Digital Tech Habits Boomers vs Millennials

Editor's Notes

1. Ok so Boomennials – a contraction of two terms I don’t like very much into a term I like a bit better – Baby boomers and Millennials and their relationship with digital tech - and that’s what I’m going to talk about today…
2. So the first thing to say is hello. Hello – here is a picture of a baby sloth to get you to like me – and if you are not into my presentation there is another picture of some Sloths later on to give you something to look forward to. A couple of things before I start. Firstly to say that this research is actually the result of a really nice bit of collaboration between 3 mediacom offices – Vickie in Edinburgh who came up with the idea and stumped up the cash, Myself in the London office who spent all the cash and Julia and Claire in the Manchester office who did a hell of a lot of the leg work and the thinking that’s gone in to this. The other thing I wanted to say was that this has also been a nice opportunity for us to try and some new methods and some new tech whilst conducting this research – some of which worked really well and we got some great stuff – some of it less well…. So let me show you what we did.
3. We started off with an online community of about 26 people who were with us for about a week and shared with us their thoughts on tech, filled out diaries on how they use it throughout the day, chatted with each other and generally gave us loads of good stuff – from this group we selected 6 to then wear life blogging cameras for us– little cameras you wear around you neck which take a photo every 5 seconds or so and give you this quite nice stop frame film of what that person’s been up to during the day and how they’ve been using tech – nice idea in theory – lots of shots of shirts and ceilings and peoples feet in practice – which wasn’t a problem because we then got to spend an afternoon with each person in their homes hanging out with them, getting them to show us their devices, how they use them, how that works in the context of family life and so on and we also filmed all of that so we’ve got some nice footage to share with you. From all of that we developed a whole load of ideas and hypothesis that we tested out with a survey of about 500 participants and the upshot of all of that is this presentation.
4. Right so these are the sections I’m going to take you through… and I guess what we are kinduv doing here in all of these sections is focusing on Baby Boomers but using Millennials as a bit of a compare and contrast group – Now there’s a bit of a danger here because Millennials are where the focus tends to sit when it comes to tech and I think that can lead to a real skew in how we talk about and understand how people use tech. There’s a bit of an unspoken assumption that Millennials are somehow ‘better’ at tech than everyone else and we should all be focusing on the way they do it – but why should we? I mean lets face it – if we want to go after the people with all the cash I know which group I’d choose…
5. Anyway this is section one …
6. So the first thing I’d like to say is that I don’t think if you want to pull apart the differences between Baby boomers and Millennials that talking about tech adoption is particularly useful. There are differences which we’ll go into but simply saying that Baby boomers aren’t interested in or don’t ‘get’ technology misses the point. Have a look at this clip here to see what I mean… That’s what 9 devices on the table there and we found a whole load more in her home. It would be a bit weird to turn around after seeing this to turn around and say Boomers aren’t interested in tech.
7. Ok so she’s a bit of an extreme example so here’s a look at the actual figures – and again I think device ownership is pretty high here. Games consoles is a bit surprising and when you break this down between boomers with kids in the household and boomers without kids in the household those figures do shift around a bit but what I’m trying to say here is Boomers do embrace digital tech – but that’s not what’s interesting. What’s interesting is the differences in how they use it and their attitudes towards it compared to Millennials and these differences are quite significant.
8. So I think it’s quite interesting to look at these attitudes at their roots before digging into details. So for Millennials digital tech was first encountered in the home probably in the form of a games console or home computer that they would have played games on or watched their siblings play games on and then along came the internet and they played around on that, used it for school work, used at for university etc and the frame of reference here is very much play and learning which are really the same thing. So the top words associated with tech are all around play and learning.
9. So so what you get is this very intimate relationship which Mel illustrates very nicely here…. But its also a relationship that’s very fluid, tech was a lens to learn about the world and play with the world so doesn’t have to sit in any particular box because it can be used for a whole variety of stuff….. it’s that anytime anywhere, always on, always connected viewpoint that just comes naturally to these guys.
