Yelp now has Facebook Connect: reviews publish to your newsfeed. What we *need* is to see reviews of Facebook friends in Yelp =higher trust 25 mins ago
« How to get started on your online Web Strategy Education
Social Media Practice Leadership at Cisco »
42

“I only use email to communicate with old people”

Categories: Community Marketing, Social Media, Web UsagePosted on April 3rd, 2007

I often ask my younger cousins, sisters, and their friends about their internet usage, they consider me “old”. I ask them about which websites they use, how they learn about new products, and what influences them. In my casual ethnographic research, my kid sister in college recently told me two things that still resonate in my head.


My college age kid sister told me that:

“Out of my hundreds of friends, only ONE does not use facebook or myspace.”


She also shared her email usage:

“I only use email to get a hold of old people like you”

Great. Well from her perspective, I’m certainly older than she, nearly a decade, but to the rest of the workforce, I’m considered young. Marketers will need to learn how to communicate to this next generation, and this is why marketing dollars are moving to social networking and social media.

So what do they use to communicate? This podcast below from Jennifer’s Marketing Voices gives more details on how to communicate with this younger Generation Y, and eventually Z –the digital natives. Listen into Mary from Pew Internet Research, one of my favorite sites for North American internet data.

Pew has a research report available: “Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview”


Share This Post:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Reddit
  • Technorati
  • LinkedIn
  • TwitThis

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 at 2:47 pm and is filed under Community Marketing, Social Media, Web Usage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

42 Responses to ““I only use email to communicate with old people””

  1. Jeremiah,
    Does this mean your emails are more special though, because they are personally addressed and relevant?

    In the new media space, we may not have formal emails as before..but we have private messages stored on 3rd party sites, then announced to us through emails.

    The shift is there nonetheless in how the younger generation is communicating both ways; a change that is going to present challenges and opportunities for those adept at quickly mobilizing micro-marketing campaigns.



    2. Posted by Mario Vellandi on April 3rd, 2007 at 4:21 pm

  2. Mario

    I still use email as my main way of communicating at work. I cut out IM completely, and use Twitter, and my blog.

    As I understand it (and you can learn more by listening to the podcast) Gen Y uses IM and Text messaging from mobile devices to communicate.



    3. Posted by jeremiah_owyang on April 3rd, 2007 at 4:45 pm

  3. Jeremiah,

    Have you ever heard the “email for old people” comment from someone who’s finished school and is now working? I’ve heard the same line, but it’s always from students. I wonder if this is really a generational change or just part of the student culture today.

    Obviously, today’s students are using social media differently from their, ahem, elders, but I wonder if it’s a difference that will survive entry into the real world (as we called it in school). When everyone at work (and especially the boss) are “old people” who use email for, you know, work…



    4. Posted by Nathan Gilliatt on April 3rd, 2007 at 6:53 pm

  4. Jeremiah
    I have heard “email is the new snail mail”. Thinking about when I was young I would say “I only use the phone to call old people”, since email was my preferred way to communicate.

    The question is when this “young” generation gets old will they continue to stick to IM, and Text messaging or is it more a graduation to email?

    Then again the more interesting question is will blogs & twitter COMPLETETLY replace email?

    Think about it - if you want to communicate to more than one person blogs are better, and if you want to do person to person IM is better.



    5. Posted by Mukund Mohan on April 3rd, 2007 at 7:16 pm

  5. Nathan

    Good point, actually, recollecting here, I’ve had to teach some college grads “email etiquette” as they enter the white collar workplace.

    This doesn’t detract from the fact that many marketers need to adjust how they reach to those under 23.



    6. Posted by jeremiah_owyang on April 3rd, 2007 at 9:37 pm

  6. Mukund

    If you asked me this question 3 months ago, I would never have added Twitter into the communication mix. In fact, I did a post on my media consumption diet and Twitter was not in it –I added it recently.

    As time changes, so will the communication tools. The savvy will learn to adapt over time, I plan to do just this.



    7. Posted by jeremiah_owyang on April 3rd, 2007 at 9:39 pm

  7. that is so true, my 16yo brother here in Singapore doesn’t use email too. Its just IM, DOTA, Youtube, text messaging and some blogs for him and his friends..

