Friday 27 November 2009

Kids of Today


I have been to a few conferences in recent years which have included a panel of teenagers sharing their experiences of the web and impression of different brands. I always find these sessions insightful and amusing.

I received this email from a colleague and loved the comment on Twitter in particular.

A VC-buddy of mine went to this event this week in Menlo Park. He was amused by the ever-popular teen-panel, where about 10 kids between 12 and 14 were asked about their consumption of media and use of technoloigy, with the following summary:
  • Two services they could not live without are: GMail and Facebook
  • When asked whether they would continue using their essential services if they had to pay $5 a month, they said no and that they would just switch to free service and friends will follow
  • "Twitter is for Journalists and old people"
  • Linear broadcast TV is not used; several mentioned that TVs have been disconnected in their houses
  • In trade off between watching TV on e.g. a 42" plasma or a low-resolution laptop, the latter wins because of non-linear programme choice and lack of parental supervision
  • Which would you rather have - iPhone or Droid? One third each plus one third don't know what Android is or whichever is cheapest?
  • Might consider paying for music for a band they really like, but unlikely