The Baby Boomers set the pace when it came to integrating television; their parents did it when it came to radio; their grandparents when it came to film. And now, today's 16-22 generation is doing it with the Internet.
And, according to the market research firm which performed the survey, Forrester Research - just like with their predecessor generations, if companies don't play by the rules they're setting forth in practice, like "Choice is a human right" and "There is such a thing as a free lunch," those companies are going to fail. Major.
"This is a watershed for the Internet -- when a generation of consumers internalizes a technology, its dissemination becomes self-sustaining and pervasive," says senior Forrester researcher James McQuivey in a written statement issued today. "(T)oday's 16-22 year olds will become the first Net-powered generation."
IDG Online Network says that's not exactly a fresh conclusion, but there is "something about seeing it quantified in black and white." The Forrester statement also says that, once they have "internalized" the Internet, Net use "will become instinctive and affect all their other behaviors."
"The Net-Powered Generation" is based on a survey of about 8,500 youths in the aforementioned age bracket, and was compared to two adult surveys and to data on young adults from American and Canadian sources alike.
The Forrester survey drew up five "Net Rules" which the firm says will rule the beliefs and expectations outlined:
Young Internet movers and shakers will insist on "deep, accurate information" being available all the time, wherever they are. \nThey will insist that personal information has value, shaping how marketing appeals to behavior and attitudes. \nTheir credo will likely be, "Choice is a human right," demanding a wide range of options from suppliers. \nTheir secondary credo will likely be, "There is such a thing as a free lunch," as they insist on free things, pointing toward perhaps no-strings giveaways becoming a mainstay of marketers trolling for Internet consumers. \nYoung attitudes will alter how building trust in relationships is viewed, with e-mail and instant messaging fostering a belief that building trust no longer requires knowing someone face to face.
