I have to keep up on the trends of the new generation, too… else the site will get no traffic. Demographically most readers are from Generation X or “Generation Y”. Generation Y is starting to get some money, as they enter the workforce, and thus a big marketing target. So I gotta keep hip to the lingo about what they’re interested in.
Some of the stuff I now cover has been the result of market research. Some things aren’t too much of a stretch, like covering popular PC or Xbox games, but I’ve found that there is more and more demand for Nintendo DS, Wii, Playstation, cell phones, mp3 players, and many other things that you wouldn’t think the OCMS audience would be interested in.
Internet marketing has changed because of Generation Y, too. You pretty much have to have a MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and accounts to other places GY goes to just to get exposure. Alot of tech sites know this, too, as they have to adapt (successful tech sites have a gaming affiliate) or be a total expert in their subject.
GY wants to be entertained, and they do have shorter attention spans. For example, Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” appeals to Generation X and Y because it’s entertaining, but polls indicate that these viewers are more knowledgable about current events.
The way things used to be done have changed, mostly because of the Internet. Used to be the only way to advertise was through your local paper, but now less than 3% of advertising goes through that medium. Why read the paper for yesterday’s news when you can logon to CNN.com and see what happened 5 minutes ago?
I could go on and on about the benefits and drawbacks of video games and the Internet on our Youth, but the boiled-down facts are that today’s generation responds differently than generations past. Part of this is that researchers unlock how different people learn, memorize, and respond to stimuli. I used to be glued to Sesame Street when I was 5, but those old shows never interested my kids. The only shows that get their attention are ones that are highly visually stimulating, like Teletubbies, Boobah, Doodlebops, etc. The thing they have in common: bright colors and repitition.
There is more and more autism and ADHD being discovered in this generation (like 1 in 150 children). Was this always the case and we’re just now discovering it, or is there some environmental or medical factor? Some conspiracy theorists claim that the wave of autism is coming about from all the innoculations that started when Generation X were infants. This still has yet to be proven, but there are links.
It’s kinda weird how certain things reach kids. Once when I was at a LAN party, a guy asked a teenager for a cigarette, and they quoted some line from an anti-smoking commercial about how “tobacco is whacko” or something… but these kids are known drug users. It’s weird how right and wrong are affected based on how the message is portrayed. Another example, girls today say they remain “virgins” because they only practice oral sex. They delude themselves into believing that they’re white as snow, even though they are sexually active. Thank you, Mr. Clinton…
Well, that’s the tip of the iceberg about what I think. Agree with it or not, to successfully reach the new generation you gotta be hip to da lingo…
