Wireless has opened up entirely new forms of communications from text messaging to the idea of mobility as a feature being more important that signal quality. In this video from the 2008 OPASTCO Summer Convention, Tim Owens of Cronin Communications talks about the results of their survey of this so-called cell phone generation or, as I once wrote, the packet generation.
The following video is from the OPASTCO 2007 Summer Convention. The decision to film this was made at the last minute and there wasn’t time or resources to obtain a better audio feed. Additionally, there were several technical problems with the microphones. Despite the technical difficulties, the insight provided by the youth on this focus group-style panel is quite valuable for any independent telco trying to get a handle on the needs and wants of tomorrow’s customers. To read the youth survey, click here.
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The report and video, available below, provide commentary and the responses to a survey regarding communication trends among today’s American rural youth. The purpose of this survey was to understand how rural youth from OPASTCO-member (or equivalent) communities consume media and technology. Sharing of some of the results from this survey took place during the panel, Youth Are Our Present, at OPASTCO’s 44th Annual Summer Convention. |
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Donate and half the money (after credit card expenses) will be sent to the FRED Foundation and the other half will go to the Tony Atwater Memorial. Donations are optional and are commensurate with what your perceived value of this bundle is. As a point of reference, this type of report would typically be priced from several hundred to several thousand dollars. This particular report required the combined efforts of more than 20 people, who are involved in some form with the independent telco industry, spending more than 100 hours of their time to devise, administer and report on the results. Feel free to donate via credit card, or directly to FRED or Tony Atwater’s Memorial Fund by sending a check to either of the following addresses (Please note: "Youth Survey" on the memo section of the check): 21 Dupont Circle NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 Elizabeth Q. Atwater f.b.o. Antonio Atwater Memorial Fund c/o Great Western Bank, |
Youth Are Our Present – Executive Summary
This document provides commentary and the responses to a survey regarding communication trends among today’s American rural youth. The purpose of this survey was to understand how rural youth from OPASTCO-member (or equivalent) communities consume media and technology. Sharing of some of the results from this survey took place during the panel, Youth Are Our Present, at OPASTCO’s 44th Annual Summer Convention.
The results of the survey reinforce the idea that younger people are among the first to embrace new approaches to communications and entertainment, such as text messaging, social communities and mobility. Still, like people of all ages, things such as ease of use and value resonate with the younger generation. Some other key points from this survey include:
- Two-thirds (2/3) of the rural youth consider themselves or their siblings to be the most tech-savvy in their household.
- TV still consumes the most amount of a youth’s time, although they spend a significant portion of their waking hours using computer and texting via mobile phones. The landline telephone consumes the least amount of a youth’s time.
- Youth tend to be most willing to pay for cell phone service, in part, because they perceive it to offer the best value and utility for the money.
- Social communities are just behind cell phones as ways to communicate with their peers. The popularity of these two forms of communication will probably lead to increased intertwining of social communities with mobile services.
- Despite all of the messaging and marketing that the youth are bombarded with, friends and family remain the biggest influences on the adoption of new technology and associated services.
- Ease of use is the most important factor in the selection of a cell phone, while the basic feature of being able to make a call is the most important.
- The sources of the video the youth watch are definitely different from previous generations, as broadcast television ranked fourth behind, cable television, video stores and the Internet.
- Youth are producers of video content, as 46% have uploaded or plan to upload videos to the Internet, which has long-term implications for the upstream bandwidth requirements.
Youth Are Our Present – Full Report (PDF)
To see the full contents of this 45 page PDF report, click on the following link (right-click to download – left-click to open in a new window.
The Password to open this document is 44opastco
Anika Enos of Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. gave an impassioned wake-up call for independent telcos to observe and understand how the younger generation – the so-called millennials and echo-boomers – uses media. She provided real-life examples to point out that tomorrow’s customers will not be landline and television centric, but will be more oriented to personal media players and un-tethered communications devices.
