A high dose of the net can enable those under thirty years old to learn quickly but this can lead to difficulties in concentration as we are becoming increasingly aware. However, when an older or even more senior citizen carries out internet searches, it stimulates parts of the brain that regulates decision making and complex reasoning. This is where there can actually be an improvement in intellectual capacity. In fact the lines are blurring between the generations with regard to the ways they adapt to the use of technology.

UCLA recently announced that research on the internet can stimulate the zones of the brain that enables effective decision making and complex reasoning. The process enables an improvement in the memory capacities and overall brain function in those of a more mature age. Balancing that, if our over fifty year olds don’t spend their days surfing the web, large numbers of Generation Y appear to be totally devoting their time to it by comparison; a habit that partially modifies the brain function of these ‘digital natives’.  This was underlined in a neuroscientific study by Gary Small. The conclusion: young people who spend more than nine hours per day on the web are more capable of taking rapid decisions and efficiently filtering information.

Creativity and speed, but difficulty in concentration
The under 30′s users proved that they were more creative but on the reverse poor at concentration and in assimilating large amounts of facts. According to Gary Small, the brain is in effect very sensitive to changes in its environment, thus the use of technologies can have a direct impact. “If you repeat the same task regularly, it trains certain circuits of the brain, and ignore others “  as he tells journalists.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, another effect of the information age is the tendency to withdraw into a virtual world, whether a digital native or a ‘digital immigrant’.

Consolidating technological and social aptitudes
The little genius of tomorrow may be  more capable of making a number of important choices whilst sitting at his/her laptop but when it comes to discerning the virtual world from the real world, social or technical competences “will the future stars be capable of knowing when to respond by email or phone?” as many aspects of human social interaction such as relating and empathy can become lost in this digital space.  

Ongoing brain development
Part of the study involved working with 20 or so volunteers in the 55-76 age range category who had similar neurological capabilities. Half the group were already used to using the internet, the other half had never used the net.  Comparisons were also made between reading books and reading web material whilst undergoing an MRI scan.  Although there was the same amount of brain activity in both groups, those surfing the net showed clear distinctions: the senior citizens surfing the internet will engage the cerebellum, stimulating the zones that control decision making and simple reasoning more. Surfing the net also appeared to improve the capacity to reflect and memorise. 

So the conclusion seems to be that our brains can progess regardless of age!

“In love, two is company and three’s a crowd, but in friendship ten is the magic number” according to a report by Fiona McRae of the Daily Mail. The question is how close are we to those with social networks and how important are these friendships in the current climate.

 The report highlights studies by Dr Richard Tunney of Nottingham University showing that those with 5 to 10 friends in their close circle will be happiest and content in life, some say potentially adding to our longevity.

It would seem that communities, teams, and above all close friendships not only give us comfort and moral support in troubled times but pulling together our resources and contacts can help with entrepreneurial activities and job hunting more than ever.

However, although it can help, it seems that adding more ’friends’ doesn’t particularly increase our happiness. Today’s GenY and upcoming Z’s take comfort in being seen to be part of a wide social network, giving them the acceptance and approval they need from their community and peer groups. But are the 200+ contacts on their Google Talk, Messenger, Beebo or Facebook superfluous to their needs? How well do they know them? How many have they met or spoken with on a regular basis? Many Generation X and Y are spending their evenings in darkened rooms, or with their Blackberry’s and iPhones on the train, texting and chatting online with their virtual community but as Ryan Healy commented earlier this year, there are a ‘plethora of weak ties’ yet few strong friendships in the social networking arena. Many are starting to ask just how superficial these connections are.

For some, particularly GenY mothers, the internet is a lifeline to sanity, connecting them to an otherwise remote outside world. It is in other similar situations that having these networks, no matter how superficial, can be very enriching. From the Tunney study it would seem that women are statistically more likely to have a closer and stronger group of friends than men, who may have more connections but form less deep bonds.

Despite all these ties and ever increasing networks, in the US there are now ’friendships’ and ’social confidence’ workshops helping the youth of today to make sense of how to build stronger (perceived) healthier relationships. 

Writer Nadira Hira comments “there is something about actually being together, talking all night and even getting in [arguments] that can’t be replicated on a laptop or iPhone.”

True close friendship appears to be the key to happiness and support, quality not quantity; “a thousand weak ties cannot replace a strong one”. These true friendships still need to be worked upon like any long-term partnership. As ever it seems that adversity often pulls people together but the key is lasting friendship’; as one blog reader commented “the truest friendship will survive inconvenient honesty”.  Although studies show that friends made at any time of our lives can become true loyal enduring friends, those bonds developed before our thirties seemingly most often stay for life.  So our Gen Ys and Z’s need to really think about who these people are going to be.

In times of recession, it is those friends that can provide encouragement, support, a sounding board, reasoning, trust, loyalty, protection and of course pleasure, that can help see us through. It’s time to strengthen those friendships and pick up the phone, time for giving not just taking and as they say you never know when those closest to you will be the most valuable.

Two analysts from Forrester Research, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, have an interesting blog called “Groundswell, Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies”, with an associated book.

What is a groundswell? Technically by definition it is:

1.  
   A sudden social gathering of force, as of public opinion, or
   A broad deep undulation of the ocean, often caused by a distant storm

In this case, it is all about the wave of rapidly growing use of social technologies such as YouTube, Facebook, podcasts, wikis, blogs, and other online communities, etc. This ‘social evolution’ is more important, more profound than the technology evolutions we have seen in the past; the 2.0 society seems to be progressing faster than we’ve seen with Web 2.0 itself.

In line with the growth of online technology, the core of the authors’ work in Groundswell is the analysis of a comprehensive North American study of their customers’ social technology adoption behabviours. This resulted in the creation of a ‘Social Technographics Ladder’, classifying the level of adoption from the ‘inactives’ who remain untouched by this social revolution through to a scale of ‘actives’:

The Inactives – Those who don’t participate in any kind of online social activity
The Spectators – Who digest websites, blogs, forums, videos and/or podcasts
The Joiners – They surf and have a profile or two on social networking sites
The Collectors – Are picking up RSS feeds, tagging and booking/voting for web pages
The Critics – Typically contribute to forums, comment on blogs, and edit material on wikis
The Creators – Publish their own blogs and websites, and paste their videos or materials to sites such as Technorati or YouTube

Thanks to the volume of data they secured, the authors were able to map out the profiles across the generations. Interestingly the data showed evidence of all the ladder types across each generation – yes, Creators in the 60+ age group do exist regardless of potential typecasting. The Web2.0 world is not just a generational issue by any means but it’s no suprise that Generation Y are way ahead in making the far highest contributions!

To learn more about the study see Groundswell