Air, Water, Food, Shelter < Internet

In the 21st century, Maslov’s hierarchy of needs may have to be adapted to include the internet. A recent Cisco Connected World Technology Report reveals that one in three college students and young professionals believe the internet to be as important as air, water, food and shelter. More than half of those surveyed said they could not live without the internet, citing it as an “integral part” of their lives.

The main goal of the study was to inform businesses the type of work force they should be bracing themselves for in the future. According to results, for our generation this type of workforce would ideally include the following, which were cited as being more important priorities than salary:

• The ability to work from home
• Choice of mobile devices
• The freedom to use “social media”

This is congruent with our professor Scott Langdon’s belief that our generation will be motivated by lifestyle over money. But the study also goes on to report that our generation will prefer socializing online over traditional face-to-face interaction. More than one in four college students globally (27%) said staying updated on Facebook was more important than partying, dating, listening to music or hanging out with friends. If you find this a bit unsettling, you aren’t alone. New York city based publication site Gawker responded to the study with the following quote:

"Sustenance! Or, the things you need to sustain your life. Well, that does it. Shut your laptop, turn off your iPad, throw your PC into the garbage. Go outside and look at a tree or open a book. It's okay, I will keep an eye on the Internet for you while you're gone. Yikes, kids, start #LivingYourLife."

As unsettling as it may be, is this an accurate representation of our generation? Do you also think that “reading a book like lighting your house with candles or buying music legally – anachronistic”?