the

generation

Fault lines of

where value systems collide

New technologies are having profound e!ects on the value systems of today’s youth For an equivalent situation, we would need to turn back the clock to the introduction of Rock & Roll to see the generation gap blown so fundamentally wide.

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Collapse of established order, weird new past-times, and the ever-present danger of sex, sex, sex threatening our children.

In fact, we do hear echoes of similar fears

However, this vast chasm has been brought about not by rebellious dropping out, but an enthusiastic tuning in thanks to great advances in technology in the past decade.

There is little doubt that the generation gap just got a lot wider…wider than in the 1960’s even.

the

generation

This newest generation, aptly, takes its name from a piece of technology which at once joins people together and sets them apart from those who still refuse to join in the cultural revolution.

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Let’s start by dispelling a few myths and misconceptions

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The Facebook Generation is defined by age While it can be argued that just about every teenager is part of the facebook generation; one cannot say that every member of the facebook generation is a teenager. Membership is defined by attitude and openness to a certain set of values rather than any strict age requirement.

Myth

Myth The Facebook Generation is defined by use of online social networks We can say that what defines the facebook generation has come about largely because of advances of the internet and online technologies. However, these values and characteristics now for the most part transcend the technology from which they are derived.

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The values that define this generation are inherently good or bad This values system (like all values systems) transcends good and bad. Our aim is not to pass judgment, but to reveal the main di!erences and drivers.

Myth

So let’s explore some of the fault lines

Where previous values come into conflict with the new paradigm

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The idea of privacy as something that is desirable or in need of protecting is increasingly alien to the facebook generation. Everything is worthy of sharing with friends, or even the world. Feelings and emotions have become accessories which we display and use to decorate our personas.

The right to privacy vs. The need to share

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The right to privacy vs. The need to share

Sharing every aspect of life, newsworthy or dull, has become commonplace and accepted thanks to reality TV, blogging, and vlogging

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Fault Lines: Online social networks

What becomes of all of the data being collected? Who owns that information? Who has access to it?

The right to privacy vs. The need to share

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Fault Lines: Court Systems

Where does privacy end and self-incrimination begin?

The right to privacy vs. The need to share

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Fault Lines: Institutions, gov’t and financial

What exactly are their sources for collecting personal data?

The right to privacy vs. The need to share

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Separation of Social life Vs. online life

The idea that the bonds we make in real life are somehow more important or ‘real’ than those we build while we are online seems quaint to the facebook generation.

They are continually connected to a vast network of friends and associates, messaging, chatting, and playing games. They may have best friends whom they have never met in person.

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Will need to find new reasons for people to leave their living rooms.

Separation of Social life Vs. online life

Fault Lines: The places we used to ‘hang out’

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This is a generation of multi-taskers. It is not uncommon to see students texting, messaging, chatting, and taking notes during classes. They are constantly plugged in, giving partial attention to several tasks at once.

Full attention vs. Perpetual multitasking

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Fault Lines: School and work

Mounting evidence suggests that multi-tasking inhibits retention and makes us less e"cient.

Full attention vs. Perpetual multitasking

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Fault Lines: The dinner table

Families today have very little ‘down time’ where they can interact as a unit uninterrupted by outside stimuli.

Full attention vs. Perpetual multitasking

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Absolute Reality vs. My Reality

Splintering media channels have resulted in the ability to pick and choose the news, culture, and perspectives that agree with our existing points of view, filtering out pretty much everything else. The facebook generation will be the first to have grown up entirely in a reality of their choosing.

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Fault Lines: Politics

Suddenly subjected to new ideas and viewpoints, people become intensely polarized and reactionary. Every issue becomes life or death as our very values come into conflict.

Absolute Reality vs. My Reality

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Fault Lines: Mainstream Media

People expect their worldview reflected back at them. Since everyone’s worldview is di!erent, things get complicated for broadcasters.

Absolute Reality vs. My Reality

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Fault Lines: Mainstream Media

People can now also tune out advertisers and other interruptions –threatening the very foundation of the mass-media business model.

Absolute Reality vs. My Reality

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Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

For previous generations, others created culture and we partook. Rock stars, authors, actors, politicians made popular culture. Now, thanks to easy-to-master tools for creating and disseminating creative work, the facebook generation is hijacking and taking full-control of popular culture.

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With unfettered access to its idols and celebrities, the facebook generation can and does insist on becoming part of the narrative

Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

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Fault Lines: Copyright Law

The gatekeepers of culture are fighting tooth and nail to keep their various monopolies. Lawsuits and crackdowns on sites such as Youtube are ‘turning our children into outlaws’ according to Lawrence Lessig.

Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

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Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

The facebook generation increasingly expects to be a part of their entertainment — or at least helping to call the shots. They willingly invite and interact with brands and companies that put them in the driver’s seat or which create experiences that are collaborative or competitive.

