Global Village Teens and Technology

Teens and technology Global Village Susan Abbott Abbott Research & Consulting For MRIA Conference Winnipeg, Manitoba May 2008

What do creative qualitative people do with their free time? They cook up a global pro-bono project and involve their buddies from all over the world to help

What this presentation will cover Some of

To learn about teens and communication technologies Current behaviors and habits ? Choice of phone, e-mail, IM, text, etc? Social networks? Hopes, fears, dreams for future communications?

Focus Forums bulletin board

QRCA Views Spring/2008 Revista da ABA Setembro/200 7 Q-Cast June 5 Online (free) Graphics courtesy of Diva Oliveira, Brazil

The method section I didn’t mention

Home page with daily messaging from moderator

The Chinese discussion. Respondents could easily upload their own images.

Method, continued Lots of projective exercises, such as this picture sort for “me and my cell-phone”, and “me and my cell-phone company”

Detailed responses common to this format.

We learned a lot about teens

Similarities outweigh differences

My cell-phone is sleek and sexy Safe and protected Someone to help me Frustrated if doesn’t work It gives problems How fingers feel from texting Exciting Like I’m making love Window left open for you Fun! Unites me with family and friends Circle of friends Linked with the crowd Connect with friends Tied together A friend that keeps my secrets

Satisfied most of the time Dissatisfied sometimes (slow, dropped calls, can't hear, forget to charge) Functions/features: Clock, camera, wallpaper, old/minimal features Stay connected to friends, people I know Connects me to anyone in the world My cell phone means the world to me. I LOVE MY CELLPHONE!!! Fun to have/use

Cell-phone is at the centre of the communications universe – it’s the “myself phone”, and has a big emotional and functional role in daily life

“ I was in the 5th grade when I got my own phone - the first call I ever made was to my dad and it worked and my phone was very good to me like I took real good care of it I didn’t let no one hold it - I felt like I was grown up and felt like I was cool”

The cell-phone is easily personified. A loyal and powerful servant, working hard while a teen has fun, but also in need of protection from many physical risks (such as being dropped in the toilet)

“ 10:52 am-Opens it and checks for any new messages 11:00am to 2:00pm-Receives txt messages from friends and family. Replies back to msgs using phone or telecom home website. 3:00pm to 6:00pm-scrolls through contacts.. 6:00pm till 3:00am-talking to friends After 3:00-sleep”

Teens select the right communication method … to meet the needs of the moment. Speed / immediacy, convenience, reliability, socializing characteristics, emotional distance and control

“ I've learned to text without having to look at the keyboard, so it's really easy to talk during class”

“ Expressing your feelings by sms is easier, I feel more in control”

Mobile phone channel choices (  ) = if not at computer, and speed/cost via phone is acceptable

Teens make savvy practical choices about devices, service providers

Computers are not as reliable a servant as the cell phone

Teens often do not have credit cards, which makes online shopping more cumbersome

Teens wishes for computers more speed, greater affordability, easier interconnectivity between devices, no need to synch, smaller computers

What about … social networking?

Some major differences in social networking sites by country

On the benefits of instant messaging… “ Nobody can listen like when you talk at school with a friend“

What to do when your school bans a site … “ Last year I only got tdotwire because that's the only networking site my school hadn't banned! So i used it to network with my friends while I was in class.”

Why virtual reality isn’t all that compelling… “ I don't tend to go on virtual communities because I don't feel really safe going on them." “ I‘ve been on Neopets and Habbohotel, they are just a waste of time, there's only 'one' thing most the members [of Habbohotel] want do and in my opinion just another predator site.” "[Second Life] is only for the elder generation from 25 upwards... you need a lot of time and that is for people who do not have a real life and need to build up a second"

What the future holds …

Mobile internet applications will be a critical delivery channel for the Millenials  The phone is much more central than the computer as an access device.

Focus on fun  Teens are acutely aware of this phase of their life as a time they can have fun and evade responsibilities. They are not in any rush to “grow up.”

Canadian teens value tolerance and diversity and they are very open to new ideas. The world may be dangerous, but it is also exciting, and technology holds incredible promise for the future. A future they are looking forward to.

What we learned about research – moderator styles, coordinating, and multi-lingual projects

Individual moderator styles are very different, even on a bulletin board … length of intro … approach to follow-up questions … use of emoticons … use of probes

Blinded questions really dampen interaction … use sparingly, when really needed

Teens enjoyed the format  They thought they opened up MORE than they would have in person

Recruiting specs needed to be flexible “ Heavy internet user” “ New computer” “ Your own cell phone”

11 bulletin board projects over 3 days generates a lot of data

If you try this at home…

Having some multi-lingual people helps  especially for project coordination

But…. Local idioms, Short-forms, Slang, Different service providers Cultural norms A local moderator is essential

Set up a debrief guide in advance of each project Set up a reporting format in advance of each project Use online tools to collaborate throughout

A bulletin board is not a survey  Leverage the unique strengths of the format

You will have a lot of data. Make a plan. Allow enough time Figure out how you will condense it in advance, based on project goals