The document discusses the profound impact of technology on the value systems of today's youth, highlighting the emergence of the 'Facebook generation' defined not by age but by attitude towards connectivity and privacy. It outlines several 'fault lines' where traditional values clash with modern paradigms, such as privacy vs. sharing, and passive audiences vs. active participants in culture. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding these shifts for brands aiming to remain relevant in an evolving social landscape.

1. KNOWLEDGE
Fault lines of
the
generation
where value systems collide

2. New technologies are having
profound effects 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.

3. In fact, we do hear echoes
of similar fears
Collapse of established order, weird
new past-times, and the ever-present
danger of sex, sex, sex threatening
our children.

4. There is little doubt that the generation
gap just got a lot wider…wider than in
the 1960’s even.
In fact, we do hear echoes
of similar fears
Collapse of established order, weird
new past-times, and the ever-present
danger of sex, sex, sex threatening
our children.
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.

5. 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.
the
generation

6. Let’s start by dispelling a few
myths and misconceptions

7. Myth
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.

8. The Facebook Generation is defined
Myth 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.

9. Myth
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 differences and
drivers.

10. So let’s explore some of the fault lines
Where previous values come into
conflict with the new paradigm

11. The right to privacy vs.
The need to share
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.

12. 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

13. The right to privacy vs.
The need to share
Fault Lines: Online social networks
What becomes of all of the data
being collected? Who owns that
information? Who has access to it?

14. The right to privacy vs.
The need to share
Fault Lines: Court Systems
Where does privacy end and
self-incrimination begin?

15. The right to privacy vs.
The need to share
Fault Lines: Institutions, gov’t and financial
What exactly are their sources for
collecting personal data?

16. Separation of Social life The idea that the bonds we
make in real life are somehow
Vs. online life 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.

17. Separation of Social life
Vs. online life
Fault Lines: The places we used to ‘hang out’
Will need to find new reasons for
people to leave their living rooms.

18. Full attention vs.
Perpetual multitasking
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.

19. Full attention vs.
Perpetual multitasking
Fault Lines: School and work
Mounting evidence suggests that
multi-tasking inhibits retention and
makes us less efficient.

20. Full attention vs.
Perpetual multitasking
Fault Lines: The dinner table
Families today have very little ‘down time’
where they can interact as a unit
uninterrupted by outside stimuli.

21. 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.

22. Absolute Reality
vs. My Reality
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.

23. Absolute Reality
vs. My Reality
Fault Lines: Mainstream Media
People expect their worldview reflected back at
them. Since everyone’s worldview is different,
things get complicated for broadcasters.

24. Absolute Reality
vs. My Reality
Fault Lines: Mainstream Media
People can now also tune out advertisers and
other interruptions –threatening the very
foundation of the mass-media business model.

25. 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.

26. Experiencing culture
vs. Creating culture
With unfettered access to its idols and
celebrities, the facebook generation can and
does insist on becoming part of the narrative

27. Experiencing culture
vs. Creating culture
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.

28. 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.

29. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as voyeur

30. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as curator

31. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as jury

32. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as director

33. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as producer

34. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as coach

35. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as detective

36. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Audience as author
http://the-starhorse.deviantart.com

37. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
The MTV generation The Reality TV generation
Rapid-fire, Quick cuts, Multiple messages, Immersive, Anyone can be famous, Embrace
Sensorial bombardment your 15 minutes, Ironic, Self-aware

38. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
Fault Lines: Advertising
Advertisers increasingly need permission to
engage with consumers.
Campaigns are built around consumer
creativity or participation rather than
advertisers’ ideas.

39. Passive Audience
vs. Active Participant
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.

40. 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.

41. 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. www.chopper-tattoo.com

42. Customization
vs. Personalization
Fault Lines: Consumer Goods
How does one turn a profit when
producing for an audience of one?

43. 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.

44. Too good to be true
vs. Not good enough
Fault Lines: Technology based industries
Keeping a lid on innovation is
becoming increasingly difficult.

45. Trappings of success
vs. Trapped by success
Luxuries that take you offline and disconnect you from
your network are not luxuries for the facebook
generation.
A corner office? 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.

46. Trappings of success
vs. Trapped by success
Fault Lines: The Workplace
Companies will need to accommodate
the need for greater connectivity if
they want to attract these people to
their workforce.

47. Trappings of success
vs. Trapped by success
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.

48. 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

49. Tangible Ownership vs.
Ephemeral licenses
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.

50. 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

51. Ideas and
inspirations
To help brands connect with
the facebook generation

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

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

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

55. Objective
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
55 4/12/11

56. Objective
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.

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

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

59. The fault lines are here. They are affecting
our lives and our businesses now.
The only question left to ask
is, on which side of the divide
do you stand?

60. Thank you for your attention.
For more information, please contact:
Cocoon Group
Douglas Kaufman
d.kaufman@cg-eu.com
00420 603 840 287
U Pruhonu 13, Prague, Czech Republic 170 00
www.cg-eu.com

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Additional images provided by Shutterstock.