Much has been said, often in this space, about the Net Generation, and how their digital upbringing has instilled in them a different set of values and norms. That’s all well and good (ok, maybe not… see below), except, for the possibility that - perhaps - the “Net Gen” isn’t quite as “Net” as we often think. Or so go the findings of a just released study by Ipsos Reid. Entitled “Inter@ctive Teens: The Impact of the Internet on Canada’s Next Generation,” the report highlights some rather interesting findings that may in fact dispell the belief that N-Geners are “Internet-savvy, constantly-wired early adopter(s).”
The report notes that:
- “12 to 17 year olds spend, on average, only 13 hours per week on the Internet (compared to a weekly average of 19 hours for online adults), and that number has not increased since Ipsos last measured online teen behaviour in 2004.”
- “Slightly more than one-quarter (28%) of online teens consider themselves to be very skilled or expert. Another one-quarter (24%) admit to not being skilled in the use of the Internet, with the remaining teens identifying themselves as fairly skilled”.
- “While adults are going to a multitude of different websites for a variety of online activities, teens are focused mainly on websites that allow them to socialize, download music, or play games.”
So what does this leave us to believe about this generation? Are they really the digital captains of today’s world?
Over the past couple of months I’ve increasingly questioned this assumption, in large part because nearly every one I talk to who is leading activities in the Web 2.0 space is, alas, not a N-Gener but rather a Gen Xr. I’m not alone in thinking this either. Author Jeff Gordinier agrees, having penned “X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking.” In it he points out that today’s networked era has in large part been shaped and developed by Gen Xrs, perhaps allowing them to “trump boomer narcissism and millenial entitlement.”
We’re thus left to wonder how accurate the generational segments we’ve created really are. Gen Xrs were lazy but are now leaders. N-Geners were digital natives and bathed in bits but are now kind of like Gen Xrs were, but with the Internet… kind of makes you wonder about all the hype we throw on today’s youth. Sure they’re voting and using viral campaigns to make change but is that really that different than the late 60’s/early 70’s anti-war movement? It too was led by students who wanted change but they didn’t have the Net, nor mobile phones, nor Facebook.
And so I’m left to conclude that this type of generational segmentation is in fact completely incorrect and what we should be doing is looking at how we operate at different life stages. And while it’s likely true that thanks to technology today’s youth are wired differently then their predecessors, I’m of the opinion that what matters more is the confluence of specific life stages with specific events that galvanize action.
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Excellent post! I had seen the report in the newspaper, and thought it was interesting, though not surprising, that teens spend less time on the internet than adults. Being a Gen-X’er myself, and thinking about the ways in which I use the internet on a regular basis, almost none of my uses (reading news, shopping, paying bills, getting maps, checking the weather, looking up information related to running a household) would overlap with those of a teen. The only exception is social networking, but even then I suspect this function is largely carried out by cell phone amongst teenagers.
I think Dan makes an interesting conclusion. Youth of any era have the essential qualities of an investigative spirit, and boundless energy (even the “lazy” Gen-X’ers!) and the tendency to question the status quo. How these are applied in the cultural and technological context of the times is what distinguishes one “generation” from the next. Having a 9-year old child, I’m very curious to see how her cohort will be labelled. The “Webkidz” generation, perhaps?
Comment by Jenn Durley - February 29, 2008 1:56 pm
There’s an interesting divide in the N-Gen that might illuminate this subject further. By definition I am one of oldest Net-Geners, but I absolutely did not grow up digital. My first real contact with the Internet was in university. In my first “real” job (investment analyst) I was the “Internet research expert”, but that was mainly because none of us had ever used the Internet before, and since I was new they tossed me in there… and it goes on from there.
So I “grew up” with the Internet in my 20s… while those seven years (or so) my junior “grew up” with the Internet in their teens. I imagine the experiences are quite different.
Comment by Denis Hancock - February 29, 2008 2:15 pm
Now I don’t feel so bad being a Net-Gen luddite, although I am with Denis in that I’m on leading edge of the Net-Gen, so didn’t grow up digital until my 20’s.
Good call on the life stages approach Dan. If you use that lens, it makes sense that Gen-Xers are leading the charge in terms of productive uses of the Internet. Simply put, they have no choice - hey have to use the tools in order to remain competitive in their work environments. Net-Geners will get there too, but for now they have the luxury to just Facebook, MySpace, and Torrent their way through life.
Comment by Naumi Haque - March 2, 2008 6:39 pm
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Pingback by Wikinomics » Blog Archive » GenX and the real talent crunch - March 23, 2008 9:30 pm
Very interesting discussion here, but I just wanted to point out that the first statistic presented (about the time each generation spends on the internet) is a bit flawed.
Most adults that work desk jobs are on the internet all day, whether it be for their work or their entertainment (haven’t we all seen this?). 12 to 17 year olds are at school all day with very limited time that they can spend on the internet. Of course their stat comes out much lower than that of the adults. I think that in terms of free time, N-Geners would come out ahead, but that’s only speculation.
Other than that, good thoughts in the article.
Comment by Drew Arnold - March 24, 2008 12:04 am
I have a slight problem with the comment
“12 to 17 year olds spend, on average, only 13 hours per week on the Internet (compared to a weekly average of 19 hours for online adults)”
Well isn’t it obvious that those 13 hours are made up throughout the week but not during school?
where as an adult is most likely making up that 19 hours at the office throughout the week and most likely doesn’t want to see a computer when they get home!
The question is, would those numbers change if genX had access to the internet all day every day like most office employees?
Comment by Steve - March 25, 2008 9:40 am
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Pingback by Change Agency - Advocating a better education system for the 21st Century. » Purposeful Networking - March 28, 2008 6:45 am
Amazing.
The sad truth is the digital revolution started in the 1970s and by the mid-80s lots of young kids had computers. The only thing they lacked was the network. In the 90s we had BBS systems that sufficed as crude social environments.
Now the kids of the late 70s and 80s are pushing the boundaries of the internet and few realize it is them not the children of the 90s that are the leaders. Certainly the 90s and 00s children are exposed to it more, but they are more like the people who today use telephones vs. the Mr. Bell.
Comment by indigo196 - March 28, 2008 10:47 am
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I love that analogy, Indigo, and I (as my post might indicate) agree with you wholeheartedly. Mr. Bell meets Herman Hollerith…
Also, as a couple of you have pointed out, there are issues with the methadology behind these results (school vs. work access) that skews it in a particular manner. That said, what would be interesting and statistically enlightening would be to compare the older edge of the N-Gen (working age) vs their GenX brethren to see how these digital natives adapt their usage in the working world, and how it differs from previous generations.
Comment by Dan Herman - April 1, 2008 12:50 am
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