Observations on the Teen Demographic (Part 3 of 3): Talk with me, not at me: The importance of interactivity

Television and print media are traditionally “push” media; uni-directional with predefined “receiver” structures. In contrast to this, one of the major appeals of the internet is its ability to function in the same way with traditional “push” content, but also, more importantly to work interactively with viewers, and provide “pull” content. This interactive engagement of the viewer, getting the kids into acquiring information and directing the course of their learning, creates a sense of community and personal involvement. Kids tale part in gaining education, and in participating, value what they’ve gained.

A personal aside: I learned as a child one of the keys to a strong education is a perception of education as something you take, not something that is ”given” to you. That is, if you have a teacher that is un-engaging, and delivering material that is uninteresting in an “easy” class, it remains the responsibility of the student to try and dig something out of the hours spent in class. Especially in college, where every hour in class represents an investment of cash, I could never understand the glee in others eyes at a teacher not delivering, or, on occasion, not showing up. Sure, you get credit for the class. But you don’t get the value that the credit you paid for was supposed to represent. How can you image that you’re “getting over” by not having to have a class because the teacher doesn’t show? As a concept, it still blows my mind. But this is not a popular attitude, and one that’s difficult to spread. But the internet seems to be doing it quite well—if a site does not deliver, it does not get clicked-through, and opportunity for deeper diving and increased communication is lost.

But as the interactive communication offered on the internet becomes more popular, and even expected, it becomes difficult for traditional print media to echo, and complete. The interactivity can be mimicked to a certain extent in print publications through interactive activities like quizzes, discussion questions, and group activities. Notably, teen girl magazines are increasing their level of interactivity as well in this way; this will probably further escalate with the intense magazine competition that exists. Young male magazines such as Maxim also are following this paradigm.

In schools, there has been a shift from lecture-oriented teaching to cooperative work (broadcast model vs. interactive model), again allowing students to participate in knowledge acquisition. I myself am engaged in acquiring my Masters in Graphic Design through an online course, because of the flexibility it affords. This method of teaching is becoming more prevalent even in the least technologically savvy school districts. In an era where interactivity, cooperative learning and higher thinking skills are becoming so important, it’s a good idea to consider how we can possibly incorporate these teaching methods into publications and print as well.

Style of visual presentation can have a big effect on reader involvement. It’s a confirmation of the intuitive response that an anonymous author (one that just lists facts, describes things as happening to neither the author nor the reader directly) is much less appealing and involving for the reader than a “visible” author, one who creates an I-you relationship with the reader (as opposed to an I-it relationship). The bottom line is that the importance of talking to the reader, or more appropriately, engaging the reader in a conversation as part of the process, and really creating an engaging conversation, is becoming an essential part of assuring interactivity in print media. That is, talking to the reader, not at the reader, is a key, essential distinction—and one that is not easily achieved.

Observations on the Teen Demographic (Part 1 of 3): Who are you?

In America, you are not selling if you are not tapping the teen market.

There were 30 million teens in the U.S. by 2006. In 1999 it was documented that people under 18 made up 26% of the population. As you can tell by any night on television, and any movie marquis, and any newsstand, that’s a huge chunk of the population, and by percentage on of the largest with a disposable income. Therefore, they are a target. Their most persistent suitors, outside of television and movie advertisers, are the mavens of the teen magazine market. They learn hard lessons about what it takes to get a teen’s attention in just a few seconds, and keep it from month to month, because their livelihood, and their very existence, relies on that understanding. From a publishing perspective (even as a designer for a publisher which does not sell directly to the demographic) it’s equally important.

I do little these days to sell to teens, but in my last 2 jobs it was essential to understand this demographic and how to communicate with them. So I got some goods and nowhere to go with it. This next series of blogs will explore some elements key to communicating with this teen demographic, from my perspective and experience, gleaned from exposure to the elements of popular culture they are inundated with.

First and foremost, we need to keep in mind that there really isn’t one teen reader or audience. The teen population is extremely diverse. Aside from similar emotional and physical development stages, there is tremendous racial/ethnic, cultural and social diversity (the racial/ethnic proportions in our country are undergoing rapid and drastic changes now and in the near future). However, more than ever, styles of fashion, music and language are becoming more accessible to teens across the country and around the world because of TV, radio and the Internet; no longer are Californian or New York teens light years ahead of teens in the Midwest.

In every part of the country, Teens are living in an increasingly diverse population, racially and ethnically. Also, there are many social groups within any teen community. Caution should be used not to lump everyone together or assume homogeneity within the age range. Diversity must be acknowledged.

Inclusivity and diversity are thought to reach the biggest audience in marketing to teens. Teens these days, and increasingly in the future, are living in an increasingly multicultural nation. Not only that, but the proportions of those varying cultures are changing. In 1999, 65% of U.S. children were white, non-Hispanic. Since, taking Hispanic population as an example, the number of Hispanic children had increased faster than that of any other ethnic group. They were 9% of the child population in 1980, 16% in 1999. By 2020, it is projected that more than 1 in 5 children will be of Hispanic origin. By 2050, non-Hispanic Whites are expected to decrease to less than 53% of the population.

Such demographic changes are reflected in popular culture in the increasing prevalence of television programs that feature diversity, without calling attention to that diversity. Shows such as Greys Anatomy feature an ethnically diverse cast, without ever having that diversity showcased as part of the plot.

What this means in terms of imagery in product is that it’s quite different from 10 years ago. Then it was a difficult thing to find images of diverse teens in a group. Now using anything but fully diverse images feel inauthentic, which is the worst mistake to make in communicating with this demographic.

Next: The Birth of Generation Digital