MediaVidea

Generation Couch

There is a new study out. This time, from Iconoculture, a Minneapolis based outfit that tracks consumer trends for big companies, on the effects of new technology and new media on kids and families of today. Just like studies done all along the relentless path of technological up gradation, Iconoculture has duly come up with some new, fancy nomenclature.

It calls the current generation of the ‘demographically important’ 14 years and below as Generation WE.

We, Us, x, y, us, You – what does it all mean?
[I am from what they would call the Gen. X planet]

The generation gap will still be there, the older generation rooted to its own belief set, while the younger generation wants the latest doodad, the latest aspirational thing.

Children have more control of the media today: what about kid-produced media?

Parents use tools like the remote, cell phone to bond with their children: No, this is just the cliff notes version. Where is the whole book on parenting?

There is more of media: TV, PC, net, cell phone content, Youtube, Playstation, Tivo…

- How does it engage other than World of Warcraft booty collection, American idol polling, Digg voting, and creating mashups?

- Does it all make kids better, more intelligent and more informed kids?

- Isn’t the new media more of Couch Media? I hear the U.S. has one of the lower rates of people having valid passports.

The mind runs on a drug called ‘New’.

That is truth behind all this fancy PR speak. Kids will still be kids and marketers will be marketers. Wonder why we don’t we have a names for the salesmen.

posted by Pramit Singh @ 10:42 AM