Via Metro Tech Now
by Paul Brent
October 09, 2008 02:24
Using technology is no longer just a young person’s game. In fact, several studies have shown older users get more out of the Internet by using it in more ways than teens and 20-somethings do. And since the biggest consumer group with money is the Baby Boomers, that generation has become the focus of a growing online effort to reach them.
HP Canada just released a survey on how the different age groups in the business world all view technology. The age groups are: Gen Y (under 30); Gen X (age 30 to 42); Baby Boomers (42 to 61); and Veterans (older than 62). HP was trying to understand how the various groups view technology and are motivated to make purchases.
Professor Linda Duxbury, at Carleton University Business School, tells me the survey brings up some key issues. The big one is that older people — that is, the Boomers and the Veterans — control 77 per cent of all companies and their view of tech is quite different from the people they need to hire, i.e., Gen Y and X.
This conflict of generations is not new, she says, but it could really hurt employers who don’t know what their employees want to use in technology, at a time when firms are competing for a shrinking talent pool.
Here are some interesting nuggets illustrating the difference between the ages, pulled from the survey:
• When it comes to learning how to use technology, 46 per cent of Gen Y are most likely to “just try to figure it out themselves.” On the other hand, Veterans prefer to read a manual or talk to other people.
• 84 per cent of Boomers prefer desktop computers, but 55 per cent of Gen Y prefer laptops.
• 32 per cent of Gen Y say that mobile technology is a priority in spending plans while 18 per cent of Gen X, 10 per cent of Boomers and only eight per cent of Veterans give priority to mobile.
• 39 per cent of Gen X use the Internet to find online marketing tools to help them, versus 25 per cent of Veterans.
There are some commonly held views on tech that span the ages, however. Ninety-four per cent of respondents said speed of technology is an important factor. However, younger people are clearly more concerned about energy use and the environment than older users.
