Digital Natives, as they are presently known in the IT world, are the generation hooked to the internet and social media. They are the generation of older millennials who were born into the technology era. From the moment they get up until sundown, it’s all about checking their social media.
They are the generation now experiencing the Internet explosion and spend most of their time on the World Wide Web. How do they earn a living to make their ends meet now? Especially since the pandemic, the youth and people have resorted to online selling.
In the pre-pandemic era, most working students were part of the crew of different fast-food chains. They took shifts with their part-time jobs and class schedules. In the post-pandemic era, many people have resorted to motorcycles or bicycle riders for food or groceries. They also ride e-bikes. There is also a boom in online selling. People conduct live selling of their items at different market sites.
With the onset of online classes, if they already spent a lot of time with technology and their gadgets, they now spend even more time because most of their needs have shifted to technology, particularly with most of their internet usage time.
MINE!
Because of online selling, the mindset has also changed to “Mine!” When people see an item and say, “Mine!” They buy it right off the bat. This is more commonly called “Pa-mine!” It tells the seller that it is theirs and that they are buying it.
Creativity and ingenuity have emerged when coming up with small business ideas. Those who love food have devised ways to improvise and sell recipes. Meal plans for health-conscious or food lovers are also part of the micro-entrepreneurial world. If students had humbly sold snacks to their friends and classmates back then, the youth of today’s business side would have passed on their QR codes or their site’s name for them to link up to.
There have been rampant discrepancies with sellers offering poor-quality items or buyers being taken advantage of with misleading information. Not only that but there have also been cases of riders being duped by buyers who book their services but refuse to compensate them. Sadly, in a recent news story, a rider was violently attacked. These are just a few examples of the negative aspects of reality bites.
As per Tech Target: “Thanks to digital natives’ familiarity, social media has become a major platform for marketing. A strong social media strategy is important for building strong brand recognition.”
The technology gadget mostly used by Digital Natives is the mobile phone. They now have easy access to many applications, more commonly known as apps, on their cellphones.
Most new mobile phone models have Internet capability. Cell phones give people access to the digital world. Popular sites like Grab and Food Panda are connected via the mobile network.
PHILIPPINE CULTURE
In Philippine culture, the two main competitors in the buying and selling market are Shopee and Lazada. Walking around, you can often hear someone’s cell phone ringing with the sound of Shopee! It has become so common that it is a part of the current moment, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. This situation is not necessarily stressful, but it has become more of a “what you want now” trend focused on instant gratification.
People you see have cell phones. They all have cell phones from the company’s CEO to the jeepney drivers and sidecar cabby caddy. No matter where you look, people are attached to their cell phones, not all, but mostly.
People are always connected with their gadgets. If generations before are said to always be “on the go,” the Digital Natives are now all about “networking.” What better way to earn than with the connections you already have and can expand on with the networks of your networks? It is a link reaction correlation.
Students of yesteryears stopped studying because they wanted to pursue work instead. Why? Because they are earning. They have their salaries. Being able to earn helps them make ends meet in their daily lives.
Working students have more abilities to work while continuing their schooling, mainly with the help of the Internet. All it needs is persistence and passion for what you love doing, along with the concept of savings. There is no need to make an enemy, a big enemy, out of technology; instead, allow technology to work for you, and that would be the “World of Internet at its Best.”
