Seeking the Magic Youth Formula

by Rick Rockwell

The movers and shakers of the online news world listened enraptured to a panel of experts this morning. And not one of the experts was older than 20. The youngest was 12.

The leaders in news and information came to hear from young people about online and modern media.

“I can’t explain why the older generation doesn’t get it, but you just don’t,” said Mary Specht, a student at American University and the oldest person on the panel. The panelists all agreed they interact with media, especially online media, in different ways than their parents.

The young panelists gave their advice and answered questions for an hour to lead off the last day of the Online News Association’s seventh annual conference in Washington, DC. A standing-room-only crowd of about 300 people attended the youth panel session. Many of these news executives wanted to find out just how they could make their online media appeal better to young consumers.

“News is only fun when it is out of the ordinary,” said Elsi Wu, a 16-year-old high school student from Maryland. She told the conference that weird news items are all that she likes to pass on to her friends.

“For instance, I was reading most people think about sex when they’re driving,” she noted. “And I had just been in an accident. So I thought, that explains a lot.”

The young people on the panel noted they use the internet primarily for gaming and social networking. Often their specialized news needs revolve around those bases, although they still check traditional news sites for information. But none admitted to reading a newspaper.

Specht said Slate, has “the right idea about how young people want news,” and in her opinion was the best source online. She liked the short summaries provided by Slate.

All agreed the internet is their primary medium. “People expect to be connected,” Specht said. “If your computer goes out, your life shuts down.”

Surprisingly, all of the young people on the panel said they didn’t find much use for blogs. Many said blogs don’t have much credibility, even with the millennial generation. “The only thing I read blogs for is entertainment news,” Wu said. “And who cares if that is real or not.”

(The photo is courtesy of Reuters for the Online News Association.)
Internet
Blogging
Journalism
Online Media
Add to Technorati Favorites