It’s a bit of a chicken and egg question but some of our blog posts in the past have hinted at the fact that Web 2.0 brings with it not only a change in technology but also a profound change in culture, particularly in the ways that Web 2.0 users are used to doing things.

To buttress this point, I came across an interesting blog post on the confluence of technology, culture and giving and it’s worth bringing it to your attention.  In his post, Peter Dunn points out that the Red Cross has found the right technology (phone texting), for the right purpose (fast fundraising), aimed at the right generation (Gen Y, a group of users who “average 740 texts per month”).

As he points out:

“…often times, charities aren’t meeting the “needs” of those it asks from. No one writes checks, and even online giving isn’t doing the job for Gen Y. The fast-paced, multi-tasking nature of Gen Y often is a hindrance when it comes to charitable giving.

The Red Cross figured it out (or at least I’m giving it credit for figuring it out). It is allowing mobile phone users to simply text the word “Haiti” to 90999. By doing this, it has cracked the code to Gen Y giving.”

I don’t know about the accuracy of the “no one writes checks” statement or whether Gen Y members feel that it’s a hindrance to give online or not but I strongly agree with the underlying meaning of the statement and the overall post.  Gen Y, or more accurately, Web 2.0 users, are used to doing things differently.  Driven by their use of technology first, they expect to be able to get things done online via their computers or increasingly, via their mobile devices.  They want to do things fast, with a minimum of steps and they are used to doing several things at once, with various devices.

I would add that what Web 2.0 has enabled in this case – giving users the ability to help via their cell phones by making a charitable contribution via texting – is not the end of the story in Haiti—or in this case, the beginning.  Most of the reports of the tragedy first surfaced via Twitter and social networks such as Facebook, as most other forms of communication in the country were wiped out in the earthquake.  As reported by James Morgan of BBC News, these social networks were then used very effectively to raise record sums in record time by non-profits helping in Haiti.

It is the confluence of users, their behaviors (and expectations) plus the technology that is giving rise to a completely new way of doing things…the Web 2.0 way.