The next generation of social media experts:  Should we be afraid? 

In the countdown to next Friday, Stephen King’s Children of the Corn seems a fitting ghost story for PR Camp Atlanta’s second session devoted to managing the social media skills of young PR and marketing professionals.

In King’s “adult nightmare,” a town of teenagers terrorizes an unsuspecting adult couple who later fall victim to  a mysterious massive force in the cornfield. Young professionals are not of course demons, but they do seem to be taking over and they’re using the massive power of social media to do it.   

They are a force we can’t ignore.  70 million strong, Generation Y by 2010 will outnumber Baby Boomers, and 96 percent of them have joined a social network.  And the first wave is bringing social media to the workplace.

Threat or opportunity for those over 30?  It depends on your perspective and your willingness to embrace change.  One thing is clear,  Gen Y approaches social media very differently than Boomers and many Gen Xers.  They have skills and a comfort level we don’t have.  And management is left asking: How do we tap their expertise?  How do we teach them to think more strategically?  How much expertise do we need to have ourselves? How much can we rely on them?

Relinquish Authority or Embrace Change?

Increasingly, managers are turning to Generation Y for their social media expertise.  Suzanne Barrett senior brand marketing manager from the World of Coca-Cola tapped a University of Georgia intern this summer to develop and implement their presence on YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter. Suzanne recognized that her intern was exceptional, but it’s a far cry from answering phones and getting coffee that I did as an intern.

Or consider last year, when Jack Leslie, chairman, Weber Shadwick Worldwide stirred a little controversy on a PRSA Georgia panel with the confession that he leans toward people half his age when considering employees with social media skills since .. young people have this built into their DNA.  Mostly said in jest it does go to heart of  the matter.

As Lauren Culberston, a Generation Yer and communications assistant for United States Senator Johnny Isakson told me, “A  lot of senior professionals tell me, ‘I don’t have the time to mess with that stuff. I’m busy, I have a life.’ What they don’t realize is that social media is a tool you can use to make your life easier and save time.”

Thinking Strategically

Launching a Twitter page is one thing; thinking strategically is another. Using Facebook to communicate with friends is very different from speaking as the representative of a company.  Technical prowess no matter how impressive can’t replace a knowledge of how to navigate organizations and mine customer insight. That takes time.  There is a place for all generations in the adoption of social media.

“Simple truth, all use it, but they don’t use it for PR purposes. They are all not equally prepared.” said Karen Russell, associate professor, Grady College of Mass Communications at University of Georgia.

Or as Donna Fleishman president of Cohn & Wolfe’s Altanta office wrote me, “While Generation Y certainly understands how speedily they can get information out, they are learning from Generation X that the rules of accuracy and honesty and news value must still apply.”

Clearly marketing and PR Gen Yer’s understanding of social media is incredibly valuable.  More entrepreneurial and less willing to listen to traditional media, they are perfect conduit to understand how their generation thinks and what tools are needed to reach them.  As Ebuni Tolu Ogbechie, social media & development associate at Prevent Blindness Georgia wrote me, “We can essentially be ‘beta testers’ for new forms of social media.” 

 Restoring a Balance of Power

It’s time to take the mystery and fear out social media and restore a balance of power.  Generation Y brings a great deal to the table, but it is up to more senior managers to integrate technology into the workplace and channel their younger counterpart’s energy and expertise into effective communications strategies. There clearly is a cultural challenge, but we need not be afraid.

Let me get back to you.

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