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Growing up digital.

August 26th, 2009 | 9 comments | Social Media

“Digital Natives” they call us. “You grew up with this stuff, surely you get it,” they say. For most of us, we know how to use the tools, but a lot of this generation doesn’t get it. 

I’d like to think I’m an exception. I think know I “get it”.

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about people (read: Boomers, Xers and the like) giving us responsibility because they assume we get it. Sure, sometimes it backfires. But hand me a research project, or send me into the digital space and let me do my part on a campaign, and I’ll bring you results.

Don’t believe me? Look at my story. Let’s go back as far as I can remember being online: AOL Chat rooms.

I frequented the “Abercrombie Chat”. More often than not, the original Abercrombie room was full, so we created variations of it, and tried incessantly to log in to the original room. Just waiting for someone’s connection to break so a spot was freed up. If you grew up digital, you remember how long it took to get back on AOL if you got kicked off. So the waiting game was half of it. 

I was networking online when I was in middle school. Middle school! I’ve been in the space for 10+ years. I know how it works. I’m learning the new tools, but they’re all the same – just delivered differently. 

After AOL, there was Bolt.com. Bolt was where I started uploading pictures, earning badges for being online too much and making friends. Back then, it was really, really nerdy to have friends online. Nobody got it. I didn’t talk about it, really. I would spend hours after school navigating my way through message boards, sending instant messages and building geocities websites. Remember geocities? Angelfire? Yeah, good stuff.

After I outgrew Bolt, I had a Xanga, which tied me over until there was Facebook. I was on Facebook when nobody knew how to upload pictures. I was one of the first people registered at the University of Kansas and my roommates thought I was nuts. Now, those same roommates are posting wedding invitations, pictures of their children and everything else that we do on Facebook today. They got it. Eventually. 

Believe it or not, I didn’t get into MySpace until after Facebook. I think it’s the other way around for most people. My MySpace was where I started blogging coherently, as my Xanga was riddled with photos and intials instead of full names. I was very Gossip Girl in the way I wrote on my Xanga, but it’s a fun documentary of my life in college. Unfortunately (or fortunately), all of the photos that I had put up (linked to my Bolt photos URL) are now the black box of doom. No images. 

But yeah, MySpace was where I started actually writing in some broken form of good English and where I expressed my emotions via my music player. It was therapeutic to put on a screamo Kelly Clarkson song after I broke up with my boyfriends. It helped my mom keep tabs on my life (yes, she joined to keep an eye on me). My MySpace page is a little dusty because I don’t log in very frequently, but I just can’t bring myself to delete it. 

Then, after much deliberation, I settled on PR as my major at USF and joined PRSSA. Which lead me to Penelope Trunk at National Conference, which lead me to Brazen Careerist, and the rest is documented here. 

Do I have years of experience working in corporate America? No. Do I have years of experience in this space? Yes. Do I know the space? You betcha – I’ve been right there in it, using and exploring for over a decade. Can I apply it to business? Yes. Look at me. I am a walking example of how utilizing the tools in an efficient way can produce the results you set out to achieve. My campaign that is my case study is my story.

Last October, I set out on a social media adventure, to learn new tools, to start blogging and to give myself options for after I graduated college. I went from zero to nearly 2,000 followers on Twitter in less than a year (that’s not a lot, but it’s worth talking about). I have 100-ish people that subscribe to my RSS feed (the number varies daily). I went to PRSSA National Conference, went to SXSW, moved to Chicago for a killer internship opportunity and here I am. I have spoken at USF, am speaking at CRAVE Chicago in September and have submitted a panel for SXSW. 

I have a lot to offer. I have a lot to learn. And I can’t wait to prove myself.

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  • http://www.danielhoang.com Daniel Hoang

    I grew up before the web and started my first BBS (bulletin board system) by tying up our home phone line so others could connect in. The rest is history, similar to the sites and tools you’ve used over the years.

    In my opinion, my very cautious in spending too much time mastering these “tools” but instead focusing on what the objective is behind the tool. If you look at Facebook, Twitter, etc. as simply tools to achieve an ends, then it’s the experience and skills you develop that help you use these tools.

    I technically “corporate” for the past five years and have learned formal business approaches (writing proposals, developing methodologies, handling client relations, etc.). I hope to one day catch up with you social media and Gen Y super stars.
    .-= Daniel Hoang´s last blog ..Traveling Consultant? There’s an App for that. 10 apps for business productivity. =-.

  • http://dshan.me/blog DShan

    Darling, magical narrative.

    It’s funny, you’re just a bit younger than me, which caused the Xanga/Bolt experience that I didn’t have. I remember meeting local girls in person on AOL in JUNIOR HIGH. Ridiculous.

    I should try to recount my journey:)

    D
    .-= DShan´s last blog ..Shaving Revisited =-.

  • http://www.justincaseyouwerewondering.x.iabc.com Justin Goldsborough

    Hey, Sydney. Like the post. Keep putting yourself out there. People notice.

    Part of IABC here in KC and we recently did a student career fair. I asked how many students blogged. Think 1 of 20 raised hand. Used Twitter. Maybe 3. Then asked how many thought networking was important to getting a job. Whole room. But you see the disconnect, right?

    My point is you are ahead of the game and differentiating yourself all the time by being active in the social media space. So keep up the good work.

    Cheers,
    Justin
    .-= Justin Goldsborough´s last blog ..Tom Murphy remembered =-.

  • http://www.kristenejeffers.com Kristen

    Hey, I’ve been all those places too and them some. I was also on Diaryland and I’m a proud life member of Xanga(because I need a place to really be myself.) Congrats on the opportunities. You let me know that social media success can happen
    .-= Kristen´s last blog ..Waxing Philosophical on A Change of Pace =-.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    Do you remember or did you use ICQ? I remember chatting as a youngin’ and how being connected was all part of it, but also was just beginning. I think it’s funny to see how only in a mere 6 months or even 1 year so much can change in technology…
    .-= Grace Boyle´s last blog ..How Did You Begin Blogging? =-.

  • http://www.rockstarlifestyledesign.com Greg Rollett

    I love that you said “screamo Kelly Clarkson”

    You brought up some great antiques from the Gen-Y youth. It’s kinda like Atari and NES for Gen-X.
    .-= Greg Rollett´s last blog ..An Interview with Blogger and Affiliate Marketer Murray Newlands =-.

  • http://sydneyowen.com Sydney

    LOL so maybe not screamo in the sense of screamo as we know it, but you know “I’m-so-much-better-off-without-him” music.

    Thanks for stopping by. :)

  • http://sydneyowen.com Sydney

    @Grace OMG ICQ – I totally forgot. It made a “blip” noise instead of the stupid AIM noise. I liked ICQ, but the super-long user number was never a good idea. Better off with usernames.

  • http://abschoff.blogspot.com/ Abby

    In regard to your comment above, ICQ actually made an “UH OH!” sound as the notification. :) I loved ICQ back in the day.

    As for everything else you wrote, I can totally relate. I’ve been using computers and social media since long before I could even drive. I think that’s a big benefit for our generation. Others are still trying to catch on to the basics, but we grew up with and watched this stuff evolve.

    I actually wrote a similar blog post the other day, in the context of how top social networking sites have changed and what they’re good for today.

    Abby
    .-= Abby´s last blog ..The evolution of the big four =-.