Digital Natives: Who are They?

By: Irina Skaya

Are you a digital native? Do you spend hours playing video games, publish your phone number on a social networking site, or carrying an iPod full of illegal music tracks? If not, then you are a digital immigrant, one who had to adapt to the new online environment. In any case, if your target consumer is a digital native, you must speak in their native language because they think completely different. Last month, I attended a SheSays (women in advertising) group where the seven truths about digital natives were discussed:

Truth 1: Email is lame.
Recently, Chris Marriott of Axciom presented at an ANA Marketing Training workshop on Digital Marketing and he stressed that the younger demographic does not answer their parents’ phone calls or emails. Instead joining social networks such as Facebook has caught his daughter attention. 

Truth 2: TV is dead. Long live TV like online video services, e.g. Hulu.
That’s right, television is still hip but the format we watch it in has changed. People are busier now and do more things simultaneously—we as digital natives expect to see movies on multiple platforms which we can take with us wherever we go.

Truth 3: Cant w8 2 c u luv mma<3.
We have our own ‘hip’ lingo that can catch our attention if adopted by advertisers.

Truth 4: Teens have a totally different view on privacy. Totally!
Teens today put up their phone numbers on social networking sites without worrying about identity theft or telemarketers.

Truth 5: “We don’t need no education.”

Truth 6: Copyrights?
An average teenager’s iPod has 800 illegal music tracks.

Truth 7: They care.
Support for the presidential election and the environment have been embraced by this age group.

Knowing more digital natives and their behavior will help you engage with them and make your ads more effective.