This is a time where adult life is starting to kick in. When creating a social media strategy recently, I was puzzled on how to engage with teenagers and the younger population. Internship expert, Lauren Berger, tweeted a thought that sparked my interest to look into what social media teenagers are using…
…and then the puzzled question goes through my head, “Where in the world are teenagers in social media?!” So naturally I go to my trusty old partner, Pew Research. Pew posted an great presentation by Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research of Teens & Technology, called Teens & Technology: Understanding the Digital Landscape. Some great hard facts from 2012:
- 95% of teens use the internet (holy cow), 93% of teens have a computer and 74% teens are mobile internet users
- one in four teens use their cell phone rather than a computer
- 94% of teens are on Facebook, 26% on Twitter, 11% on Instagram and 1% on Pinterest
Lets talk about the percents Lenhart presents on. Even though 94% of teens are on Facebook, I don’t believe they are active on it like teens are active on their Twitter or Instagram accounts. Which is why Facebook is becoming the “Mom Platform” of social media. With the babyboomer generation taking over Facebook, upcoming generations are finding new places to be. This is why Instagram is so popular with ages 12-19. Lenhart states an 19 year old female saying, “Yeah, that’s why we go on Twitter and Instagram [instead of Facebook]. My mom doesn’t have that.” My 14 year old cousin isn’t even on Facebook, but post Instagram and Snapchat images daily. Teens are going to more social media platforms with less interaction because they are stressed with the “drama” Facebook can create with its unlimited word count. Twitter only gives 140 words and Instagram in a photo sharing site. This simple interaction avoids drama with people.
Any professional who is creating a social media campaign needs to factor in the young generation to maximize success. By using visual communication, helping teens build their social reputation and avoiding drama a social media campaign can attract teens and create that viral buzz.
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