Derek E. Baird, M.Ed.

The Gen Z Frequency Translated into Chinese Language Edition

I'm so proud and excited to announce that my book, The Gen Z Frequency, has been translated into a Chinese language edition by Blue Lion Press and Zhejiang University Press.

Just like the original version of the book, the Chinese language edition offers a comprehensive guide for any youth brand or organization trying to reach Gen Z.

"Many books talk about Gen Z, but this is a definitive playbook for modern marketers and business people to authentically engage an emerging generation."

-Stefan Heinrich, Head of Global Marketing, ByteDance (TikTok)

The book covers content creation, connecting with youth culture, online community and content engagement strategies, and tactics such as social media, experiential, emerging technologies (like AR and VR), kids' privacy law, building online communities, embracing youth culture, and much more.

 

 

Trend Watch: Augmented Reality Apps for Education

Last summer, millions of kids discovered the power of Augmented Reality (AR) while using apps like PokemonGo, Snapchat and Instagram.

In light of these socio-cultural changes, educators need to “keep abreast of change” and embrace curriculum design which integrates the authentic ways that students use AR in their “out of school” experiences as a tool that connects them with peers and content as a means to achieve, both short and long term, learning goals.

Like other technologies, AR has the potential to be a powerful tool that support the personalized learning goals of students by bringing scannable content to life in an engaging and cost effective manner.

For a generation that’s been raised on interactive technologies, bringing AR into the classroom and curriculum can also help encourage active engagement and contribute to student retention.

Read the entire post on VR Pop on Medium.

State of the Kids Digital Space, Apps & Media

Alison Bryant and Paul Levine of children's digital research company PlayScience present their latest findings on kids and digital media at Casual Connect in San Francisco.

Not surprisingly, most children hear about new apps from their friends, especially as they get older, though younger children are more likely to learn about new apps from their parents.

Here's the executive summary of the PlayScience report:

PlayScience: Kids, Apps and Digital Media

Here's the video of the PlayScience presentation at the Casual Connect 2015 Conference in San Francisco.

 

Thanks to Scott Traylor of 360 Kid for the video!

Trend Watch: Utah Valley University Creates “Texting Lane” for Students

Study: 63% of College Students Actively Using Facebook or Twitter While Watching TV

Mobile is having the biggest impact on how college students apportion their screen time. Daily time spent on the computer and watching TV decreased in 2013, while daily time spent with the mobile phone and tablet were up by about 18 minutes each, compared with 2012.

But even if daily time spent watching TV is diminishing, a considerable 60% of college students reported owning a flat-screen TV; and TV viewing was still a major portion of students’ media time, clocking in at 2.8 hours per day. While time spent on the computer or mobile may be higher, activity on these devices can run the gamut—from using a word processing program for schoolwork to making a phone call.

By comparison, when students turn on the TV, it is to watch a program, even if using other devices is a corollary part of the experience.

The study found that eight out of 10 college students reported using a second screen at least a few times a week while watching TV. Only 13% did so less than once a week, or not at all.

The most popular activity students engaged in while watching TV was using Facebook or Twitter, at 63% of respondents. Social TV can be boon to TV marketers and advertisers, but there is always the possibility that social networks are merely distractions from TV content.

Surfing the web was the next most common activity while watching TV, at 58% of respondents, while half also reported playing games. Schoolwork wasn’t completely forgotten while students vegged out in front of the television, though—37% said they did homework or research while watching TV.

And in a sign that the second screen may be an opportunity for TV marketers and advertisers to gain student viewers’ extra attention, about one-quarter of students looked up the TV schedule on a second screen, and about the same percentage shopped. (Source)

 

 

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MTV Study: 57% of Millennials Like to Take a Break from Technology to Make Things with Their Hands

In a recent survey, MTV Insights set out to understand the younger end of the Millennial demo, 13-17 year olds, who will soon move into the “sweet spot” of MTV’s core target demographic of 18-24 year olds. 

This is a landmark generational study that builds on MTV’s long legacy of deeply understanding their audience, as part of an effort to constantly reinvent ourselves and stay at the bleeding edge of youth culture.

One of the most interesting findings?

Of those who repsonded, 57% reported that they like to take a break from technology to make things with their hands…and 82% agree “when I’m stressed or overwhelmed, I like to stop and just do one thing at a time." As Julia, 17 puts it “When I craft I’m in the zone, it really soothes me."

With social media, crafts & baked goods are granted a “second life" and serve an important function in helping hone one’s personal self-brand. We see teens today even more adept at developing their unique persona from a young age, realizing both the need to stand out to get social media likes and, moreover, showcase a unique side to get noticed in a highly competitive college admission process. 

