Sorry, kids. If you thought that friend request from your mom was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. According to a 2009 study by the Continuum Crew communications firm, last year saw a "dramatic rise" in the amount of time your parents and grandparents spend using the internet and social media platforms. Gone are the days of "facespace" and the "webernet"; that vast generational gap may not be growing as quickly as we think. Bad news for the teenage set, but great news for almost anyone else.
The shift in media consumption that Generations Baby Boomer (1946-1954) and Jones (1955-1964) are currently undergoing is a product of the realization that news coverage is readily available through the internet, often at a speed, depth and breadth unavailable from traditional media sources. Though younger generations have unhesitatingly embraced this idea for more than a decade, older generations have, until recently, relied upon the mediums of their youthsâ€"newspapers and television networks.
However, this last year has shown a remarkable change in direction. In Continuums' study, the number of Baby Boomers reporting an increase in internet use rose 24 percentage points between 2008 and 2009, and a majority indicated that the internet, as opposed to the cell phone, is now the media service they would be least likely to give up. Even more telling: the majority of these users have only joined in the last six months.
Why is this sudden upward trend so important? Such a qualitative shift in the way these generations communicate, conduct business and manage information will have an enormous effect on global marketing and information systems. As the Baby Boomers begin to integrate social tools into their daily lives, their collective identityâ€"social identity and purchasing power includedâ€"will be shifted and poised to be redistributed. They will undergo a Millennial Generation-like transformation, adapting to today's standards for information dissemination as they begin to trust and depend upon internet tools for a growing number of quotidian activities.
For businesses, this shift in attitude presents a glorious opportunity for redefining and reaching out to targeted demographics. As Lori Bitter, President of Continuum comments, the "aging of America is shaping global marketing trends, and no one is fueling the zeitgeist more than Boomers, who are craving great brand stories and a reason to align themselves with a brand." If wise, businesses will jump on the bandwagon, risking the forfeit of some image control for the chance to impress a new (and rather unaffected) demographic with astounding campaigns, customer service and corporate transparency. But they should hurryâ€"Baby Boomers have not yet incorporated their younger counterparts' demands for only brand accessbility, if only because they don't know they should. If trends continue as they are, however, this period of opportunity will not last for much longer.
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