In a recent TIME Magazine cover story, Joel Stein gave his take on Millennials as the “Me, Me, Me Generation,” hyper-connected, with a strong sense of entitlement, known for constantly lifting their smartphones into the air to take pictures of themselves to post online. Whether or not that’s the case for an entire generation, at more than 80 million strong, Millennials are the biggest age grouping in American history, and by growing up in parallel with rapid innovations in technology, they are by far the most connected generation on a global, social and real-time scale.

According to Forbes, Millennials “take technology for granted. They live through social media. They want the world their way, and they want it now.”

Yet for being so social and connected online, many Millennials seek to avoid face-to-face or telephone conversations at all costs, creating an evolutionary game-changer for customer service. Texting, social media and other online communication have all given this talk-without-really-talking generation the ability to communicate on their own terms: at their convenience, without having to make eye contact, without judgment, and with some degree of anonymity. They are also able to control the conversation, determining the length, the direction, and if and when they will respond (and via what channel).

Says psychologist Sherry Turkle, author of Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other, of this collective behavioral change, “we are together, but each of us in in our own bubble, furiously connected to keyboards and tiny touch screens.” Read More