- CollegeTube (colleges using YouTube to recruit new students. Plus fans of "Modern Love" in the New York Times, shouldn't miss the college essay winners. And ABC News opening campus bureaus - thanks Derek!) (Washington Post, reg. required) (New York Times, reg. required) (Yahoo! News)
- 'Hurt girls' (Times Sunday Mag cover story on the increased amount of injuries that goes with the increased amount of girls playing physical sports) (New York Times, reg. required)
- The RIAA: Legislate (vs. educate -- trying to pass state laws forcing campuses to crack down on piracy) (News.com)
P.S. I'm speaking in San Jose tomorrow than catching a red eye to Toronto to speak on a couple of panels at an nGenera event -- Casey and Alli will be posting for me through Thursday. Back on Friday!
- Gay teens kissing again (on "As The World Turns" luring teen viewers to CBS daytime) (Media Life Magazine)
- Spike Lee teams with Nokia (to "direct a short film comprising YouTube-style videos created by teenagers and adults using their mobile phones") (New York Times, reg. required)
- Scrapping abstinence only (I say scrap it and replace with comprehensive sex ed emphasizing abstaining) (WebMD)
P.S. I'm bummed that Carly got booted off "Idol." Do you think her husband's tattooed face influenced the voting? Also, I'm interviewed on YourBusinessChannel in a bunch of shows here. I realized I said Soulja Boy was from Memphis -- oops, he's actually from Mississippi.
Samsung put out this little ditty about texting and voting. According to a recent survey, many teens and their parents across the U.S. would rather vote by text message on their cell phones in the next election rather than go to the polls. From the press release:
- More than six in ten (61%) of respondents of legal voting age, age 18 and older, would be open to voting by text.
- Eight in ten (80%) teens, ages 13-17, say that if they were allowed to vote in this year's Presidential election, they'd do it by text message instead of going to the polls.
I wonder if we trust the phone companies to ensure that the votes would be counted accurately more than electronic voting or paper balloting...
In related youth voter news, CNN has launched The League of First Time Voters, which looks like part voter registration effort and part repackaging of its election coverage (from "the best political team on television!") for a younger demographic. There's even a delegate game! And if that doesn't grab young people's attention, maybe the prospect of seeing a CNN headline made into a t-shirt will...(Broadcasting & Cable)
And celebrity endorsements won't make or break an issue (51 percent of Americans say celebrities make little or no positive difference to the issues they promote)....although they mean slightly more to younger people. (Reuters)
Last night I wandered into a book talk by the authors of Millennial Makeover after seeing it in someone's newsfeed on Facebook. How 2.0 of me, right? The room was filled with mostly Boomers (who were also the authors of the book) and a few Xers like me. The focus of the book and the talk was on how "Millennials" are changing the face of politics [again]. I say "again," because the the authors' thesis was that there are two types of generations - "idealist" and "civic." The Greatest Generation was "civic," like the Millennials, and Boomers and Xers are "idealist." Idealists are more polarized around social issues and civic generations tend to be more optimistic and service oriented (and not afraid of big government). The authors admitted to putting the work of Bill Strauss and Neil Howe into a political context, which means this is a different thesis than say, Jean Twenge's (Generation Me).
It was a wonky, political crowd, but I actually happen to be somewhat of a political junkie myself, so I enjoyed the discussion. I wanted to post a few stats I Twittered last night that won't be new to Ypulsers but always interesting nonetheless:
- 40 percent of Millennials not white (bolstered by Millennial immigrants)
- 82 percent of Millennials support affirmative action
- 94 percent of Millennials support interracial dating
- They are identifying 2:1 liberal or Democrat vs. conservative or Republican
- 73 percent of Millennials believe government should care for people who can't take care of themselves (don't have a problem with big government or higher taxes)
- 80 percent of Millennials volunteered in high school (and are jazzed about national service)
- They're not into the values voting (God and guns) - it's economics and turning the country around
Given the authors' cyclical thesis, this generation of Millennials will probably raise the next generation of idealists...Of course they also discussed the internet as "oxygen to Millennials," and many connections were made between these stats and Millennial support for Obama's candidacy.
On a sad note, I didn't realize Bill Strauss had passed away from pancreatic cancer. I had the privilege of interviewing him for a white paper I wrote several months ago. RIP.
