It’s remarkable that in a time of unparalleled personal data, we remain wedded to broad generalisations like Gen X or Net Gen. These short-hand descriptors play their part in popular headlines, but the real story is not so much about generational shifts but intra-generational shifts. On other words, there is probably less homogeniality amongst the current youth generation (10 to 21) than there was 50 years ago amongst the same age group. This in turn demands greater analysis and certainly more adept customer management (and intelligence) from commercial entities which rely on this youth market.
In the context of interactive media, particularly, there remains some breathtaking assumptions about youth and their engagement with the medium (and associated content/applications). For this reason, a recent study published by Fontys University of Applied Science in The Netherlands (authored by Antoine Van den Beemt and Sanne Akkerman), attempts to break down Net Gen into four distinct clusters. They include: Traditionalists, Gamers, Networkers and Producers. The study attempts to ask the following question: can patterns be found in the interactive media activities of young people?
Segmenting Young Users of Digital Media
The clusters are self-explantory, but the analysis has essentially segmented young people across both social space and cultural space; the latter rarely making its mark on current media thinking or planning. For example, Gamers, as the name suggests, are defined by an interest-driven participation. However, the study also invokes further sub-categories for Gamers which are tethered to psychological frames, namely Pretenders & Providers.
Interestingly, of the sample surveyed (all aged between 10 and 23), media such as myspace, wiki, podcasts, Second Life and Skype were rarely mentioned.
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