Monique N. Powell, Gleaner Online Writer

They are called the Generation Y - youngsters operating in an age of instant information, where geographical borders exist only on a map and business moves at top speed.

It is called the Internet revolution.

For the children of the information age, the Internet is not a novelty. It is not a new technology they reluctantly warm up to only for fear of being left behind. The Y-ers have embraced the net; they are seen and heard via their own web pages, chatrooms and social-networking sites.

This has many implications for businesses that hope to remain competitive. The delivery of goods and services will be expected to change to match the needs of this up-and-coming group of demanding, sophisticated and web-savvy consumers.

THE 'NOW' CULTURE

Type a search term into Google.com and instantly, thousands of search results are returned; purchase a new television or blender on the Internet, and the very next day it can be on your doorstep. Through the Internet, we are being catapulted into an era where near-instant delivery of information, goods, and services is becoming increasingly common-place. Young people are beginning to adapt to a fast-paced 'now culture'. They want it NOW, and they expect to get it.

In order to keep up with these demands, providers of many goods and services will need to restructure the way in which they do business. For some companies, this may mean fully automating particular business processes. For others, it may mean redefining the procedures their employees follow in carrying out particular tasks. It will also often mean adapting many of these new processes and procedures to the Internet.

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

Distributors of digital content, such as music and movies, continue to be up in arms about the freedom and ease with which the Internet allows persons to illegitimately copy and distribute their material.

Newspapers and magazines are also doing their share of complaining, though they, however, seem to be adapting to the Internet more quickly than their music-film making counterparts.

Those who continue to sit by and whine about how this will be outpaced by those that who embraced the opportunities for widespread distribution that the Internet provides.

Those who begin to move with the revolution instead of resisting it will find ways to capitalise. It may require some innovative thinking and changes to long-standing business models, but it can be done.

The impact of this new culture will be greater on some kinds of businesses than on others, but all will be affected. Companies that choose to ignore the needs of the new generation do so at their own risk.

monique.powell@gleanerjm.com