10. For boomers that first encounter was very different. Actually Rosemarie does a good job of explaining it so I’ll let her speak for me… But the point here is that tech would have first been encountered in the workplace or in the office and then it was a computer that you took home but it was still for work. It had a specific role and that role was a very functional one that revolved around particular tasks and activities. And so you get functional as the top word associated with tech – those other words are quite similar to Millennials but I think its really telling that for Millennials the fifth word is Creative whereas for Boomers it’s Frustrated. Pretty much diametrically opposed. So there isn’t that natural ease and you end up with statements like…
11. This where 47% of boomers see tech as a ‘necessary evil’. For Millennials that figure is more like 33% which is still quite high – there is definitely this underlying anixety about tech that sits across all the things we are talking about here and its actually really interesting to see the different ways both groups deal with it…
12. So anyway the upshot this rather more functional and compartmentalised association with tech is that the idea of using digital tech for entertainment is still not well established – gaming, films and music and the three things boomers are most likely NOT to use digital tech to do. Instead they will turn to the TV, the radio, the hi-fi – specific devices for specific roles rather than this fluidity between devices that you see with Millennials – but for entertainment brands clearly there is some real space here for growth and for brands to be offering content that WILL appeal to this group.
13. So this is a task we did with our online panel where we asked them to fill out a daily media diary to get a sense of what devices they use when. And for the baby boomers again we found quite a traditional use of media – instead of smartphones in the morning its radio and TV and then radio on the way to work. Really digital only comes into play in the early evening – but what its being used for here is not so much entertainment as it is for tasks – banking, shopping, researching etc before they turn back to the TV for the rest of the evenings entertainment. So there is this little digital window that is mostly about getting chores done and entertainment is going on through other channels.
14. Ok so anyone whose been to any kind of media conference in the last couple of years will know that people don’t just watch TV they multi-screen they tweet about strictly come bake off, Britain’s got X-factor etc etc. That’s Millennials anyway - So this is how baby boomers multi-screen…things they’ve done whilst watching TV – and yes there is online stuff going on here – browsing and shopping but actually its also about talking or reading a book or magazine – so there’s lots of stuff here that’s not multi-screening at all it’s multi-tasking
15. But ok what we’ve got here is this idea that in the evening and in the comfort of their own homes Baby boomers are quite happy to engage via digital channels. What they are far less keen on doing is engaging with digital channels whilst on the go. Take a look at this chart– and you can see that for pretty much most tasks that you would do online Millennials are almost three times as likely to do things on the go. So this acceptance of ‘always on’ and ‘always on the go’ really doesn’t extend to baby boomers.
16. Now you could say that this is just about smartphone ownership – less Boomers own smartphones than Millennials so less of them are likely to want to do things on the go simply because they can’t. And there is truth to this especially when you break things down between boomers with kids in the household and boomers without kids in the household. Boomers with kids are WAAAY more likely to have smartphones in the house – probably because they belong to their kids – but still almost 50% is high – I don’t think that accounts for it entirely.
17. Well here’s a clue and this is Vincent talking here about his smartphone…. So he’s saying he’s got a smartphone he’s deliberately kept stupid, that he just doesn’t use the smart features. Well lets just say for arguments sake that we’ve got a whole generation of Vincents out there – it still begs the question – why do that? To me this is that functional thing again – there is a time and a place for digital tech - Why stare at a screen when I’m out and about doing other things - I think this is an important point – there’s so much emphasis on the connected consumer being ‘always on’ and seamlessly flitting between channels and this really just isn’t the case for this generation.
18. Anyway what are some things to take away here? I’d say: 1. It’s not about adoption – tech is exciting and interesting for this generation – they did actually invent most of it in the first place. It’s more about demonstrating a functional need for the capabilities that digital tech has. 2. There is real room for entertainment targeting boomers to grow. Enjoyment is the 2nd highest word assoicated with digital tech – but entertainment is the least likely way in which tech will be used – there’s clearly a mismatch going on here – brands should be exploiting that 3. If you are going to go down the route of engaging Boomers through digital channels – then bear in mind the circumstances of your engagement – it will be in the evening and in the home. 4. To me this is a really striking difference between Boomers and Millennials –I think this says something about an important difference in attitude – between wanting to flit between channels and actually wanting things to be in their place and fulfil specific roles.
