13 Things to Know About Teens and Technology

13 Things to Know About Teens and Technology Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet Project July 23, 2014 ACT – College Enrollment Planners Chicago Email: Lrainie@pewinternet. org Twitter: @Lrainie

Dispelling myths

1) No playbook for new environment

2) No sure cure for making contact

3) Teens are not an alien species Teens are more _____ Stupid Narcissistic Privacy indifferent Materialistic Anti-social Mean Especially savvy ‘digital natives’

What is different about them does tie to technology

4) Teens have tech-saturated lives • 95% use internet / ~ three-quarters have broadband at home 74% access internet on mobile device – 25% “cell mostly” internet users • 78% have cell phones / 47% have smartphones – 80% have desktop/laptop – 23% have tablet computers • 81% use social networking sites – 76% use Facebook - 24% use Twitter – Approx. from young adult data: a quarter of teens use Instagram; 1 in 7 use Pinterest; 1 in 10 use Tumblr

5) This has networked information • Pervasive / portable / persistent • Personal via new filters • Participatory / spreadable • Linked • • Replicable and editable Immediate Timeless / searchable Given meaning via networks / algorithms

Implications for learners and information seekers

6) Information is a ‘third skin’

7) Teens have a new attention layer – “continuous, partial”

8) Teens have a fifth lobe

9) Teens participate in the ‘fifth estate’

10) There is a Yin and Yang story when it comes to the way this affects teens’ research

Online survey of 2, 462 Advanced Placement and Writing Teachers 77% of teachers surveyed say the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” impact on their students’ research work 87% agree these technologies are creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans”

76% of the teachers in this study strongly agree “the internet enables students to access a wider range of resources than would otherwise be available” 76% strongly agree that internet “search engines have conditioned students to expect to be able to find information quickly and easily”

65% agree to some extent that “the internet makes today’s students more selfsufficient researchers” 83% agree that the “amount of information available online today is overwhelming to most students”

90% agree that “the internet encourages learning by connecting students to resources about topics of interest to them” 71% agree that today’s digital technologies “discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research”

Grading students’ research skills Excellent Ability to use appropriate and effective search terms and queries 6% Understanding how online search results are generated 5% Very good 19% 3% Ability to assess the quality and accuracy of information they find online 3% Fair 26% 9% 21% 39% 26% 11% 29% 26% 12% Poor 36% 20% Ability to use multiple sources to effectively support an argument Good 20% 37% 24% 6% Patience and determination in looking for information that is hard to find 1% 15% 35% 43% 7% Ability to recognize bias in online content 1% 0% 20% 38% 50% 33% 100%

What is the future of learning? -- Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communities” Old: New: Learning as transaction Learning as a process Knowledge is objective and certain Knowledge is subjective and provisional

What is the future of learning? -- Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communities” Old: New: Learning as transaction Learning as a process Learners receive Learners create knowledge

What is the future of learning? -- Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communities” Old: New: Learning as transaction Learning as a process Knowledge is organized in stable, hierarchical “ecologically”structures that can be disciplines are treated integrative and independently of one interactive another

What is the future of learning? -- Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communities” Old: New: Learning as transaction Learning as a process We learn best passively, by listening and watching We learn best actively doing and managing our own learning

What is the future of learning? -- Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communities” Old: New: Learning as transaction Learning as a process Our “intelligence” is based on our individual networks abilities

How will hyperconnected Millennials live? http: //pewinternet. org/Reports/2012/Hyperconnected-lives. aspx

Vote for …

Millennials’ future • In 2020 the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are "wired" differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields helpful results. They do not suffer notable cognitive shortcomings as they multitask and cycle quickly through personal- and work-related tasks. Rather, they are learning more and they are more adept at finding answers to deep questions, in part because they can search effectively and access collective intelligence via the Internet. In sum, the changes in learning behavior and cognition among the young generally produce positive outcomes.

Millennials’ future • In 2020, the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are "wired" differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields baleful results. They do not retain information; they spend most of their energy sharing short social messages, being entertained, and being distracted away from deep engagement with people and knowledge. They lack deep-thinking capabilities; they lack face-to-face social skills; they depend in unhealthy ways on the Internet and mobile devices to function. In sum, the changes in behavior and cognition among the young are generally negative outcomes.

Millennials’ future Change for the better 52% Change for the worse 42%

11) Theme - Supertaskers

12) Theme – New winners/losers

13) Theme – The distracted are toast

6 media zones

1) STACKS

How it works • Motive – learning, mastery, productivity • Content – actionable info, how-to sensibility, links and other resources • Device – desktop / laptop • Engagement – full attention – vertical reading • Influentials – trusted brands and known experts (professional and amateur) • ~ Mindshare – quarter to a third of media time

Implication for message makers • Engagement strategy – Search optimized / findable – Acting as information sherpas – Problem solving mindset – Cut and paste – FAQs – How-to videos – Feedback friendly

2) SIGNALS

How it works • Motive – real-time awareness • Content – headlines, new information, first impressions matter most • Device – smartphone, tablet • Engagement – glancing OR galvanized • Influentials – brands • ~ Mindshare – < 5% of media time

Implication for message makers • Engagement strategy – News, especially scoops – Deals – Location enabled – Insights from analytics

3) SNACKS

How it works • Motive – killing time, beating boredom • Content – gamified, bite-size headlines, linkdense • Device – smartphone • Engagement – distracted, quick-twitch • Influentials – brands, quality of social network • ~ Mindshare – 5%-10% of media time

Implication for message makers • Engagement strategy – Apps – Immediate connection – Predictable and compelling home screen – Grabby copy / activity – Clear and consistent Return on My Attention

4) STREAMS

How it works Motive – catching up / checking in / curiosity Content – news (broad definition), social updates Device – any / all Engagement – continuous partial attention / horizontal scans / sharing • Influentials – editors, social networks • ~ Mindshare – quarter to a third of media time • •

Implication for message makers • Engagement strategy – Apps – Smart curation – Customizable filters – Compelling ecosystem of content – Tagging and saving for future immersion – Social network mediated – Serendipity encounters

5) SOCIALS

How it works Motive – friend grooming Content – social, personal, entertaining Device – all Engagement – partial, browsing Influentials – super-networkers / primary nodes in the network • ~ Mindshare – 10% of media time • • •

Implication for message makers • Engagement strategy – Social networks are gatekeepers – Spreadable content – Treat central network nodes like traditional media influences – Enable participation and feedback

5) SYNTHESIZED SPACES

How it works Motive – my permissions Content – personalized, anticipatory Device – my surroundings Engagement – immersive, invisible Influentials – my past behavior, analytics, algorithms • ~ Mindshare – most waking hours • • •

Implication for message makers • Engagement strategy – Selective product placement and messaging – Permission-based monitoring / interactions – Careful of privacy sensitivities – Careful of too much “monetization”

Marketing Myopia What business are you really in? -- Theodore Levitt Harvard Business Review (1960)

Be not afraid