The Obama factor: The Net Generation

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Popcult
The Obama factor: The Net Generation
By Heidi Dawley
Nov 3, 2008 - 6:20:32 AM

If Barack Obama wins the election tomorrow, he will have won in the Electoral College and most likely the popular vote, but his real win, ironically, will be among those many dismissed as a socially disconnected generation, what some call the Net Generation, people between the ages of 11-30.

The stereotype is of a young person totally plugged into technology but largely unplugged from traditional social structures like family and community and the physical world around them, as well as lacking in traditional social skills nurtured by those relationships, thanks to spending so much time online. At some level they are perceived as rude, uncaring nerds.

But that's all a mischaracterization, and it's been Obama's ability to see beyond that stereotype that's enabled him to capture their support, argues Don Tapscott, a longtime researcher in the impact of the internet on society and the author of “Grown Up Digital," a sequel to an earlier book, “Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation.” Tapscott is chairman of nGenera Innovation Network, a research and consultancy firm, and an adjunct professor of managmeent at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management.

Tapscott believes Obama figured out how to tap into the Net Generation through their digital worldview, shaped in part by their experiences with social networks. Says Tapscott of Obama's campaign strategy: “It was all about engagement, rather than pushing out content."

And Tapscott warns that the impact of this generation, the largest ever, will extend in time well beyond politics. "Their culture is the new culture of media and marketing. And if media companies and publishers listen to them and understand them, they will understand how they need to change their business model,” he says.

As one might expect, Tapscott's prognostications for traditional media are most dire. He advises marketers in his book: “Radically reduce advertising in broadcast media. Most TV and much radio and print advertising is a waste of time, energy, ink, money and electrons. Shift your marketing communications spending to digital media.”

As part of his research into the Net Generation, which involved interviews with 11,000 people, Tapscott found that none of the stereotypes of the 11-30 generation held up. Rather than begin unplugged, Tapscott concluded they were in fact deeply engaged, if not in the same way as their baby boomer parents. “They are smarter, quicker and more tolerant of diversity than their predecessors. They care strongly about justice and the problems faced by their society,” says Tapscott in the book.

What marks this generation, he says, is a move away from what he calls the culture of control to one of enablement. The Net Generation would rather be engaged in conversation than sitting through a lecture, and Tapscott argues that this is having a profound impact on traditional media, both in the way this generation consumes it and in their relationships with the advertising that supports media.

TV is not their medium in the way it was for their boomer parents. They watch less, 17.4 hours versus 22.4 hours per week, and they pay less attention. It's become akin to Muzak, something relegated to the background, says Tapscott, but meanwhile they are spending eight to 30 hours a week online, according to different surveys.

And if they had to choose, the internet would certainly win out, and in all 12 countries Tapscott's study looked at. In the U.S., 77 percent said they would rather go without TV, compared to 23 percent who said the internet.

And when this generation does decide to watch something, they tend to download it or DVR it.

“So the vast majority of the dollars go to TV advertising, but the vast majority of that is wasted on the biggest generation of consumers ever. What an extraordinarily disruptive thing,” says Tapscott.

Tapscott's take on newspapers and magazines: "Those physical products are going to become defunct.” He thinks certain categories of print magazines, the highly visual ones, will fare better – but only for awhile. “They seem to be hanging in there quite well. But we are at the point where if you are on a subway or a beach, screen technology is not the same as paper."

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Meanwhile, elsewhere in popcult, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” was No. 1 at the box office over the weekend for the second straight week, bringing in another $15.0 million. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” opened at No. 2 with $10.7 million in ticket sales.

In DVD rentals for the week ended Oct. 19, according to IMDb.com, “The Incredible Hulk” was No. 1, followed by last week’s top rental, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

On iTunes this morning, “You’re Not Sorry” by Taylor Swift was at No. 1, followed by T.I. and Rihanna’s “Live Your Life.”

And in books, Vince Flynn’s “Extreme Measures” debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times’ hardcover fiction best-sellers list for the week ended Oct. 25 and at No. 5 on USA Today’s book chart for the week ended Oct. 26.

TOP MOVIES Weekend Box Office Estimates Weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2008
Rank	MOVIE	Engagements	Box office (millions)
1	High School Musical 3: Senior Year ( Buena Vista)	3,626	$15.04
2	Zack and Miri (Dimension)	2,735	$10.68
3	Saw V (Lionsgate)	3,084	$10.11
4	Changeling (Universal)	1,850	$9.41
5	The Haunting of Molly Hartley (Freestyle Releasing)	2,652	$6.01
6	Beverly Hills Chihuahua ( Buena Vista)	3,004	$4.75
7	The Secret Life of Bees (Fox Searchlight)	1,611	$4.00
8	Max Payne (Fox)	2,564	$3.70
9	Eagle Eye ( Paramount)	2,007	$3.40
10	Pride and Glory (Warner Bros.)	2,585	$3.26
Source: Yahoo Movies

IMDb TOP DVD RENTALS Week ending October 26, 2008
Rank	TITLE	Last week
1	The Incredible Hulk	-
2	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	1
3	The Strangers	-
4	Iron Man	3
5	The Happening	2
6	You Don’t Mess with the Zohan	4
7	Forgetting Sarah Marshall	5
8	Sex and the City	7
9	Leatherheads	8
10	Made of Honor	9
Source: IMDB

ITUNES TOP 10 SONG DOWNLOADS for week ended Monday, Nov. 3, 2008
Rank	TITLE
1	You’re Not Sorry, Taylor Swift
2	Live Your Life, T.I. feat. Rihanna
3	Womanizer, Britney Spears
4	If I Were a Boy, Beyonce
5	Hot N Cold, Katy Perry
6	Right Now (Na Na Na), Akon
7	So What, Pink
8	Let It Rock, Kevin Rudolf
9	Whatever You Like, T.I.
10	I’m Yours, Jason Mraz
Source: iTunes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING BOOKS Week ending October 25, 2008
Fiction (hardback)
Rank	TITLE	Last week	Weeks on chart
1	Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn	-	1
2	The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly	1	2
3	The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks	2	4
4	Bones by Jonathan Kellerman	-	1
5	The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski	3	20
Nonfiction (hardback)
1	Against Medical Advice by James Patterson and Hal Friedman	1	3
2	The Snowball by Alice Schroeder	4	4
3	Dewey by Vicki Myron with Bret Wittner	3	5
4	My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor	-	1
5	A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O’Reilly	-	1
Fiction (paperback)
1	The Shack by William P. Young	1	23
2	The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd	2	19
3	World Without End by Ken Follett	3	3
4	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz	4	8
5	The Road by Cormac McCarthy	-	60
Nonfiction (paperback)
1	Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin	1	91
2	Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama	4	119
3	The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama	3	44
4	Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert	2	92
5	Marley & Me by John Grogan	-	33
Source: New York Times

USA TODAY BESTSELLING BOOKS Week ending October 26, 2008
Rank	TITLE	Last week
1	Twilight by Stephanie Meyer	1
2	New Moon by Stephanie Meyer	2
3	The Shack by William P. Young	3
4	Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer	4
5	Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn	-
6	Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer	6
7	Brisingr by Christopher Paolini	5
8	The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks	7
9	The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz	-
10	Quicksand by Iris Johansen	-
Source: USA Today