    @ Mukund,
    A more interestign trend is how email is increasingly being overlooked in favor of blogs as the instructional medium in schools. If teachers do not use email much and prefer grading students on comments and their own blog posts, it will affect the kids’ user habits as well too when they grow up. Hence, i agree teaching email etiquette might really be true if this trend proliferates..



    8. Posted by Bjorn on April 3rd, 2007 at 11:34 pm

  8. Bjorn

    What is DOTA?



    9. Posted by jeremiah_owyang on April 4th, 2007 at 4:32 am

  9. i think of it as a free version of World of Warcraft (WoW).
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dota

    the user habits there are truly amazing, my brothers and his friends uses it sometimes in lieu of IM, text messaging and even hanging out (in the physical world). Its like a tween version for those who dun have the spending power yet for WoW. All the fun and stickiness of the game minus the expenses.



    10. Posted by Bjorn on April 4th, 2007 at 5:19 am

  10. [...] Source:  Web Strategy [...]



    11. Posted by "I only use email to get a hold of old people like you" « The Bankwatch on April 4th, 2007 at 7:41 am

  11. Jeremiah,

    While it’s true that Social Networks like MySpace, and Facebook are avenues that marketers must take into consideration - the dominant tool of meaningful person to person communication within those networks is still e-mail. Being an “old dude” with many contacts in MySpace, most of my contacts will use MySpace e-mail to send me personal messages.

    I find it interesting to see so many marketers discussing strategies to use Social Media in order to target a younger audience. My take is that companies either establish a presence in the networks, partner with super popular MySpace or Facebook celebrities (think Tila Tequila) or create their own network celebrities. (I know, easier said than done but imagine the effect of Michael Jordan asking to be YOUR friend on myspace…you WOULD buy Nike shoes).

    Back to the subject of old and e-mail. Your sister’s comment about only using e-mail to get a hold of old people like you seems like playful bantering. My younger cousin is getting married next month. I can only imagine if she sent out her wedding invitations in MySpace or even e-mail for that matter. Let’s face it, some things are just tried and true, e-mail being one of those things.



    12. Posted by Rick Garcia on April 4th, 2007 at 9:50 am

  12. [...] “I only use email to communicate with old people” And I only use messenger pigeons. (tags: communication) [...]



    13. Posted by links for 2007-04-04 at Baron VC on April 4th, 2007 at 1:22 pm

  13. Rick

    From “one old dude” to another, you’re quite media savvy.

    She wasn’t playing, she was serious when she said that (I’m pretty sure). Her world is her age, and they are in college and those are the tools they primarily use.

    I don’t feel too bad, her kids are going to laugh at her for using antiquated tools like keyboards and mice to communicate, rather than the latest “e-telepathy” tools.



    14. Posted by jeremiah_owyang on April 4th, 2007 at 1:34 pm

  14. The big upside to not using email is avoiding all the spam. I guess that explains why most of my spam emails are for penny stocks and medications. (light goes on over head)



    15. Posted by Webomatica on April 4th, 2007 at 4:33 pm

  15. @ rick,

    hmm, i won’t believe it if michael jordan asks to be my friend on myspace, and def not buying shoes as a result. too fake and contrived to think he could actually be spending time making more friends online



    16. Posted by Bjorn on April 4th, 2007 at 7:29 pm

  16. Cool, I’m famous! But I don’t ONLY use email to communicate with old folks, I use it for other things too, like listserving with my club. I only use email to communicate with you because you have no myspace, facebook, aim, and you and Shir never answer the phone. Plus, you answer emails quick as lightning. And about my one friend who doesn’t have myspace or facebook, he used to have a myspace but thought of it as a waste of time and spends his time playing warcraft instead. Psh, kids these days!



    17. Posted by your kid sister on April 5th, 2007 at 12:32 pm

  17. Kid Sister

    Yes, you’re famous in my book and now to everyone else. Thanks for clarifying the statement, makes sense.

    It goes to show however, that email doesn’t appear to be the primary form of communication for your generation.

    here we are now communicating via the comments in my blog.



    18. Posted by jeremiah_owyang on April 5th, 2007 at 1:01 pm

  18. [...] Web Strategy by Jeremiah » “I only use email to communicate with old people” check out the comments too. (tags: communication generations email im sms) [...]