19. So I want to talk a bit about the web in particular now – I’ve talked a lot about what the web isn’t used for and what boomers don’t do and it all feels a bit negative so I’d like to flip it around and talk about what they do do…
20. So this is what the Baby boomers we spoke to identified as the top five benefits of the internet. Now to me this is again a very task focused list – it’s about information, it’s about convenience, its about making things easy and getting things done – keeping up with friends I’d like to cover in the next section - but I think exploring my passions is a bit of an interesting one… So lets take a look at that…
21. One of the statements we got from our survey that I think is quite revealing is this one:74% of Baby boomers think the internet has made the world a smaller place compared to 55% of Millennials.There is this real tangible love of the fact that you can now just hook up with people and places that were otherwise totally impossible to reach and make meaningful connections – not just chat online but actually use the internet as a conduit to meet real people and get hold of real things which is a distinction that is a bit more blurry for Millennials…
22. This is Rosemarie again talking about that….so she has an Orthodox Monk in New York who makes paper for her – and she loves it – and that’s someone she found online a connection she made that clearly carries a lot of cache for her – something she can show off about to her friends and to researchers who come round her home to film her and I know this is all this talk of parchment paper is a bit middle class but the point shes making about the joy in making those connections is an important one and I think this is something that the Millennials are rather more inclined to take for granted.
23. The other finding we made which I love is that a lot of Boomers only go online when they have something specific to do. This is going back to the idea of this relationship being quite task focused… For Millennials I think it’s almost the opposite – if I don’t have anything specific to do then I’ll go on the internet – and it’s like why would you do that??
24. And of course the upshot of this is that Boomers are less likely to get distracted by other things when they go online – there’s a focus here which brands should be thinking about when they are tailoring their content for this generation – bite sized is still good – but there’s room for more extensive information and more extensive content because once you have their attention you are more likely to hold it…
25. If you want something that flies in the face of received wisdom then it’s this stat because not only is technology less distracting it’s also less overwhelming for baby boomers. There’s something here which says to me ‘it’s not that I don’t get it, it’s that I just don’t give a shit’. Boomers do get technology and what this stat is saying is that they just happen to be better at regulating it and the role it plays in their lives.
26. So if you go back to what Boomers actually want from brands when it comes to their online interactions – you can probably guess that it’s not about viral videos or pouring ice over your head whilst taking a no-makeup selfie – it’s things that will help them do the stuff they came online to do in the first place. Researching things and buying stuff – deals, promotions and product service information – sounds rather dull perhaps – but think about ‘product service information’ in the context of the other point about connecting with the world and exploring passions and suddenly you are onto very rich territory which is all about provenance, authenticity and making genuine connections with the people they do business with.
27. Ok so key things: Boomers have got better things to do than hang about online – don’t waste their time with fluff, but focus on the stuff that will actually engage them There is room for the right kind of long form content – being able to explore passions or get into depth with detailed information about products can work here as boomers are prepared to give more time to the right kind of content And connecting with the world seems like a particularly rich point to delve into – as I’ve already said getting into provenance getting into making real points of connection with real people could be a big thing for brands wanting to connect with this audience
28. Ok so I said I would talk about friends and relationships separately so I want to move on and talk a bit about the social web now…
29. And I think you might have already got some idea of how the Boomers we’ve spoken to might feel about certain aspects of the social web already – I think this quote from our discussion board gives a pretty neat summary. The idea of using the internet to kill time really doesn’t wash and social media is seen as the ultimate time killer.
