Frequency Chart on Email by Age Groups from Label Networks%uFFFD North American Youth Culture Study 2009

Changes in Digital Communication Patterns–Taking a Look Specifically at Email
Email, once considered the main communication tool within the digital lifestyle of youth culture, is now on it’s way to becoming a dinosaur. As we stated in our North American Youth Culture Study 2009, released in May:

One of the most significant changes in new media and communication patterns are how higher percentages of older people continue to use Email as a form of communication compared with younger demographics. Because of messaging and bulletins via social networks, plus texting, IM, and Twitter, the fastest adopters of new technology, which tends to be younger demographics, have already moved on and off of old-school forms such as Email. This is something we’ve noted for the past year especially as Email becomes less of an important format for reaching younger demographics. Young people tend to open Email accounts to use them to create other types of accounts but don’t use them necessarily to communicate with their friends. Often, they simply make-up temporary free addresses to get what they may need -entering a contest, or something of this nature -only to never use that Email address again. The reason they use social networks for their “Email” is that they can control it. They can invite who they want to communicate with.

When asked, “How often in the last 6 months are you engaging in the following activities?” which measured Blogging, Twittering, Emailing, IM/Chat, and other forms of communication, there are direct correlations that the older the age demographic, the higher the percentages that are Emailing Just as frequently peaking at 52.4% of 21-25-year-olds, and More frequently, whereas the younger the demographic the higher the percentages that are Emailing Less frequently, peaking at 27.4% of 13-14-year-olds, or not at all, reaching 5% of 13-14-year-olds. Essentially, you have a new generation coming in that’s skipping right over the practice of Emailing as a form of communication and only communicating online or via new media tools in other ways such as through their profiles, texts, and Tweets. Here’s another example of a generation gap within this generation of youth culture. Patterns change starting at the age of 21.

For information on changes in communication patterns, new media, social networks, Twitter patterns, and technology from Label Networks%uFFFD North American Youth Culture Study 2009, email info@labelnetworks.com.