Real world still influences young people!!!

An LA Times/Bloomberg poll of 1650 12-24 year olds from across the US (weighted to national census figures in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, region, urban/rural residency & Internet access) lends some support to our own research (see the "THOUGHTS" section of our website for a complete version) into the, as yet still rather limited, influence of blogs. Amongst other interesting stats in the report: "Only 10% of teens and 11% of young adults said blogs or other websites were their best source. Teens and young adults said they most frequently kept up by talking with friends and family and watching local TV news." A follow-up article appeared in the August issue of Research magazine a month after our own, with a headline claiming that "last month's feature on blogs took a rather pessimistic view of the technology". Were we being pessimistic? We don't think so. For a start, the article was reporting what we found when we talked to actual consumers about their feelings towards blogs. If we sounded underwhelmed by their current influence, then this is a reflection of the public's views as we found them. Secondly, do we see any value in blogs? Of course we do, otherwise we wouldn't have started our own! In fact, much of the rest of the article was focussed on how new voices are joining the blogosphere, voices that may make it more appealing to consumers, including those of businesses. And on how the blogosphere was a route that offered many benefits for businesses themselves, especially making connections with people who mattered to them. We are just calling for a sense of perspective. New forms of social media are emerging that are changing some of the ways in which people communicate. What's more, they are observable and measurable by businesses wishing to reach an audience. There will be important consequences for media organisations, marketing agencies and advertisers. But life carries on in the real world and, as Sabine explained in more depth earlier, that is still where most views and opinions are formed - from the details and interactions of everyday life. Let's not forget that amidst all of the hype.