Millennials and the World Wide Web

What is your first memory of surfing the Web? The millennial story begins with the popularization of the Internet. If you’ve read or heard anything about millennials over the last few years, there’s a good chance you’ve heard us called “digital natives”.

The term digital native was first coined in a 2001 article by Mark Prensky as a general term to describe those who grew up in the digital age. He also coined the term digital immigrant, which refers to those born before the digital age who had to adapt to digital technology as an adult. The original article mentioned no birth year, but it soon came to refer to anyone who was born after 1980.

My problem with digital native is that it is a largely meaningless phrase. Growing up in the very first days of the Internet is a lot different than growing up when “to Google” was already established as the verb we use to describe the act of using a search engine. I’d like to present an alternative way of thinking about the groups of people who have grown up during the digital age.

Re-thinking the Idea of the Digital Native

The word native implies that whoever is a digital native has been there since the beginning. In this sense, the true digital natives would be Gen Xers. They’ve been on personal computers since they hit the market, and many 3rd and 4th wave Gen Xers grew up on that foundational digital technology. In terms of what most people mean when they say digital natives, though, it’s actually fourth wave millennials and first wave Gen Zers they’re talking about, as they were not yet born when the Internet became mainstream with the launch of Windows ‘95.

Instead of this idea of “digital native”, let’s use an analogy inspired by the Oregon Trail.

The Gen Xers who grew up using the first personal computers were like the original settlers on the Oregon Trail. There was a whole lot of nothing, but dreams of its limitless potential are what inspired these original users to keep going.

First and second wave millennials who had dial-up Internet in their youth and remember the likes of Windows ’95 as a part of their adolescence are like the children of the original settlers on the Oregon Trail. Things were starting to be built. The first dot-com boom was in full effect. That being said, it was still pretty wild and untamed. The likes of Google, eBay, PayPal, and Amazon were still babies relative to the massive tech giants they’d soon become.

Third wave millennials are like the grandchildren of the original settlers on the Oregon Trail. The internet they grew up on was already pretty established, but they have childhood memories of their first Internet experience being on dial-up. By the time they reached adulthood, though, all of the companies above were billion-dollar tech companies. These millennials were the first to have social media access during their coming of age years.

Fourth wave millennials are like the great-grandchildren of the original settlers on the Oregon Trail. They grew up on an Internet where to Google is a verb and e-commerce was a well-oiled machine. Half of them weren’t born when Windows ’95 launched and have no memory of when AOL dominated the Internet. All their knowledge of that era comes from stories told by their digital ancestors.

First and Second wave Gen Zers are the fifth-generation descendants of the original settlers on the Oregon Trail. This group does not see the Internet as revolutionary technology but rather takes it for granted as something that has always existed. Much in the way those of us born after about 1965 see the Television.

The Evolution of the Internet

The Internet as we know it, the World Wide Web, was technically invented in 1989, but it was the realm of techies and academics until around 1995. The web browser Netscape had their IPO in 1993, but it was Windows 95 and the launch of Internet Explorer 1.0 that started the penetration into the homes of regular Americans. The following chart shows the percentage of dial-up and broadband Internet penetration in American homes between 1997 and 2012. It uses data from the National Telecommunications Information Administration, as well as from Pew Research Center.

I came up with the following “eras” to give more context to the statement that millennials grew up on the Internet. Keep in mind that these are arbitrary breakdowns with loose borders.

The Pre-Windows Era (1989–1995)

Let’s say this era begins with the invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 to the launch of Windows 95 in 1995. This era of the Internet really belongs to Gen X, and it was mostly the realm of older teenagers and adults.

The Dot-Com Bubble (1995–2002)

The dot-com bubble was between 1995 and 2002. Household internet penetration went from 14 percent in 1995 to 59 percent in 2002, and millions of websites and e-commerce businesses were launched during this time. Amazon, Google, eBay, and PayPal all got their start during this time, and they played a huge role in shaping the new Internet after the bubble completely burst by 2002. This era was also the heyday of America Online (AOL).

First wave millennials were in their teenage years during this era of the Internet. Most probably have a memory of at least one website they frequented during that time that is now defunct. They often get a nostalgic feeling towards this era of the Internet.

Second and third wave millennials may have memories of some websites that were geared towards children and adolescents at that time. Nickelodeon and Disney both had websites filled with content for kids.

Fourth wave millennials were not internet users during this era, and many may not even know what the “dot-com bubble” refers to.

The Social Media Era (2003–2010)

During this era, broadband Internet penetration in American homes went from 15 percent in 2003 to 64 percent in 2010. This era of Internet was kicked off by Myspace’s launch and meteoric rise to popularity in 2003. Facebook followed in 2004, YouTube in 2005, and Twitter in 2006. For the duration of this era, which I’d say ends with Instagram’s launch in 2010, social media was seen mostly as a novelty. Only the most forward-thinking brands had a social media presence. The ideas of social media management and social media marketing were in their infancy.

First wave millennials were college-aged when this era kicked off. Some may have initially been on MySpace, but those who were in college ditched it for Facebook when it launched to college students in 2004. Myspace was more the realm of second and third wave millennials, as it was the social media platform for those not in college.

When Facebook opened to high school students in 2005, second and third wave millennials ditched Myspace en masse for facebook. Then, when Facebook opened to everyone in 2006 and became “mainstream by the late ’00s, first, second, and third wavers alike migrated to Twitter.

Twitter’s rise in the late ’00s happened because of the smartphone. It became the app people logged onto to share their thoughts as they happen. I end this era with Instagram’s launch in 2010 because it was the first social media platform that could only be used from a mobile device.

Fourth wave millennials were pre-adolescents when Myspace launched. They were the first group to truly “grow up” with social media access as they moved through puberty. I think the effect of this is most prominent in second wave Gen Zers, as they truly have no memories of an Internet without social media.

The Smart Era (2010-Present)

By around 2010, smartphones were getting pretty popular. Mobile internet speeds increased pretty much year over year, and the iPhone and it’s app store quickly became the gold standard for smartphones. In this era of Internet, wireless broadband became the standard, and many businesses began offering free wi-fi to their customers.

The smartphone kicked off the “smart” era. Now it seems that every single thing in our lives can connect to the Internet. This age is when mobile browsing really took off. All waves of millennials have adapted to mobile browsing, but the fourth wave millennials were the first to have this level of distraction in high school. The three other waves of millennials were all adults by the time this era of Internet began.

Fourth wave millennials came of age as the “smart” era began. Digital connectivity to them was more than just a novelty — it was their primary means of connection. It started a trend amongst the youth of the day that has grown exponentially over the last decade. I think it will be interesting to watch the effects growing up in the “smart” era has on Gen Zers.

If you take anything away from this article, I hope it’s that the idea of the “digital native” is a misnomer that should not be used as a synonym for millennial. Its over-generalization keeps us from taking into account how much the Internet has evolved from the beginning of millennials’ coming of age years to their early adulthood.

Breaking millennials down into 4 waves allows us to give some context to the vastly different experiences millennials had on the Internet during their youth. I think the first place to start if you really want to try and understand how a millennial thinks and behaves is to find out about their relationship to the Internet. If you are a business owner that targets millennials, use this as a starting point to find out more about how your target audience orients themselves in the digital world.

What is your first memory of the Internet? How did the Internet affect your coming of age years? I’d love to hear from you!