30. But in some ways this is a bit strange. We already know that ‘keeping up with friends and relatives’ is one of the top benefits of the internet that gets cited by this generation and we also know that a huge number of them are on Facebook and a pretty respectable number are also on twitter. So why are we saying that the social web doesn’t really appeal all that much? Well again it’s not about ownership it’s about usage…
31. Well this graph here is a bit of a clue. We asked Millennials and Baby Boomers what different communication channels allow you to have a ‘proper’ chat. Now both groups agreed that face to face is by far the best way of doing this, there aint no substitute for being in the same room with someone and speaking on the phone is next, which also is hardly a surprise… but where it gets interesting is when you look at what they said about the online communication channels. For both instant messaging and online conversations Millennials are at least twice as likely as Baby boomers to say that you can have a proper chat through these channels. Skype is something that is more widely accepted amongst Baby boomers but still not as much as amongst Millennials. So what I think Millennials would regard as a pretty key feature of social media isn’t hitting home as strongly as it might – that’s not to say its not something Baby boomers use social media for – but I think what we’ve seen is a certain reticence towards it.
32. And I think that disengagement with the ‘chat element’ of social media is made all the more clear with this number here – 36% of Millennials always have the social tab open whilst browsing – it’s the first thing they do when they go online and it’s probably why they get distracted all the time – and if it’s not the social tab on their browser you can be damn sure the apps on their phones will be buzzing away as well – and this is three times as many as Baby Boomers. There is a generational attitude thing going on here, which is a Millennial thing that I think is really nicely illustrated by this clip from Naureen…… Now I don’t think that hearing a Millennial say this kind of thing would surprise anyone, I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of similar clips in the past… but to me what this says is that most Millennials feel a much greater pressure to be connected with their social circle via social media – and for lots of people over 50 it’s just something they are really not interested in. Keeping in touch with friends via online is much more about emails, its about updates on facebook that tell them whats going on in each others lives – but the significant stuff – the stuff you would have written a letter about in the past – not your gingerbread latte - no matter how fantastic it is.
33. Now the upshot of this is pretty stark when it comes to brands. The stats rather speak for themselves – engaging with Baby Boomers via social media is simply not an effective way of doing things – or at least no one has really cracked it yet. For brands looking to do this I would say be aware of how Baby boomers use social media, because I think its pretty clear they are using it in completely different ways from what we might assume to be ‘the norm’ if seen through the lens of Millennials.
34. There is a bit of a caveat to the above point about brands – and that’s a slightly more general thing…. that it might be that Boomers don’t engage with brands via social media because brands are generally not very good at engaging with them regardless of which channel they use. Only 3% of Baby boomers say that brands make them feel like they belong. We also know only 4% say brands make them feel more influential and 7% say that brands provide them with interesting experiences. So could it be that brands are simply not speaking to this generation in the right way? I’m hoping some of the other delegates at the conference today will go into this in more detail because I think its certainly something worth exploring.
35. Ok so key things to remember here: It’s not that Baby Boomers don’t use social media – it’s that they use it differently from Millennials. It’s not about chat and constant updates – it’s about things that are actually significant to their lives. And brands haven’t really cracked how to interact with Boomers via this channel – if our survey is anything to go by they are flat out being ignored. We know rich meaningful content that speaks to passions or caters to specific needs can work – and there’s no reason why this shouldn’t extend to social channels as well – but remember Boomers are unlikely to be just hanging out on social media in the same way as Millennials. As I said there is a bigger point here which is how good a job brands are doing at connecting with Boomers in general - now we have just the one question to go off here – but previous research also points to this being a problem.
36. Ok so we saw earlier how Boomers generally less ‘overwhelmed’ by tech than Millennials and so I want to talk a bit now about how this extends to family life – because up until now we’ve kinduv talked about Boomers as if they live in isolation from other generations which of course isn’t the case and multi-generational households actually add a whole interesting dynamic to how Boomers interact with tech.
37. Ok so this is a slightly separate point but one I really like. People with kids in the household, regardless of if they are Millennials or Baby Boomers are more likely than not to agree that tech has a positive impact on family life. People without kids in the household are less likely than not to agree with the same statement. That’s the difference between an assumption and a reality.
38. But anyway when it comes to family life all the indications are that Boomers are actually more relaxed about tech than Millennials. There are some other stats around this – being worried about what your kids will stumble across, being comfortable with them regulating their own usage etc all of which you find the same thing – that Millennials are more concerned than Boomers – or is that what’s really going on?
