Millennials: Describing Our Techno-savvy Teens

I attended at the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East, held at Boston University, and became immersed in the Gen Y teenspeak. I was enlightened one of the keynote speakers, Gary Rudman, who is a teen consulting expert. He offered up a series of adjectives describing today's young people and their engagement with technology -- and it seems there is a dictionary in the making. Most of the information offered by Rudman was based on qualitative research, such as focus groups and interviews with to thousands of teens.

For any educator, marketer and parents it'€™s worth listening to the recorded conference sessions. I learned a bit of what to expect in the next few years with my tweens. And it is all the more apropos since my daughter received her first iPod for her 11^th birthday this week. Euphoria doesn'€™t quite capture her reaction -- her happiness was beyond her own ability to express it. It was truly a coming of age moment when she unwrapped the gift. Here'€™s some of the terminology:

• iJunkies -- are gadget-bound teens. Teens expect technical gadgets to be super easy and provide instant gratification.
• Technocrats -- there is nothing teens can'€™t take with them that doesn't fit in a backpack. If it's not portable it'€™s not cool.
• Techno bling -- Teens are just as vested in personal style as they are invested in technology. So if the technology doesn'€™t look cool and offer a means to personalize it, it will fail.
• Neighborhood net  -- Today'€™s reality is that once school is over teens go online; they see the virtual world as social. Although online friends maybe different that offline friends, the online world allows teens to create an ideal self or alter ego, or digital disguises.
• IM -- Instant messaging allows teens to be clever, different, and run commentary through internal editorial process (useful in pre-dating or flirtation); this allows teens to avoid saying something awkward in person and offers a comfortable way to test the interpersonal waters.
• Chill challenged -- Teens don'€™t have time to relax and are rarely disconnected from their gadgets outside of school; they have less real world conversation with parents although today'€™s teens are much more "€connected"€ to them than previous generations (Gen Xers, Boomers) were with their parents. The one way many teens seem to relax is listening to music, something they hold as highly personal.
• Mock maturity -- Teens have a sense they can purchase just about anything given how influential they are about product purchases in the home, but are limited by parent'€™s control over credit cards. Teens think they "€œknow"€ things, but teens are teens -- and still do the impulsive, idiosyncratic and silly things that adolescents have also done as they test their ability to control the world.
• Brain blur -- Teens have difficulty focusing their minds on one thing. Today's children are growing up with unique neural networks; they are forced to respond to technology and adapt to it. They are physically connected to cell phone and MP3 players.  One consequence is that teens need not memorize; information is so vast, it is impossible to take it all in. If one doesn'€™t know something, it's easy enough to "€œgoogle"€ or go to Wikipedia.com. Another consequence is that teens are so used to studying while listening to music or texting, that when it comes to in-classroom tests or assignments, they can be at a disadvantage. They are the ultimate multi-taskers.

When I came home that day I laid a few rules down about the iPod, as glorious a gadget it is to my daughter. Not to burst her bubble, but I told her no iPod at the dinner table or while studying. Later, she Skyped me a smiley face and a thank you. 

I was in the next room.