    19. Posted by Anne 2.1 » Blog Archive » links for 2007-04-05 on April 5th, 2007 at 4:30 pm

  19. [...] Web Strategy by Jeremiah » “I only use email to communicate with old people” (tags: email communication young) [...]



    20. Posted by Bulgarian Experience » Blog Archive » links for 2007-04-07 on April 6th, 2007 at 10:31 pm

  20. [...] Web Strategy by Jeremiah » “I only use email to communicate with old people” talked to a young cousin this weekend who basically said the same thing: “i haven’t checked my email in three weeks” (tags: via:Anne email messaging facebook im) [...]



    21. Posted by tecosystems » links for 2007-04-10 on April 9th, 2007 at 10:33 pm

  21. [...] In fact, my kid sister told me that “I only use email to communicate with old people” [...]



    22. Posted by Web Strategy by Jeremiah » Charlene Li: Social Networking is like Air on April 20th, 2007 at 5:41 am

  22. Old folks seem to be getting in the act worldwide,
    Australia has recently published an interesting site ( http://www.over50network.com.au ) which calls itself a’ meeting place for seniors”, the idea is that people can communicate within their postcode to meet others with similar interests, even provide part time work etc. Doesn’t cost the seniors anything, presumably funded by advertisers in the over 50 market. Certainly fills a niche!



    23. Posted by Brian on May 6th, 2007 at 3:01 pm

  23. [...] Thanks Sam Levin for this interesting data point. Related point: Did you know that my kid sister told me that she “only uses email to communicate with old people like you“ [...]



    24. Posted by Web Strategy by Jeremiah » Web Usage: Teens very likely to use Internet and IM while watching TV or listening to Radio on June 21st, 2007 at 11:25 am

  24. Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! lbditpysbwcvun



    25. Posted by mgbbkmzrkk on July 3rd, 2007 at 12:57 pm

  25. [...] 5) Lack of Enterprise suites and solutions The CIO would be more than likely to embrace a full ‘enterprise suite 2.0′ that has all the tagging, networking, and other knowledge and community tools, but today, they’re very peace meal. Take for example Delicious, a knowledge sharing tool outside of the enterprise, doesn’t offer a suite of services. The CIO wants turnkey enterprise solutions, this is what Sharepoint was supposed to be. 6) Cultural shifts It’s difficult for traditional folks to understand that the next generation of workers is has already networking online in college, and will bring those networks to the workplace. These new workers will already be connected to employees, prospects, and competitors, and there’s nothing a corporation can do about it. Communication in general is shifting, as my kid sister told me she only uses email to talk to old people like me. The biggest challenge? understanding that these communication tools shift power to the lower ranks and file of the company. [...]



    26. Posted by Web Strategy by Jeremiah » Challenges with Enterprise 2.0 on July 5th, 2007 at 4:52 pm

  26. When Did Facebook Replace E-mail?…

    Okay, we’re not quite there yet (or you aren’t if you’re my age - I suspect 18-24 year olds are) ……



    27. Posted by Head Tale - Yet Another Librarian's Blog on July 14th, 2007 at 11:00 pm

  27. [...] few weeks ago, I had a discussion with my kid sister, in a humerous way she told me that she “Only uses email to communicate with old people like me“. And I’m not even in my mid [...]



    28. Posted by Web Strategy by Jeremiah » Facebook to supplant email? on July 15th, 2007 at 11:12 am

  28. [...] kid sister in college [...]



    29. Posted by anlegen.in on July 16th, 2007 at 3:57 am

  29. S/MIME is, like, so last century…

    Summary…



    30. Posted by Digital Identity Forum on July 20th, 2007 at 12:13 am

  30. [...] why college students don’t use email much. They mainly have it to sign up for Facebook, and to communicate electronically with old people. Jeremiah has a good discussion of Facebook supplanting email [...]



    31. Posted by Facebook: The Spam Killer « PR, New Media, GTD - Lines from Lee on August 16th, 2007 at 2:18 pm

  31. [...] Email is For Old People at Web Strategy by Jeremiah: (found via BaronVC): Them college age kids and their social website ways. When I was a kid, I had to dial up with a modem to connect with the BBS. The screens were green and we liked it. [...]



