13 Things to Know About Teens and Technology

13 Things to Know About Teens and Technology Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet Project July 23, 2014 ACT – College Enrollment Planners Chicago Email: Lrainie@pewinternet.org TwiHer: @Lrainie

Dispelling myths

1) No playbook for new environment

2) No sure cure for making contact

Stupid NarcissisQc Privacy indiﬀerent MaterialisQc AnQ-‐social Mean Especially savvy ‘digital naQves’ 3) Teens are not an alien species Teens are more _____

What is diﬀerent about them does Qe to technology

4) Teens have tech-‐saturated lives •  95% use internet / ~ three-‐quarters have broadband at home 74% access internet on mobile device – 25% “cell mostly” internet users •  78% have cell phones / 47% have smartphones –  80% have desktop/laptop –  23% have tablet computers •  81% use social networking sites –  76% use Facebook -‐ 24% use TwiHer –  Approx. from young adult data: a quarter of teens use Instagram; 1 in 7 use Pinterest; 1 in 10 use Tumblr

5) This has networked informaQon •  Pervasive / portable / persistent •  Personal via new ﬁlters •  ParQcipatory / spreadable •  Linked •  Replicable and editable •  Immediate •  Timeless / searchable •  Given meaning via networks / algorithms

ImplicaQons for learners and informaQon seekers

6) InformaQon is a ‘third skin’

7) Teens have a new aHenQon layer – “conQnuous, parQal”

8) Teens have a ﬁih lobe

9) Teens parQcipate in the ‘ﬁih estate’

10) There is a Yin and Yang story when it comes to the way this aﬀects teens’ research

Online survey of 2,462 Advanced Placement and WriQng Teachers 77% of teachers surveyed say the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly posiQve” impact on their students’ research work 87% agree these technologies are creaQng an “easily distracted generaQon with short aHenQon spans”

76% of the teachers in this study strongly agree “the internet enables students to access a wider range of resources than would otherwise be available” 76% strongly agree that internet “search engines have condiQoned students to expect to be able to ﬁnd informaQon quickly and easily”

65% agree to some extent that “the internet makes today’s students more self-‐ suﬃcient researchers” 83% agree that the “amount of informaQon available online today is overwhelming to most students”

90% agree that “the internet encourages learning by connecQng students to resources about topics of interest to them” 71% agree that today’s digital technologies “discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducQng research”

Grading students’ research skills 7% 6% 11% 12% 19% 20% 20% 15% 26% 26% 29% 36% 38% 35% 37% 39% 26% 29% 33% 43% 24% 20% 21% 9% 0% 50% 100% Ability to recognize bias in online content PaQence and determinaQon in looking for informaQon that is hard to find Ability to assess the quality and accuracy of informaQon they find online Ability to use mulQple sources to effecQvely support an argument Understanding how online search results are generated Ability to use appropriate and effecQve search terms and queries Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor

What is the future of learning? -‐-‐ Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communi1es” New: Learning as a process Knowledge is objecQve and certain Old: Learning as transacQon Knowledge is subjecQve and provisional

New: Learning as a process Learners receive knowledge Old: Learning as transacQon Learners create knowledge What is the future of learning? -‐-‐ Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communi1es”

New: Learning as a process Knowledge is organized in stable, hierarchical structures that can be treated independently of one another Old: Learning as transacQon Knowledge is organized “ecologically”-‐ disciplines are integraQve and interacQve What is the future of learning? -‐-‐ Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communi1es”

New: Learning as a process We learn best passively, by listening and watching Old: Learning as transacQon We learn best acQvely doing and managing our own learning What is the future of learning? -‐-‐ Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communi1es”

New: Learning as a process Our “intelligence” is based on our individual abiliQes Old: Learning as transacQon Our “intelligence” is based on our networks What is the future of learning? -‐-‐ Shana Ratner (1997) “Emerging Issues in Learning Communi1es”

How will hyperconnected Millennials live? hHp://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Hyperconnected-‐lives.aspx

Vote for …

Millennials’ future •  In 2020 the brains of mulQtasking teens and young adults are "wired" differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields helpful results. They do not suffer notable cogniQve shortcomings as they mulQtask and cycle quickly through personal-‐ and work-‐related tasks. Rather, they are learning more and they are more adept at finding answers to deep quesQons, in part because they can search effecQvely and access collecQve intelligence via the Internet. In sum, the changes in learning behavior and cogniQon among the young generally produce posiBve outcomes.

