Key Themes in Teens (1 of 3)

Over the course of the past year I've done a ton of research on the state of our nation's youth. Last fall I even attended a summit in Panama City, FL and got to hear experts from TruResearch share their latest findings about American teenagers. If you've never heard of TruResearch, it is one of the most trusted firms in the world for research on tweens and teens. In fact, MTV execs consult TruResearch claiming "its their lifeline to the market!" I think I took more notes that week than I think I've ever taken at a summit.

One of things shared at the summit was a summary of 5 key themes found among today's teenager. I would like to share these with you (in a 3-part series):

Today's teenager wants what is real.  They are apt to settle for the "feeling of what is real" but they'd rather have the real deal than a knock off any day.  This is referred to as authenticitude. For example, If they had to choose between a Metallica t-shirt vs. a cheaper knock-off at a local department store they would rather purchase their favorite threads from the band directly.

The second theme visible in today's students is referred to as "autono-me."   Young people today can move through life by virtue of cell phones, pagers, social networking sites, etc. without much adult intervention.   In fact, today's teen determines how, when, and where adults will intervene in their lives.  Now more than ever before they have a greater sense of empowerment and autonomy.  You will see our students today often sitting in the driver's seat and saying things like "you are not the boss of me!"

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2 Responses to “Key Themes in Teens (1 of 3)”

  1. # Blogger Unknown

    Terrace,
    I've been doing tons of study on these issues too and with the authentic one, I've noticed and have posted about here: http://youthmaster.blogspot.com/search/label/Aunthenticity
    I know authenticity is spelled wrong,but these are all articles I've written on this issue. love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for these posts!  

  2. # Blogger Nic Burleson

    I attended a seminar last year with the TruResearch folks...I don't think I've ever taken as many notes at a seminar before. These guys know their stuff!  

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