Guy Kawasaki recently moderated a panel of six young adults from Silicon Valley whose ages range from 15 to 24. It was called Next Generation Insights, and some of Guy’s insights include:

• They send as many as 4,000 text messages per month from their phones.
• They watch one to two hours of TV per week. And they use Tivo or a recording device to fast-forward through commercials during that short timeframe!
• They all have iPods, and they are very loyal to Apple.
• They buy approximately forty songs a month on iTunes.

Marketing executive Tom Hayes’ thoughts on the discussion are:

• They don’t watch a lot TV or employ much traditional media.
• They don’t tolerate commercials and don’t have to.
• They are very mobile.
• They are social and private at the same time.
• They reject overly slick (inauthentic) content and messages.
• Instead of search and sell, they are into “discovery.”
• They rely more on “alpha consumers” for their buying cues–people they admire, celebrities.
• They want active interaction, not passive purchasing.
• They have set boundaries outside of which your pitch is a violation.
• All they hear is noise–so quiet down.
• They are into sharing.  Referral is a form of sharing.
• They can be reached by “work of mouth,” so actively campaign.
• Tap into their social capital fund, be a friend.

Additional highlights from the discussion include:

• Text messaging is about pithy messages much like instant messaging rather than lengthy, formatted messages like email.
• MySpace.com is a way to communicate, an escape from responsibility (an aid to procrastination), a means to climb social ranks, and a way to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances.

So this is what Guy found out about the next generation. What have you discovered about them? And how accurate do you think the insights from this discussion group or your perceptions are?

Perhaps it is an accurate picture of this demographic from the Silicon Valley region. However, I think the responses would vary, sometimes greatly, depending on what region and core cultures are being interviewed. Nonetheless, it is a very interesting panel discussion. Use it as a starting point in your church’s quest to better understand this young generation and how to reach them.