Over the last week, I have been looking at some of the data from our Community Igniter research.
Some of this data is about what conversations distinguish 'digital natives' from other age groups. By facilitating these conversations, brand owners are able to make their brands more meaningful and valuable to this age group.
Topics of conversations that mark digital natives from other age groups include movies, music, gaming and work. Absent from these conversations are topics related to technologies themselves. A lesson for technology brands is that they need to talk about what digital natives can do through technologies that will improve their lives and interactions with other people, rather than talk about the technologies themselves.
Conversation topics
%=proportion of age group that regularly has this conversation
Just in case you haven't come across this idea, various ed-techies have been taking issue with the digital natives idea (eg http://oro.open.ac.uk/32324/ ). An in vogue alternative is the notion of 'visitors and residents' http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2009/10/14/visitors-residents-the-video/
Hello Tony. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I also find the term 'digital native' problematic in terms of how it is used to define people aged under, say, 27. The first paper you link to sounds interesting. There do appear to be differences in both practice and attitudes between 15-24s and 25-34s (and differences within these age groups) around some communication devices, but I'm not sure what the writer means by 'discontinuity' between age groups. If you have one, I would very much appreciate a copy of the paper. Steve
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