- Call GoFish (GrowFish -- the tween/teen ad network keeps adding new sites)
- Coming in July... (the "High School Musical" reality show) (MediaPost, reg. required)
- MySpace launches 'Beyond the Rave' (with an 18 and up wall sure to entice every teen under 18 [already lying about their age on MySpace] to watch. I haven't watched it yet...feel free to weigh in if you have in the comments)
- MediaPost on The CW's OMFG campaign (and the mags who turned it down. I thought "Gossip Girl." Evidently no matter how big a hit you may be on iTunes, TV ratings still matter)
- TommyTV (Tommy Hilfiger launches a YouTube Channel)
Scream queens (still rule with teens even though Brittany Snow is no Jamie Lee Curtis. Plus the in-theater publicity stunt that became a viral ad campaign for the flick. And the multitude of Sarah Marshall virals) (Detroit News) (USA Today) (Pop Candy)
- 'I Love Chieftown' (new MySpace series from the makers of KateModern [on Bebo]) (Alley Insider)
- The 'Rap on Rap' (The Parents Television Council attacks MTV and BET in a new report. Plus parents more disgusted with sex in video games than violence. And on the other side of the spectrum, one parent blogs about letting her kids go "free range" - thanks Andrea!) (Media Week) (Ars Technica) (Boing Boing)
- Speaking of teens, phones & driving (NPR's beloved "Car Talk" hosts are getting their own animated show -- where you'll hear zingers like this in response to teens using cell phones while driving: "As a parent, you have to threaten to kill them." Added Tom: "What also works are punishments that disrupt their social lives. I found, with my son, that writing 'LOSER' on his forehead in permanent marker was somewhat effective.") (CNN)
- RAINN launches online hotline (The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network goes online offering even more anonymity and encouraging young victims to reach out for help.) (USA Today)
- It's the plunging, padded... (Pre-teen bra! Plus the fashion industry trying to make runway modeling more like driving - 16 and up) (Telegraph UK) (Reuters)
- Rule breakers (Gen Y is breaking the rules at work...at least when it comes to using their favorite web apps) (CIO)
- Tila back April 22 (with another "Shot At Love" on MTV. Blech. Plus AdAge.com on "MTV's commerce-drenched look at wannabe debutantes who deserve a thorough tasing" or "My Super Sweet 16") (Multichannel News) (AdAge.com, reg. required)
- Kids + Animals (equals ratings bonanza for Nick. Plus the rest of this week's Younger Viewers ratings wrap up from Media Life Magazine)
- Zookazoo (another tween virtual world launches. I wonder if this is why Dizzywood changed their name from Zoodaloo....Plus look for research in June from Millions of Us and Forrester on ROI for marketers in virtual worlds including case studies from Habbo and Gaia)
- More on Unilever's OMG campaign ("Tell us your OMG! moment and you could meet Ashley Tisdale!" LOL! BFD!) (Media Post, reg. required)
- Share Your Dream (new contest on Bebo in conjunction with activist site YouthNoise)
P.S. I'm on the road next week with two speaking engagements (Chicago and Connecticut). Ypulse will publish Monday, Wednesday and Friday and return to regular posting the following week.
Today's Ypulse Guest Post is from Paloma Vazquez. Paloma is a marketing and advertising industry pro, having spent time on both the agency and client sides (straddling them, really). She's passionate about consumer insights -- observing what people do and why they do it - and is an avid pop culture junkie. If you work in youth media or marketing and have an idea for a Ypulse Guest Post, send it my way.
Promoting Chastity, Ivy League Style
A recent New York Times piece (reg. required) focused on student organizations promoting abstinence until marriage. While these clubs aren't new to academic environments, this piece focused on Ivy League schools; institutions where logic and questioning are traditionally encouraged. Logic is usually not one of top reasons cited for abstaining from - or engaging in - sexual relationships. However, the platform that some of these Ivy Leaguers profess to is based on philosophy and rational thought.
Despite many members sharing the Catholic faith, they steered away from religion as the foundation for their belief, instead promoting their choice as rooted in logic and facts - and ultimately, as something that empowers the individual and makes them mysterious, worthwhile and desirable. It sounds like these Ivy League chastity groups are taking notes from the political arena - spinning a story around the platform for their beliefs, in an attempt to make it more acceptable and compelling to a larger audience.
I wonder if there's any difference between these Ivy League groups and those in the broader academic environment - other than perhaps their leaning more on (generalized and unproven) facts, i.e. their platform, vs. religion, morality or less tangible notions. Additionally, it sounds like the age old ideas associated with sexual activity (promiscuity or not) and virginity are still alive and well, even in the intellectually enlightened halls of the Ivy League.
The most telling instance involved a campus debate between the embodiment of two opposing lifestyles: A fiercely sexual female student who recounts her experiences on her well-read blog, and the virginal head of the True Love Revolution, a chastity group at Harvard. Unfortunately for those in attendance, highlighting the similarities between each individual's reasoning for her lifestyle (empowering women, not caving in to societal pressure, etc.) came at the expense of an open discourse on their ideological differences. A bored audience could do little more than discuss which debater was more attractive, with one participant concluding that, in the end, "most guys out there would rather end up with a girl like Janie" (the virgin).
Do you notice any differences in the way youth perceive, and respond to, these lifestyle choices vs. when you were growing up? It sounds to me like this is a still a very personal choice with differences in what works and doesn't work for each person. And unfortunately, with some of the same stigmas attached to each - Ivy League or not.
'Hey you guys!' (PBS to bring "The Electric Company" back. Aw yeah. And in other TV news: "90210" officially picked up by The CW with Jennie Garth returning as the guidance counselor. ABC Family announces its line up -- Molly Ringwald's show [debuting July 1] gets a name: "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Justin Timberlake is producing a game show called "The Phone" for MTV. And Sorpresa! launches a ugc effort for Hispanic kids plus the rest of last week's Younger Viewers ratings) (Reuters) (MediaWeek) (Media Life Magazine)