Why are younger Millennials so stressed?

They came of age in an economic downturn, seeing college grads struggling with huge student loan debt and living through a cascade of social media-amplified tragedies like Hurricane Sandy and Sandy Hook. For them, life has always been a 24/7 social media show.

Younger Millennials’ “adaptive survival strategies”

Life-Prepping

These pragmatic youth are natural preppers in the face of an unpredictable world – whether planning for physically safety in light of violence or prepping for their futures in a more uncertain economic climate.

Accustomed to high school intruder drills, they are always in “exit strategy” mode, withover a third agreeing they “plot out escape plans when in public places, because of events like Sandy Hook.” Although half are scared of violence at school, they seem to have adopted a practical “Keep Calm and Carry On” mentality.

Mono-tasking

YMs are consciously taking time to self-soothe (a classic coping mechanism from hyper-stimulation) disconnect, de-stress, de-stimulate and control inputs. They “mono-task” and focus on immersive hands-on activities like baking, sewing or crafting. They claim their dependence on social media is overrated: one girl says “My parents Facebook more than I do.” 

• 8 in 10 young Millennials agree that “Sometimes I just need to unplug and enjoy the simple things”
• 82% agree “when I’m stressed or overwhelmed, I like to stop and just do one thing at a time”
• 57% like to take a break from technology to make things with their hands
• 54% of 14-17 year old girls say baking makes them feel less anxious

Hyper-Filtering

This is the first generation of “digital latchkey kids.” Though increasingly physically protected by parents, teens’ web behavior is not as closely monitored. But like the Gen X Latchkey Kids who created their own rules and regimes while parents worked, youth today are surprisingly filtering out what’s overwhelming to them online: avoiding certain Youtube videos or sites that they think are gross, inappropriate or disturbing.

They’re slimming down their social networks and finding niche/private places to share in a controlled environment, whether it’s Snapchat or a locked Instagram feed.

Unlike older Millennials who were pioneers in the “Wild West of social media,” today’s teens are “tech homesteaders” – they’re more savvy about how to use the internet, build "gated" groups, "hide in plain view", curate and filter.

Source: MTV Insights | The New Millennials Will Keep Calm and Carry On

COPPA 2.0: FTC Rolls Out New Rules for Mobile, Social and Geolocation Apps for Kids

Today the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rolled out the biggest changes to the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) since its launch in 1998.

For those of you not familiar with the law, COPPA regulates what information and data can be collected on children under 13. 

The regulations relate to all aspects of privacy protection and are intended to give parents complete control over their children’s personal information.

The refreshed COPPA rules take effect on July 1, 2013 and focus largely on the explosion of mobile devices, geolocation, mobile photography, social networking and app use by children under the age of 13.

FTC Resources

• New suite of resources can streamline COPPA compliance
• Complying with COPPA: FAQs
• Children's Privacy Resources
• COPPA: A Six Step Plan to Compliance
• New Suite of Resources Can Streamline COPPA

Additional Resources & Information

• COPPA: Helping Parents Protect Their Children (Fun Education Apps)
• New Online Child Safety Rules Aim to Protect Kids on Smartphones, Social Media (NBC News)
• COPPA: 10 Rules Every Business Should Know (VentureBeat)
• Children's Online Privacy Rules Updated for Social and Mobile Era (Mashable)
• Google Education Apps & COPPA (Google Apps Education Edition)
• Privacy Alert: New COPPA Rules Effective July 1st (JD Supra News)
   

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Trend Watch: Is Teen TXTNG Killing Language? [VIDEO]

Does texting mean the death of good writing skills? John McWhorter posits that there’s much more to texting -- linguistically, culturally -- than it seems, and it’s all good news.

In this TED talk, linguist John McWhorter thinks about language in relation to race, politics and our shared cultural history.

INFOGRAPHIC: 81% of Americans use a smartphone and watch TV simultaneously

There is a chance that you are reading this post on a tablet or smartphone. In fact, you might even be dividing your attention between these words and a nearby TV or laptop. If that’s the case, you are in good company.

According to an infographic created and sponsored by Uberflip, 81% of Americans use a smartphone and watch TV simultaneously. The biggest use of the second screen appears to be social networking, and watching TV, it’s easy enough to see networks strive to make the connection.

