Teens are the true early adopters, and they are leading the way in mobile. It is truly *their* medium, and they are using it to communicate on their terms. But to older generations, it can be new, different, scary. And just as rock and roll worried parents in the 50’s, mobile phones are today’s sociocultural threat.
This tension played out on in the blogsphere recently. During the “What’s Next in the Mobile Youth Space?” panel at the YPulse Mashup (which I had the chance to moderate), Stephen Saiz, manager of consumer insight and strategy at mDisney, got some laughs when he said that “teens are pushing their parents onto mobile because they really don’t want to communicate with them directly.” This prompted an article on CNET about the cell phone as “mom-avoidance device for teens.”
The majority of older audiences using Disney mobile applications skew to mothers who are goaded there by their kids, he said. And most tweens and teens prefer to text message and instant chat with parents and friends rather than talk directly so that they can continue doing other things like play video games with friends, he said.
The article led to a stream of comments on the blog from miffed parents. This one from wxcc2004 kicked it off:
It’s called “rude”. Is “rudeness” a new trend? It’s pure stupidity that teenage children “need” a cell phone to begin with. Oh, I forgot, absentee parents feel better giving the kids a cell phone for “communication”. How dumb of me. If my kids had a cell phone of their own, it would get instantly taken away, if they were rude to me as a parent by not answering the cell when they could have.
Many other commenters echoed this sentiment, calling kids “disrespectful” and “spoiled.” “I care deeply about my kids and won’t be satisfied with a text message that boils down to ‘whatever ….’,” said one.
Have parents ever been satisfied with their teens’ communication skills? I know my mom balked every time I said “fine.” “How are you?” “Fine.” “How was school?” “Fine.” This is nothing new. The technology, however, is, and it gives teens a sense of control over their lives, which are often managed and steered by others. This desire for autonomy is a part of growing up and self-formation. It also helps them manage their ultra hectic lives. The final comment added this new perspective to the conversation. Kenright60660 said:
Texting is a new way of communication, and, as with all new things is a conservative society, it is frowned upon for the most part. Texting should not be seen as not taking the call, but as taking it in a different way. …
As for lack of expression, what is so important that a parent needs to gauge a child’s emotional reaction to everything that they say? If you ask where they are, they will probably tell you, and are probably more likely to be truthful in a text message. …
And as for parents saying that their children do not need cell phones, maybe you should think of yourself as a teenager, and how having a cell phone would have changed the way you would have done things as one. …They can be reached when you need to reach them, and it allows for them to be able to reach you when they need to… Cell phones allow you to have more knowledge of your child, and allow you to take more responsibility, while allowing them a little bit more control in their own lives.
Kids today are are being socialized–and socializing–through technology. It’s evolution. Ultimately, older generations will need to keep up with innovations–and subsequent changes in communication–if they want to get their message across, whether that is “clean your room!” “learn this,” “buy that,” or “vote for me.”
