Unveiling Millennials' Media Culture: Youth's Influence on Modern Communication Trends

1. Millennials Using Media: Messages in the Moment, on the Move― Selected Research Findings Dr. (Ms.) Haleh Vaziri, 28 May 2009 For Center for International Media Assistance workshop: “YouthTube: Empowering Youth through Independent Media”

2. Questions to Ask about Youth Media Use • Who are today’s young adults―15 to 30? What experiences do they share or not? • Case studies: What media do they have access to? What do they use? Why? • Venezuela―the consumers seeming to defy age • China―the tech enthusiasts • Nigeria―the regional and ethnic divide • Afghanistan―the outliers • What kind of culture are youths creating with their choices? • What challenges and opportunities do youths present for media development groups? • What are the outcomes donor organizations desire vis-à-vis youths? • When I was watching the BBC Persian Channel’s Click―not my grandfather’s station anymore… آشنايی با نوآوری ها در زمينه کامپيوتر و ابزارهای نوين A discussion show taking maximum advantage of computer and other interactive communications technology 1

3. Inputs from the BBG-Sponsored Research Program • Executed by InterMedia, 2008-09 • Surveys with national coverage and samples of 1,000-8,500 • Qualitative studies―Focus groups and in-depth interviews • Evaluative studies―Monitoring panels • Conducted in Venezuela, China, Nigeria and Afghanistan • Some comparisons with other countries in this research program 2

4. Today’s Youth―The “Millennial” Generation • Born 1979 onwards, with much to say about this age group, this report offers an overview of their media consumption patterns, focusing on technology use. • Watersheds in their lives as teenagers and adults include: • Positive developments… • Communism’s decline, the USSR’s collapse  Democratic possibilities • Economic liberalization and privatization  Relative material comfort • Inter-culturalism, integration and fusion  Citizens of the world • Negative developments… • Clashing civilizations and fundamentalisms  Response to “humiliocratie”1 • Loss of economic security  Disparities within and across societies • Resurgent nationalisms  ethnic, sectarian and tribal conflict • Such experiences and collective memories are the context for their media and communications behavior. • 1 Coined by Moroccan activist and scholar Mahdi Elmandjra, this term refers to the institutionalized daily humiliation Muslims feel in their interactions with the West, especially the U.S. • It has also come to describe their continued sense of powerlessness at the hands of ineffectual and/or repressive governments. This term arguably captures the realities lived by many of the • world’s non-Muslim youths as well. See M. Elmandjra, Humiliocratie àl'ère du méga-impérialisme, Casablanca: Annajah Al Jadida, 2003. 3

5. The Millennials’ Media Scene • Youths are media-rich and savvy, checking diverse sources to find their “truth” in any news story. • They use sources mostly to keep up with events, particularly in their own societies. • They like television’s audio-visuals,surfing channels for what catches their attention. • They tune to radio, preferring FM, for convenient access to news and especially music. • Yet for them, TV and radio content turns viewers and listeners in to passive consumers. • Via internet and cellular technology, they can consume, distribute and create content. • So they tend to use these mediums more than older consumers, creating their own virtual world. • They are connected to each other and trust peer-generated content and messages. • However, millennials want to and can reach other generations with their content and messages too. Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, a technology-access and -training NGO Women’s ICT training center in Kabul 4

6. Venezuela’s Consumers Seeming to Defy Age Weekly Media Use by Age • More than the other case studies, Venezuela is a market where use of television and radio is similar across ages. • The divergence comes with internet use which plunges as consumers become older; those under 30 are four times more likely to log on at least once a week than those 60+. • As internet users, youths go on line to do more than exchange e-mails and are more inclined than others to voice their opinions on blogs and in news groups and chat rooms. • Interestingly, though, more Venezuelans 60+ report ever reading a blogfor information and commentary than among other age groups―72%versus 56% of those 15-29. • In fact, the older generation is more likely to seek out domestic news―82% of those 60+ in contrast to 73% of the 15-to-29 set … • … and to say that events in other countries affect their lives―46% of the 60+ age group, 10 percentage points more than those 15-29. • Is Venezuela’s market what “normal” looks like as a society ages? Are more tech-savvy consumers 30+ who become content producers a worthy goal in media development― engaging more than just youths? Preference for Interactivity on the Web by Age Source: BBG-sponsored survey by InterMedia, Venezuelan adults adults 15+, n=1,329, July-September 2008. 5

7. China’s Tech Enthusiasts • Age is only part of China’s media use story; place of residence also matters―urbanites use media more often. • Going online correlates strongly with age. • Light fare and social issues are leading topics of interest for youths. • Regular web users download music, play games or seek entertainment more than other activities―75+% in the last month. • Yet 38% log on to find the latest news and 35% to participate in news groups. • Hi-speed access is 92% among youths, facilitating delivery of multi-media content. • On cell phones, they are more likely to use non-call features―texts, photos, the web. • Notably, in contrast with Venezuela’s seemingly more inwardly focused youths, China’s tech enthusiasts are globally minded. • They are more interested in world news … • … and have more positive views of other countries. • Who is emerging among the wired Chinese― entrepreneurs, world “netizens” or dissidents? Weekly Media Use byUrban and Rural Youths Weekly Internet Use by Age Groups Source: BBG-sponsored survey by InterMedia, Chinese adults 15+, n=8,428, September-October 2008. 6