    32. Posted by Link Sharing: 4/5/07 » Webomatica - Technology and Entertainment Digest on September 22nd, 2007 at 1:49 pm

  32. [...] and hire smart people, college graduates who use Facebook and Twitter as if it were second nature, people who only use email to communicate with their parents, professors, and other “old”…? How on earth would Intel attract the smart people it needs to stay a leader in the technology [...]



    33. Posted by Should Intel Ban Facebook? at Josh Bancroft’s TinyScreenfuls.com on September 25th, 2007 at 11:50 pm

  33. [...] Apparently, I need to do some housecleaning as, my kid sister wrote this on my Facebook Wall this morning: “hello big brother!! your facebook profile is a JUNKYARD!”. She’s also the little darling who told me that “I only use email to get a hold of old people like you“. [...]



    34. Posted by My Facebook Profile is a “Junkyard” on February 28th, 2008 at 9:00 am

  34. [...] Posts -”I only use email to communicate with old people” - Crises Management Template: Child Relations for Social Networks [...]



    35. Posted by Video: How to use Facebook Privacy Features on March 20th, 2008 at 4:10 am

  35. I love these quotes!! It’s exactly what Bruce and I are finding with our Gen Y research.

    Email = old and busted
    SMS, Facebook updates, and Sidekicks = New Hotness



    36. Posted by Ross Popoff Walker on March 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm

  36. [...] just searched “18-24 years old AND email usage” and came across a short post entitled I only use email to communicate with old people. When I was working full-time for a valley homebuilder (really glad I’m not in the housing [...]



    37. Posted by Attack of the Big Huge Email Attachment | geek stew on April 12th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

  37. [...] Vous avez lu ? Avez-vous noté au début cette phrase : I only use email to communicate with old people [...]



    38. Posted by Les questions à se poser avant de remplacer une messagerie d’entreprise « Le Journal de Ray Dacteur on April 21st, 2008 at 2:55 am

  38. [...] Ok, the E-mail Addict feature might be useful and I know one particular user who is excited about it. But I don’t know. Why would I want to lock myself out of e-mail? Me? An e-mail addiction problem? I don’t think so. E-mail is for old people. [...]



    39. Posted by Gmail Labs ho-hum, sticking with Greasemonkey scripts for now « Just Another Digerati Wannabe on June 6th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

  39. [...] Y Enter Stage Left Last weekend, my kid sister (yes, the one who said she only uses email to communicate with old people like me) has graduated from college. 10 years my junior, she starts her first full time job in San [...]



    40. Posted by Gen Y Enter Stage Left, Baby Boomers Exit Stage Right on June 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 am

  40. [...] they use social networks. Next year’s incoming class of 2013 at Boston College won’t even receive @bc.edu email [...]



    41. Posted by SitePoint » Why Facebook Will Have a Big 2009 on January 7th, 2009 at 8:22 pm

  41. [...] Over on Seesmic, there were discussions from those who were watching –and it cascaded to many other social sites, at the end of the ceremony, I changed my Facebook stats to read “Jeremiah is mellow yellow” and received several replies in a matter of minutes –one from my kid sister, who says I’m old for using email. [...]



    42. Posted by How Did You Participate In The Inauguration? on January 21st, 2009 at 8:27 am

  42. I’m 21. I login to social networks, but rarely send messages on them. I don’t allow wall/profile posts.
    Why should I have to login to read what my friends write me? That’s right, I shouldn’t. I don’t use messaging within social networks because they could hold my data hostage. I’ve heard too many stories about social networks disabling peoples accounts for no good reason. Sure, e-mail could be disabled.. but not when you own the domain. Besides, e-mail is quicker– phone, offline, browser. It’s all consolidated. I don’t have to sign into multiple social networks and online sites just to reply to everyone— I plan to keep it that way.

    While e-mail does scream “business” (work messaging), I still use it with friends, too. Admittedly, most friends prefer text messaging instead of e-mail.. but, not me. E-mail is free, texting isn’t.



    43. Posted by med20 on March 27th, 2009 at 11:32 pm

Leave a Reply

Or enter your details below:




site design by studionashvegas proudly powered by WordPress