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Why educators should 'consume' marketing (if they don't already)

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Matthew Robson, a  fifteen year old employed as an intern from Morgan Stanley has been causing a stir among serious media and business people.  According to a report which his bosses commissioned from him about his own media habits and those of his friends, (UK) teens rarely listen to the radio, read newspapers, are extremely reluctant to pay for anything except gaming consoles and mid-range phones. Oh, and, they don’t use Twitter.

The post title refers to the marketing speak that has Matthew and his friends consuming media. People who have more than a passing interest in transforming education or digital publishing often seem to find ourselves wishing we had something to counterbalance the predictions of the gurus like Marc Prensky and Clay Shirky. The sages come highly recommended but while we wait on their next post / article / webinar / book etc, there is information out there we can be  ‘consuming’ . And it is more likely to be on the marketing, business and internet trend spotting blogs than in the educational sphere.

Equally, there is a lot to be said for querying any  nearby members of the target audience. If  we have students then ask them.   Suzanne Schumacher, who I shared a platform with at IATEFL,  learned enough from a very small sample group to question some of the pillars of wisdom on digital natives vs. immigrants.  And don’t underestimate the number of senior managers who suddenly decide that maybe their teenage kids  are on to something with all that time spent on Facebook and the umbilical attachment to their headphones.

Maybe it was for want of either that Matthew Robson’s report was such an apparent hit.

Two things struck me

  • The danger of over extrapolation. He is a teenager and his habits reflect this. I don’t think anyone expects a pay-as-you-go generation once access to credit is an option. Certainly if he goes through university, he will probably have to come to terms with the concept of  long term debt by his early 20′s.
  • I think the prospects for mlearning are linked to uptake of smartphones.  If a younger generation are satisfied withthe mid-range devices which handle their music and short video needs, what are the chances of them developing expectations and habits which rely on large colour touch-screens and internet access?

The UK Guardian (newspaper? but I don’t consume it on paper) ‘s take on it is here.  A less complementary media blog’s view here – see the comments.   Make up your own mind.


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