Smart phones and mobile Internet use is still growing around the world. According to eMarketer.com, 75.7% of the U.S. population is online, and penetration in younger demographic cohorts is even higher than that. Among the Generation X population (born between 1965 – 1980), 88.8% are monthly Internet users; nearly 95% of them use mobile phones (60% use smart phones).
This age group consumer online content like crazy with 74.5% using social networking sites at least monthly and 2/3 use Facebook. Interestingly, Twitter reaches only 14.7% of Generation X, but this is expected to quickly grow. Digital video is more popular than social networking; at least 78% of the groups downloads/streams video online at least once per month.
Not to be left behind is the Baby Boomer generation (born between 1946 – 1964). In that age cohort, roughly 8 in 10 are regular Internet users, and they are also likely to use mobile Internet and smart phones.
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Poll students on their use of digital technology.
- How often do students use their mobile devices to access the Internet? Surf Internet? Access social media? Purchase items?
- What other activities do they routinely do online?
- How does this usage compare to that of the Baby Boomers and Generation X?
- How have these patterns changed since they have been in college?
- What do students think the next applications will be?
- What should retailers do to reach Generation X on smart phones?
Source: eMarketer.com, 3/20/13