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Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

Audience as voyeur

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Audience as curator

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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Audience as jury

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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Audience as director

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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Audience as producer

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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Audience as coach

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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Audience as detective

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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http://the-starhorse.deviantart.com

Audience as author

Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

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Passive Audience vs. Active Participant

Rapid-fire, Quick cuts, Multiple messages, Sensorial bombardment

The MTV generation The Reality TV generation Immersive, Anyone can be famous, Embrace your 15 minutes, Ironic, Self-aware

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Fault Lines: Advertising

Advertisers increasingly need permission to engage with consumers. Campaigns are built around consumer creativity or participation rather than advertisers’ ideas.

Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

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Fault Lines: Mass media

This generation is not afraid to organize and protest when things don’t go their way. Online backlash often results when today’s audience feels that their opinions are not being taken seriously.

Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

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Customization vs. Personalization

The idea of a typical life or mass consumption is alien to the facebook generation. Companies have always spoken to them directly, and they have come to expect a personalized experience from their interactions with brands, applications, or services.

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Customization vs. Personalization

They never cease trying to turn their lives into a unique user experience. Self-tutoring and body-modification are common expressions of this.

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Fault Lines: Consumer Goods

How does one turn a profit when producing for an audience of one?

Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

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Too good to be true vs. Not good enough

While previous generations have been burned by scams and overpromising technologies — the facebook generation is living in a time when technology continually surpasses their wildest expectations. (most digital technologies at least).

The openness of online communication also ensures that expectations, while high, are almost always met and products which do not deliver quickly fade from the dialogue. The result is a generation of ‘eager adaptors’ who are invariably impatient for the next big thing.

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Fault Lines: Technology based industries

Keeping a lid on innovation is becoming increasingly di"cult.

Too good to be true vs. Not good enough

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Trappings of success vs. Trapped by success

Luxuries that take you o#ine and disconnect you from your network are not luxuries for the facebook generation. A corner o"ce? A cabin in the woods? A new car? You can keep them. These people will take the train and surf the net on the way into work. Actually, they�’d prefer not to commute at all seeing as though everything they need is at home or on the cloud.

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Fault Lines: The Workplace

Companies will need to accommodate the need for greater connectivity if they want to attract these people to their workforce.

Trappings of success vs. Trapped by success

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Fault Lines: The Real Estate Market

Smaller houses, ability to walk everywhere, and multiple spaces to interact with technology typify the values of this generation of home buyers.

Trappings of success vs. Trapped by success

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Tangible Ownership vs. Ephemeral licenses

The facebook generation is increasingly comfortable with virtual objects on digital space. For books, we have our kindle. For Movies, we have Netflix. For games, we have Steam or Kongregate. For applications, we now have the cloud. For activities, we now have our WoW quests, and for real estate, we now buy virtual homes on Second life.

In none of these cases do we own anything that we can hold in our hands, but rather we have unlimited rental agreements

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Fault Lines: EULAs

People used to owning books which they could loan to friends or games which they could play anywhere are uncomfortable with limitations placed on where, when, or how they can use products they supposedly own.

Tangible Ownership vs. Ephemeral licenses

Right to privacy vs. the desire to share

Separation of social life vs. online life

Full attention vs. perpetual multitasking

Absolute reality vs. my reality

Experiencing culture vs. Creating culture

Passive audience vs. active participant

Customization vs. Personalization

Too good to be true vs. Not good enough

Trappings of success vs. Trapped by success

Tangible ownership vs. Ephemeral licenses

Ideas and inspirations

To help brands connect with the facebook generation

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Give consumers a forum for collaboration, co-creation, and exhibition rather than simply telling or showing them how wonderful your product is.

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Create an entertaining, ongoing event in which consumers can participate.

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Game layers, while still in early development, are on the right track in terms of building engagement and interactivity with consumers.

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Avatars have become a great way to build personalization and ownership into products. We envision the next great leap in personalization to be avatars which you can bring with you from one platform to the next (think of your mobile phone number with a face).

The many avatars of Annie OK

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In many cases, there are people out there willing to discuss your brand and your products with each other and with you. Social media gives them a forum for this discussion. While you cannot control this discussion, you can certainly listen, take part (if you wish), and act on the feedback you receive from your customers.

Conclusion Increasingly, it is becoming crucial to locate and navigate the fault lines a!ecting one’s sphere of influence if one wishes to maintain relevance. Likewise, exploiting an opponent’s weakness in these matters can be the di!erence between success and failure.

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For companies, these fault lines have become rallying points, around which powerful new (or reinvigorated) brands are being built.

The only question left to ask is, on which side of the divide do you stand?

The fault lines are here. They are a!ecting our lives and our businesses now.

Thank you for your attention!

For more information, please contact: Cocoon Group Douglas Kaufman d.kaufman@cg-eu.com (+420) 222 998 598 U Pruhonu 13 170 00 - Prague Czech Republic www.cg-eu.com

© Cocoon Group 2011 All Rights Reserved

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