When having a conversation with my parents, I cannot help but use newly coined verbs such as “Facebooking,” “tagged” or “tweeted.” This social network lingo often leaves them looking dazed and confused due to the lack of knowledge they have regarding these new virtual worlds. Their world of land lines, invitations by snail mail and conversations in the street or at the grocery store is not my world. Mine is the constant connection the “Millennial” generation has with each other through social media.

Social media has become a part of my daily routine just as brushing my teeth has. My cell phone is the first piece of technology I pick up in the morning. I tell myself it poses as my alarm clock; however, I am more interested in whether or not I missed a text message overnight from a friend than waking up on time.

As I devour my bowl of cereal, I log on to the three websites I have to view before I head out the door: my email account, my Facebook account and lastly, CNN.com. I check these sites throughout the day to keep myself updated on headlines and the latest videos or promotions. I want to find out what I am missing, and do so by staying connected to these sites.

Why do I feel the need to obsessively check as soon as I wake up and throughout the day? Information is constantly being shared and is accessible from many different outlets. If I do not stay on top of this information I may miss something, shared via email, Facebook or a text message.

Facebook keeps me up-to-date on my social circle. Rather than calling friends to see what they are up to during the day like my parents might, I see what people are doing today by checking their statuses or viewing the events pages. Though this is far less personal than calling a friend and having a conversation, it is much faster and more convenient. My friends and I use Facebook to relay casual invitations to events which previously required phone calls or mailings, such as invitations to Bar-B-Ques and weekends at the cabin. I also use Facebook and Twitter as my information outlet on the latest products, brands and to promote things I feel passionate about.

Social media has shaped the “Millennial” generation and has the grabbed the attention of marketers everywhere. Now that marketers are aware of how attached the ‘twenty-somethings’ are to their social media outlets, they can use these tools to their advantage. Creating a Facebook page and posting printable coupons and upcoming events is a great way to market a product. Not only does it drive in-store traffic, it also creates unbelievable awareness to the millions of other people on Facebook. People involved in social media enjoy interactive advertisements. Volkswagen recently made a brilliant move by tapping into social networking using Twitter as a marketing outlet. Essentially, the ad took your Twitter name and the main key words you’ve been tweeting about and then picked which Volkswagen car fit your personality. I heard about this ad through a co-worker’s tweet and then I tweeted about the ad to generate more traffic for Volkswagen.

If companies want to grab the attention of young, social media gurus they must focus their marketing on interactive advertisements such as polls, quizzes, videos and printable coupons. The once effective marketing channels, such as radio announcements and billboards, are not as effective to my generation. To have an effective advertisement, companies must allow their customers interact with their brand and discover how their lives relate to the product or service, via social media.