Young consumers and the information society

1
Young consumers and the information society

• Terhi-Anna Wilska
• The Family Federation of Finland
• Population Research Institute
• MEDIAMORPHOSIS
• The Shape of Things to Come
• 26.11.2004

2
Recent development in Finland

• The rise of the new information society
• Changes in consumer cultures among the whole
  population
• The rise of the Net-Generation
• The emergence of new communication cultures among
  the young

3

• Consumer Cultures of Young People in the
  Changing Information Society (n637), collected
  in schools in spring 2001 among 16-20 -year-olds
• Children as consumers and targets of marketing
• Target group Children aged 10-13
• survey at schools for children (N389) and
  parents (N198) in spring 2003
• focus groups at schools (16x 4), May 2003
• focus groups of parents (4 x 3-4 ), June-Oct.
  2003

4

• How do young people see themselves as consumers
  and as users of new technology?
• Is new technology a coherent part of the consumer
  styles of young people?
• Are there differences between genders in terms of
  consumption and new technology?
• Is the consumption of IT more branded than
  other technology?

5
Young People as Consumers

• Young people feel they are reasonably well off
  economically
• Young people are technically well equipped
• Parents pay a lot of the expenses of their
  youngsters
• Young people recognise their consumption styles
  and they are and they also aim to control their
  consumption

6
Young Consumers as Users of Mobile Phone

• Addict Users (use value of the phone)
• girls, trend-conscious, impulsive shoppers
• Trend Users (symbolic value of the phone visible
  part of identity, advanced technology)
• boys, trend-conscious, impulsive shoppers,
  free-riders
• Thrifty Users (basic phones, calls in minimum)
• not trend-conscious, laggards, prudent
  consumers, environmentally conscious

7
Young Consumers, IT and The Information Society

• Skilled Users
• boys, not upper secondary school,
  trend-conscious
• IT-laggards
• girls, laggards in consumption
• The Suspicious
• girls, individualistic and environmentally
  conscious
• The Practical
• boys, mass consumers
• Gadget Enthusiasts
• boys, free-riders, trend-conscious, wealthy

8
The importance of brands to 10-12 year-olds
Product
 
9
Most important brands for 10-12 year-olds
Clothes shoes Nike (7), Adidas (5), MicMac
(4)
Sports equipment Nike (17), Adidas (14)
Game consoles Sony PS (12)
Mobile phone Nokia (53)
Sweets, snacks Taffel (7), Estrella (6)
Soft drinks. Coca-Cola (15),
Hartwall (3)
TV, VCR, DVD Sony (6)
CD-player, Hi-fi equipment Sony (9), Panasonic
(3)
 
 
10
Conclusions

• Young people competent and self-aware consumers
• Consumption styles coherent with the ways of
  using the new technology
• Traditional differences between boys and girls
  in the use of IT
• Technology enthusiasm linked to
  trend-consciousness and free-riding in
  consumption
• Negative attitudes to IT linked to critical and
  environmentally conscious consumption
• Brands moderately important for children in
  ICT-consumption, mobile phone exception

11
Thank you
Terhi-Anna Wilska terhi-anna.wilska_at_vaestolii
tto.fi