Nearly every reality show has related hashtags flash by occasionally, encouraging viewers to weigh in on Twitter, which is the biggest drivers of social TV, with 33% of users tweeting about it last June. (via)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trend Watch: How Millennial 'Cord Nevers' Are Disrupting TV

INFOGRAPHIC: 80 per cent of UK Twitter users log on via mobile

Trend Watch: How Chatter Matters in TV Viewing

UK obsessed with TV and internet - Confused.com

Trend Watch: How Chatter Matters in TV Viewing

A new study from cable in­dustry as­so­ci­ation CTAM – and con­duc­ted by Nielsen – looks at how we talk about tele­vi­sion, what we talk about, when and with whom this chat­ter takes place, and how this dia­logue in­flu­ences TV en­gage­ment and tune-in be­ha­vi­or.

Infographic: Chatter Matters When Watching TV

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The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior

The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior by

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I Want My (Social) MTV: 'WatchWith' Social TV App Connects Friends, Cast & Social Networks

Sick of watching "Jersey Shore" by yourself? Tired of your boo snoring their way through your hilarious "Real World" commentary? Download MTV's new iPhone and iPad app WatchWith now — your new Social TV watching partner.

Check it out:

• WatchWith acts as a DVR for social commentary, recording the best, most relevant comments and delivering them real-time — your Facebook and Twitter friends and followers obviously get top billing.

• WatchWith serves up cast commentary, too. (You know you want Snooki's take on the latest Meatball drama.)

• The app is so smart it knows your timezone, dishing out exclusive content to the timeline of your show.

• Let's say you watch an episode on demand and miss out on the live conversation. Don't worry, WatchWith can sync the episode with the comments.

• Oh you want more? It's got hilarious trivia, bonus clips, the newest pics, blog posts and more.

Did I mention it's free? Download it now on iTunes »

Trend Watch: Twitter, Facebook and Social TV

Twitter Embraces Its Social Role in TV: Like so many other things that the Twitter community has established on its own (hashtags and retweets, for example), the company is now fully embracing the role it plays in supplementing the TV-watching experience of millions of people. [RRW]

Social Media and TV - Who's Talking, When and What About? : Social media continues to influence how consumers interact with brands and share content every day. Increasingly, TV viewers leverage social media as a platform to talk about and engage with TV content.

These conversations are not only opening new channels for consumer engagement with their favorite TV shows and fellow fans alike, but also are providing insight into which viewers are driving the conversations and when. [Nielson Wire]

Yahoo's IntoNow Provides Signs of Life for The Premier Digital Media Company: Yahoo! is known for acquiring startups and letting them languish. But IntoNow cranked out a whole new product--and a possible game-changer for the TV industry--in six months. Is this the beginning of something new? [Fast Company] Get the free IntoNow App on iTunes

MTV Exec: Social is a New Programming Platform: Many people are talking about how TV networks can leverage the power of social networks to help build their show audiences. But they may be missing the point. According to Dermot McCormack, EVP of Digital Media for MTV, social networks aren’t just for announcing when the next episode of Jersey Shore airs, but a whole new platform for media creation and distribution. [GigOM]

TV Isn't What it Used to Be: According to a recent Ypulse report, only 28% of students say they can’t live without TV (referring to traditional viewing), compared to 83% who can’t imagine life without music. Some students even prefer streaming video to traditional TV viewing; after all, it gives them what they want when they want it. What’s a TV company to do? [MediaPost]

In the U.S., Tablets are TV Buddies: The Nielsen Company​’s most recent research on mobile connected devices sheds new light on how consumers are using their tablets, eReaders and smartphones – and where they are using them, too. [Nielson Wire]

Multask Mania | Viewers Watch TV, Discuss on Social Sites: Almost 40% of TV viewers are discussing TV shows on social media sites, with almost three-quarters of TV viewers with broadband access, generally using the Internet at same time, per U.K.-based Ovum, a business/technology research firm. [MediaPost]

What's the Future of Social TV Look Like?: Real-time entertainment is what people are looking for–we always want something fresh to keep us up to date.  But with this demand for real-time entertainment, how has it affected traditional TV? [Silicon Angle]

The Future of TV, From Apple to ZeeBox: “The future of TV” has become a buzzword over the last few years – but what if it was time to stop talking about it and acknowledge that the future has already arrived? [TNW]

Barking Robot > Category > Social TV

Infographic: How Mobile Phones Shape the Lives of College Students

Created by: HackCollege

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Goes High Tech

Those cutle little "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes are going high tech!

Thanks to a partnership with Microsoft TAG, kids can now ask you to scan the barcode on the side of the box with your smartphone and donate any amount--on the spot.

No smartphone? No problem. You can also contribute $10 by texting the word "TOT" to UNICEF (864233).

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF just for teachers 

• The Complete Teacher's Kit (ZIP)
• Send Home Letter to Parents on Class Participation
• K-2 & 3-6 Classroom Units Aligned with National Content Standards