For teens, a sense of support and connectedness is paramount to active digital lives.
The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project reported that only 8 percent of online teens have embraced Twitter. This contrasts with the overall increase in social network use of those aged 12-17 that went from 55 percent in 2006 to 65 percent in 2008 to 73 percent today. A study from FJ Metrics found that Twitters growth has slowed and only 17 percent of users updated their account in December – an all time low. (Dallas Morning News, 2/5/10; Brandweek, 2/8/10)
One 17-year-old in the article said “teenagers like to talk, and 140 characters are just not enough”. It appears that community is critically important to this cohort and that the mass “shout out” is not what many teens are looking for in their digital experience.
Charles Hess
