![]() ![]() They also helped facilitate law enforcement’s entry into the digital age to communicate with the public via social media platforms. Empirical evidence suggests millennials strongly connect to social media for information, leisure, entertainment, friendship, socializing and a sense of community. Millennials can help bridge the gap as the profession prepares for the entry of iGen into leadership roles. However, this may create challenges for the current Gen X leadership and their reluctance to post meaningful information in nontraditional ways. iGen officers can be expected to be even more discomforted by the “old ways.” Millennials and iGen are naturally comfortable posting online, and this learned behavior can allow for a seamless transition to posting about police department achievements and news on social media. Millennials do not favor the often opaque and complicated bureaucracy associated with police departments. This evolution of tech-savvy communication will naturally create issues in policing as iGen attempts to interact with the older generation of officers currently in leadership positions. Millennials and iGen tend to be tech-savvy and communicate via text, although iGen is even more “tech-innate” and speaks with images. ![]() This generation relies on phone apps for almost every daily function, from fitness to games. IGen is the first generation to grow up not knowing a world without the internet. Will iGen have difficulty stepping into law enforcement leadership positions, or will members use their social media skills to communicate more efficiently with a public that increasingly also wants to connect online? iGen and law enforcement While technological advances can enhance law enforcement’s ability to do the job efficiently, they can also negatively impact it in a profession that relies heavily on the ability to interact with individuals in person. One survey indicated that 60% of Gen Z members enter their social lives online, 50% feel more comfortable talking to people online than in real life, and 70% say it is more convenient to talk to friends online than in real life. They may even face challenges interacting with people face-to-face during their daily duties. IGen has a much stronger connection to the social media world. Both generations have the opportunity to use social media to interact and build relationships with the community in ways their predecessors could not. Considering both generations rely on technology as digital natives, social media will inevitably impact them as they advance into leadership roles. Millennials, born between 19, and “iGen” officers, born between 19, are already stepping into management and executive roles in law enforcement. Generation Y (millennials) and Generation Z (iGen) have entered policing since 2000. They are comfortable with the “infodemic” and the ongoing oversight of technologies such as body-worn cameras. In large part, officers who started their careers in the past 10 years grew up in the digital realm. Recent examples of this include information relevant to COVID-19, election propaganda, targeted ad campaigns and police-involved critical incidents. This spread of information has dramatically enhanced the rapid dissemination of newsworthy stories, quickly changing public sentiments on various issues, including those regarding the police. However, social media has also created an “infodemic” responsible for rapid, widespread information and disinformation. It has created a positive platform for police agencies to send and receive information, recruit resources and future officers, and engage with the public faster and more efficiently. ![]() Even though evidence shows more citizen trust in communities where the police regularly post on social media, departments may be reluctant to dedicate resources to it. Many law enforcement agencies are reluctant to hire full-time employees to manage their social media. While law enforcement is trying to connect better with its communities, it is still lacking in many ways. ![]()
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