8. Nigeria’s North-South Divide • Age is only one piece of Nigeria’s media puzzle, as in China. Nigeria’s regional divide between North and South overlaps with major ethnic and religious differences. • For some 90% of Nigerians, domestic news is their top interest; regional coverage is second at 65%. • In this radio culture, social networks are also vital for news. • Hausa youths consume less media, except for radio. Infrastructure is inadequate in the North, and Hausas are of lower socioeconomic standing than other Nigerians. • The population at large is 4 times more likely than Hausa youths to log on at least once a week. • The key to increased internet use for all may be growing mobile phone access―a jump from2% to 35% during 2002-07. • Youths take advantage of all cell phone functions more than does the general population … • … but the reverse is true for Hausas. For example, 74% of young weekly phone users sent/received SMS in the “last 7 days” versus 55% of Hausa youths. • Attitudes also diverge; Hausa youths are less favorable to Western countries and especially to the U.S. than other Nigerians and youths generally―48% versus 58% and 62%. • Does this digital gap reinforce other cleavages? Does it mean less exposure to the outside world for Hausa youths? How can this gap be closed? Weekly Media Use by Youths Total Population All Youths Hausa Youths Weekly Internet Use by Nigerians and Hausa Youths Total Population Hausa Youths Source: BBG-sponsored survey by InterMedia, Nigerian adults 15+, n=3,011, October-November 2008. 7

9. Afghanistan’s Outliers • Thirty years of war and Taliban rule have made Afghans outliers in media technology development. • In this radio culture, age correlates to behavior; youths use more media. • Yet, as in Nigeria, word-of-mouth news sharing is common among Afghans. In fact, reliance on community networks is the most often used news source, particularly for those 45+. • Religion leads topic of interest for 65%, then national and city/regional news and education. • Television is the “new” or renewed technology, while internet use is statistically insignificant even with more cafés. • PCs cost a lot; only 4% of Afghans own one, versus 85% who have a radio and 35% with a TV set. • In the long run, cell phone ownership access may be the entrée to internet access. Right now, though, logging on does not register among use of non-call features. • Amid generally positive views of the U.S., youths are more favorable than others―70% versus 54% of those 60+. • Will war’s destruction and slow reconstruction keep Afghans on the edges of media technology progress? What about conservatives social forces? Weekly Media Use by Age Groups Ownership of Mobile Phones by Age Source: BBG-sponsored survey by InterMedia, Afghan adults 15+, n=2,066, October-November 2008. 8

10. A New Media Culture? Challenges… • The media culture of many of the world’s millennials is marked by their: • embrace of civic-minded messages andrejection of overtly political content; • desire to hear from each other―employing young personalities matters as does facilitating communications between youths; • focus on presentation―the appeal of studio settings, camera angles, logos, etc.; • impatience with slow delivery mechanisms that reinforce passivity; • mobility―the ability to send and receive content anywhere any time; • and blurring of the private and public space and activities. • When I was hanging out at the Café Younes in Beirut… • For media developers seeking to engage youths, challenges abound: • Media’s successful introduction to and subsequent sustainability depends on factors that elude control―culturally conservative groups, state opposition, war, etc. • Narrowing/Eliminating the technology gap is not a unilinear process; setbacks occur. • Even where access to and use of new technology are low, youths are sophisticated, not believing whatever they read, hear and see. • Where access and use are high and outlets are multiplying, grabbing and holding the attentionof young consumers is tough. 9

11. A New Culture? Opportunities, Desired Outcomes • Despite daunting challenges, prospects for engaging millennials via new media inspire optimism. • Youths are open to experimentation in all aspects of life, including media use. • They want to know what others are doing and saying … • … and they want to be heard, seen and represented for who they are, especially in societies where they always have to answer and defer to others.  They seek respect. • They are not only early adopters of and adapters to new media but can also be innovators. • They can be the best trainers of one another inboth use of new technologies and content creation. • The introduction and development of media are―or at least should be wherever possible―dialogicalprocesses that engage youths even before the technology and content exist. • Amid these opportunities, what are the donors’ goals? Are these shared by consumers? • Do we hope to inform? To turn a profit? To create entrepreneurs or journalists? To cultivate democratic values like accountability? To foster a new culture or to disseminate the existing one ? • Can we assume or ensure any of these outcomes―eventhe basic goal of informing youths? • Are new media changing the types of information youths want? • Are there any downsides to increased access? • All questions worth keeping in mind when entering a market and to probe here today… 10

12. Thank you! 11