The Smartest Generation Yet

Social media (plural) have not improved or eroded our basic skill set; they have only made it easier to communicate (which most people seem to struggle with). More importantly, there is no dark side to enabling tools that enhance society— there is only unbounded growth.

Mark Bauerlein, Emory University, argues that social media have essentially brainwashed the NetGeners into becoming the "dumbest generation yet." Bauerlein goes on to exclaim how “digital natives […] are using technological advances to immerse themselves in a trivial […] online world at the expense of more enriching activities – like opening a book or writing complete sentences."

I am not one to put down one of my own elders here at Emory, but Professor Bauerlein fails to understand that social media are far from “trivial” and the definition of “enriching activities” is evolving with the growth of social media.

Unlike TV’s push strategy, which allows most viewers to “zone out," the internet uses a pull strategy that demands human interaction. Social media provide efficient means for the collaboration of these enriching activities: filtering headline news stories (RSS), creating web-based encyclopedias (Wiki’s) or building personalized web pages (SharePoint).

Professor Bauerlein’s near-sighted point is reiterated when the absence of these “enriching activities” are presented to parents in “Set childhood Free ‘Where to Keep Your TV and Computers.'" The author points out that toys, arts and crafts, music, books and games must be separated from social media in order to enhance youth and build the family bond.

The internet and social media aren’t jeopardizing family bonds; they are only providing efficient vehicles for bringing the family closer.

Any evidence that supports the notion the social media are eroding morals or degrading skills is purely circumstantial. Social media are only enhancing personal skills and facilitating the correction of questionable morals. Social media are catalysts for the collaborative advancement of society as a whole and trying to regulate or screen them only impedes social progress.

The “experts” who argue that this progress is trivial or “damaging to the youth” fail to realize that they are about to be left behind completely on an immense social movement that began to build momentum a few decades ago and is building up speed with each passing day.

Recruiting "Gamers"

game

Pronunciation: \ˈgām\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English gamen; akin to Old High German gaman amusement Date: before 12th century

2a -- a procedure or strategy for gaining an end

[Hopefully] every business model serves some type of purpose for gaining an end. Be it profit, market share, customer satisfaction, etc., they all represent a basic end. The means for achieving these desired ends normally include a particular procedure or strategy.

Business goes hand in hand with these advanced games and advanced strategies. In order to achieve the desired metric, one must continually hone the particular skills inherent to this "game".

Games are inherently fun, “Old High German gaman amusment” but, can you have fun and learn to achieve this end at the same time? Virtual games are used train pilots and even managers [Simulearn’s vLeader 2007]. This allows users to learn skills from games, while remaining safe from real-life consequences.

Simulation is the key to simultaneously having fun and learning. Wil Wright’s success in the gaming industry illustrates how much fun humans enjoy simulating or, in effect, playing God and then enjoying the positive and negative consequences [Will Wright talks ‘Spore,’ ‘Sims,’ science].

These simulations are applicable to business forecasting and turning traditional business functions into fully collaborative and open-sourced projects would be beneficial to all aspects of a company. Turning mundane tasks into enriching media experiences could improve worker efficiency and keep them focused.

Luis von Ahn’s successful implementation of ESP Gaming demonstrates the particularly addictive personalities of gamers like me and our natural desire for competition. [Computer Scientists Pull a Tom Sawyer to Finish Grunt Work].

Successful businesses identify, foster and retain talented employees. Identifying “gamers” is crucial to making a functioning business “game” a success. In order to foster and retain these employees the business must cater to the “Gamer[‘s] Disposition” as well.

The Wii Fit shows just how turning a boring task like exercising into a fully-functioning game has a tremendous impact on society [Nintendo Hope Its ‘Wii Fit’ Works Out]. If a social game can entice one of the fattest countries in the world to start working out the possibilities are endless.

All in all, social gaming as a business solution is a vastly untapped resource. Countless man hours are lost every year to employees “playing” solitaire and snood. If a company could translate these lost hours into a functional activity it could help them two-fold.