Social Media and Gen Y at Work: The Uses and Gratifications of Technology

Introduction

There is a rising concern that smart machines will soon replace many humans in decision-making, as artificial intelligence (AI) has already permeated many organizational processes. IBM's Watson and Google DeepMind's AlphaGo are prime examples of the recent prominence and rapid progress in artificial intelligence. The field of AI encompasses a diverse array of applications and methodologies, including but not limited to neural networks, speech and pattern recognition, genetic algorithms, and deep learning. The application of AI is embedded in various social media platforms that detect users’ behaviors and patterns and gives insights to various companies on how to engage with their customers. Web 3.0 technology and its uses are becoming increasingly embedded in people's daily lives, especially among young people from a variety of backgrounds and communities. The proliferation of cellular networks and internet-enabled mobile devices has had a significant impact on how individuals see the world around them. At a time when the globe seems to be in the midst of a social media revolution, it's clear that people of all ages and backgrounds are turning to online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to have meaningful conversations with one another. Digitalization is rapidly altering the primary source of experiences that people have and is redefining the association between members of a generation and the community of others (Au, 2020). Furthermore, it is often believed that members of the younger generations (such as Gen Y) are avid users of digital media particularly, social networking sites. The demographics have shifted due to Baby Boomers retiring and Millennials (or Gen Y) and Gen Z entering the workforce. Researchers recommend adapting 2020 workplaces to the unprecedented challenge of five generations of employees working together, emphasizing the importance of digital revolution and mobile phones for communication and learning (Meister & Willyerd, 2010). These Gen Y are seen as the future of the company and a driving force in the workforce (Kaifi, Nafei, Khanfar, & Kaifi, 2012). For members of Generation Y, connection is a key driver in their social media usage (Berezan, Krishen, Agarwal, & Kachroo, 2018). Companies must provide incentives that appeal to the Xers, Yers, and Zers that make up the bulk of today's workforce before attracting the best candidates of each generation for employment (Mahmoud et al., 2021) as it may additionally pose innumerable issues for managers while trying to manage people dynamics, as by 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the world's labor force (Cristea et al., 2017). Also, a quarter of the Asia-Pacific region's population will be made up of Gen Zers by 2025, and as they reach adulthood, they will have greater purchasing power. While they do share many characteristics with millennials, they are also uniquely their own (Kim, Mclnerney, & Smith, 2020). While still coming into their own, members of Generation Z are accelerating millennial-era developments like the search for authenticity and the use of social media. Although Gen Zers share millennials' enthusiasm for social media, they differ from millennials in that they don't blindly follow the crowd; instead, they look for sources they trust (Bhargava, Finneman, Schmidt, & Spagnuolo, 2020). While Generation Y is highly tech-savvy, reaching them requires providing them with convenient digital options (Weyland, 2011). For both employee engagement and retention, social media has been acknowledged as a critical factor influencing employees' developmental characteristics (Bolton, Parasuraman, Hoefnagels, Migchels, et al., 2013).