… or …

Millennials’ future •  In 2020, the brains of mulQtasking teens and young adults are "wired" diﬀerently from those over age 35 and overall it yields baleful results. They do not retain informaQon; they spend most of their energy sharing short social messages, being entertained, and being distracted away from deep engagement with people and knowledge. They lack deep-‐thinking capabiliQes; they lack face-‐to-‐face social skills; they depend in unhealthy ways on the Internet and mobile devices to funcQon. In sum, the changes in behavior and cogniQon among the young are generally negaBve outcomes.

Millennials’ future Change for the beGer 52% Change for the worse 42%

11) Theme -‐ Supertaskers

12) Theme – New winners/losers

13) Theme – The distracted are toast

6 media zones

1) STACKS

How it works •  MoBve – learning, mastery, producQvity •  Content – acQonable info, how-‐to sensibility, links and other resources •  Device – desktop / laptop •  Engagement – full aHenQon – verQcal reading •  InﬂuenBals – trusted brands and known experts (professional and amateur) •  ~ Mindshare – quarter to a third of media Qme

ImplicaQon for message makers •  Engagement strategy –  Search opQmized / ﬁndable – AcQng as informaQon sherpas – Problem solving mindset – Cut and paste – FAQs – How-‐to videos – Feedback friendly

2) SIGNALS

How it works •  MoBve – real-‐Qme awareness •  Content – headlines, new informaQon, ﬁrst impressions maHer most •  Device – smartphone, tablet •  Engagement – glancing OR galvanized •  InﬂuenBals – brands •  ~ Mindshare – < 5% of media Qme

ImplicaQon for message makers •  Engagement strategy – News, especially scoops – Deals – LocaQon enabled – Insights from analyQcs

3) SNACKS

How it works •  MoBve – killing Qme, beaQng boredom •  Content – gamiﬁed, bite-‐size headlines, link-‐ dense •  Device – smartphone •  Engagement – distracted, quick-‐twitch •  InﬂuenBals – brands, quality of social network •  ~ Mindshare – 5%-‐10% of media Qme

ImplicaQon for message makers •  Engagement strategy – Apps – Immediate connecQon – Predictable and compelling home screen – Grabby copy / acQvity – Clear and consistent Return on My AHenQon

4) STREAMS

How it works •  MoBve – catching up / checking in / curiosity •  Content – news (broad deﬁniQon), social updates •  Device – any / all •  Engagement – conQnuous parQal aHenQon / horizontal scans / sharing •  InﬂuenBals – editors, social networks •  ~ Mindshare – quarter to a third of media Qme

ImplicaQon for message makers •  Engagement strategy – Apps – Smart curaQon – Customizable ﬁlters – Compelling ecosystem of content – Tagging and saving for future immersion – Social network mediated – Serendipity encounters

5) SOCIALS

How it works •  MoBve – friend grooming •  Content – social, personal, entertaining •  Device – all •  Engagement – parQal, browsing •  InﬂuenBals – super-‐networkers / primary nodes in the network •  ~ Mindshare – 10% of media Qme

ImplicaQon for message makers •  Engagement strategy – Social networks are gatekeepers – Spreadable content – Treat central network nodes like tradiQonal media inﬂuences – Enable parQcipaQon and feedback

5) SYNTHESIZED SPACES

How it works •  MoBve – my permissions •  Content – personalized, anQcipatory •  Device – my surroundings •  Engagement – immersive, invisible •  InﬂuenBals – my past behavior, analyQcs, algorithms •  ~ Mindshare – most waking hours

ImplicaQon for message makers •  Engagement strategy – SelecQve product placement and messaging – Permission-‐based monitoring / interacQons – Careful of privacy sensiQviQes – Careful of too much “moneQzaQon”

MarkeBng Myopia What business are you really in? -‐-‐ Theodore Levi8 Harvard Business Review (1960)

Be not afraid

13 Things to Know About Teens and Technology

Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project

13 Things to Know About Teens and Technology