The YouTube Revolution Really Is Changing the Communications GameThe YouTube Revolution Really Is Changing the Communications Game

The time when a call must include a video conference may come sooner than we think.

A recent article in the Times served as an eye-opener for me about video conferencing. The story talks about how a nine-year-old named Taylor Kennedy uses YouTube as his go-to choice for searches on the Internet-over Google, Yahoo and other more typical search engines. The article is about business transformation at YouTube--an interesting topic in its own right--but for me, it was cause to rethink the role of video in everyday life.As an analyst who covers unified communications and collaboration, I hear and talk a lot about how the "millennials" will impact business and technology in the years ahead. A frequent reference point is YouTube, as in "Look at how explosive YouTube has become," or "Well, everyone is using video sites like YouTube these days-video is so popular."

Which is true enough, but which has also never really made sense as an argument for video conferencing: There's a difference between watching streaming video content (be it a movie, a TV show or clips of cats doing all manner of amusing things) and communicating via video conference. But that changes when nine-year-olds start choosing to get research information via video; in doing so, they are changing the nature of the format--what purpose it serves, and how it impacts daily life.

Taylor, it would seem, is simply more receptive to information when it's delivered via video. If that's true, it's not a stretch to assume he will likewise be more receptive to communications via video as well; after all, what is communications if not the sharing of information? And if that's true, companies better start offering next-generation employees access to video conferencing on demand, on any device, and whenever they need it. Given Taylor's age, those companies have some time to deploy the necessary endpoints and infrastructure. But given Taylor's habits, the time when a call must include a video conference may come sooner than we think.The time when a call must include a video conference may come sooner than we think.