on what links your visitors have clicked. There are a lot of tools online (like Google Analytics) which can deliver clear reports which help a SME to adapt its online behavior to the results.

An online success story

An example of an SME that really understands the power of E-marketing is Pink Cake Box (McGee, 2008). What do they do? They bake celebration cakes and cupcakes. It all started in 2005 with a store in New Jersey, a website, a blog and three employees. Today, 10 people are working for the company and their blog has at least 120 000 visitors a month.  They have a Flickr- and Youtube-account, a Facebook-group with 3235 fans, and a Twitter-account with 1936 followers. They are present on all those media because they strongly believe their success is highly correlated with their reach and visibility throughout the Internet. And they are right.

So to conclude

Why should SME’s go online? (Gilmore, Gallagher & Scott, 2007):

• They do not have to invest heaps of money to build their presence online
• Internet presence can help them target bigger markets
• They basically need to do some studying and research to get started because there are a lot of programmes that make things easier, but afterwards they can do a lot by themselves.
• Internet presence can help an SME to go to the next level and expand their sales by creating a greater awareness among potential customers

Sources:

All Business. (n.d.). Internet Advertising Strategies for Small Businesses. Retrieved Februari 2010, 24, from All Business: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-internet-advertising/2641-1.html

Gilmore, A., Gallagher, D., & Scott, H. (2007). E-marketing and SME's: operational lessons for the future. European Business Review , 234-247.

Mathews, S. & Healy, M. (2008). ‘From garage to global’: the internet and international market growth, an SME perspective. Int. J. Internet Marketing and Advertising , 179-196.

McGee, M. (2008, March 13). Small Is Beautiful. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from Search Engine Land: http://searchengineland.com/a-small-business-marketing-success-story-pink-cake-box-13567

Strauss, J., & Frost, R. (2005). E-Marketing. London: Prentis-Hall.

Picture: http://www.pinkcakebox.com