39. To give us a bit of a picture of what’s going on here is Mel talking about how she deals with her son…. So I think there are a few things here that maybe point to WHY Millennials are more concerned. The first is the most obvious – their kids are younger – they just need more active parenting and that applies to tech as well. Also Mel mentioned her son having access to about 3 or 4 different devices in that film – Boomers are less likely to have so many devices in the home – so there is less to regulate. But clearly another point is just having grown up with the online world Millennials are more aware of the threats that are out there in a way that’s much more tangible than it is for Baby Boomers…
40. Here’s Vincent talking about the same issues… So here it’s about this worrying inability to keep up with technology and a sense that the internet is becoming all pervasive – ‘available on every gadget known to man’ but the solution is less apparent. Pulling the plug isn’t really an option so how do you regulate what’s going on? And we’ve found this in the survey too – 25% of Boomers say it is impossible to regulate the amount of time that their kids spend on devices.
41. And this gets us to this next stat – almost 20% of Boomers say their main source of information about technology is their kids or their grandkids. It’s the kids in these Boomer household who are the real technological gatekeepers not the parents. This clearly sets up a really interesting dynamic because it’s kinduv saying that the kids are the real drivers to digital engagement –
42. Ok so she’s a bit of an extreme example so here’s a look at the actual figures – and again I think device ownership is pretty high here. Games consoles is a bit surprising and when you break this down between boomers with kids in the household and boomers without kids in the household those figures do shift around a bit (I’ll show you those later as well) but what I’m trying to say here is Boomers do embrace digital tech – but that’s not what’s interesting. What’s interesting is the differences in how they use it and their attitudes towards it compared to Millennials and these differences are quite significant. And again what I want to emphasise here is not that we think one group is doing things better or understands tech more than the other – its more that both groups are confronting modern life and the dealing with the same threats and opportunities that digital tech offers but just in quite different ways.
43. And what this means is that 72% of Baby Boomers take NO active steps to regulate what their kids do online – 42% of Millennials DO take active steps. Now I think what Vincent showed us is that there are some concerns here – which is mainly about keeping up with the pace of technological change – and essentially not regulating because you cant - but I think we still have to return to that stat I showed upfront – only 16% are worried about what their kids do online.
44. Right here already…
45. So I’ve touched on this already but I really think a key thing this whole research tells us is that the whole idea of ‘always on’ ‘always connected’ fluid multi-screening social media chatting type behaviours are not universal. It’s very much a Millennial thing and although its very easy to get carried away with this as the next big thing – there are some real caveats – a lot of this stuff just doesn’t apply to Baby Boomers. With this groups it’s a much more functional much more compartmentalised way of interacting with digital tech and it really calls for brands to have a full understanding of their audience before they go ahead and make assumptions about the way they engage with channels. Electric guitars. Just because people have the same device it doesn’t mean they use them in the same way. Jimmi Hendrix versus Jimmy Page. Look at smartphone ownership and the difference between Millennials and Baby boomers. Much of the functionality that these devices offer are not being used in the same way, if at all. The same goes for tablets and for TV’s. It’s an interaction between attitude and device that’s important and you need to understand both before you start building a strategy for engagement based around these devices and more crucially the channels that are going to be filtered through them. Tech is exciting and does wonderful things. It brings people together and makes the world a smaller place. For a generation who grew up without this stuff seeing it in action has a far greater impact than for those who have grown up with it and just take it for granted. We also know there is a lot of confusion and frustration that goes with it – and lots of stuff that seems pointless - The benefits of the internet are in bringing people together and offering opportunities to delve into information and delve into passions – with a much more focused usage of the internet this is something that really works well for Baby Boomers and should be a core part of any digital engagement strategy. No logo – Brands – what we’ve seen of brands and how they are engaging Boomers on digital channels clearly shows there is lots of work to be done. I focused on social media in this presentation but I know from previous research that it extends right across the board. There is some real work to be done to examine what exactly this generation want from brands because at the moment, whilst I am sure there are some honourable exceptions, there is a strong sense that they are not hitting home as powerfully as they could.
46. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the full report or just this presentation please get in touch and we’ll send you it through once it’s done – I’d love to say Christmas but probably sometime in the new year.