No? You should be.
And thanks to Fast Company and MTV, you have a brilliant article to start with.
The basics:
- Your audience wants to be a part of the product. You’ve heard it before, but you must Engage. Here, MTV calls it “co-create.” Awesome. You’ve probably seen this played out with MyStarbucksIdea.com. Or, NikeiD shoesyou can design with your name on them. (Yup, I have these.)
- Your product has got to be smart.
- Millennials, as opposed to Boomers, are going to game the system—not protest.
- Innovation is required.
- Millennials must be connected. There is a fear of being alone.
Seriously, if you don’t get what Millennials mean to the marketplace, read this: Are You M-Ready?
Unless you compete in a market that specifically targets youth, you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the emergence of the so-called Millennial Generation in America today.
And if you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about Millennials, it may come as a surprise to you that at 100 million strong they are the single largest generational cohort in American history, dwarfing their predecessors Generation X, and even out-sizing that most famous of all generational behemoths, The Baby Boomers.
“But we don’t sell gum or acne cream,” you may still be thinking, “so why should we care?”
Consider for a moment the half-century long trajectory that The Boomers have taken from 1960s to the present day. Those bearded idealists of the civil rights movement are the self same retirees now marching with placards in the streets protesting for heath-care reform. It’s not hard to see just how many of the tectonic shifts in culture and commerce over the last half fifty years have been powered by the demands of the Boomer generation. From Pepsi’s co-opting of Sixties counter-culture, to the casualization of the workplace, there is a wealth of evidence for how closely linked broad changes in the American landscape have been to the Boomers moving through time, like the proverbial egg in the snake.
We All Want to Be Young from box1824 on Vimeo.
BOX1824, a Brazilian research company specializing in behavioral science and consumer trends, produced a short film to showcase the results of several studies it conducted about the ‘Gen Y’ or Millennial generation over the past 5 years. Those insights – while not necessarily groundbreaking in identifying anything that hasn’t already been discussed – are presented and narrated in a very engaging (and at times nostalgic) manner in the film. Footage from classic 60s and 80s films are used to compare Millennials to their Boomer parents and to Gen X, capturing the evolving dynamic of what it means to be young, living and surviving across the decades, to today.
We All Want to Be Young from box1824 on Vimeo.
Some of the key generational characteristics (or insights) showcased in the film include:
- the sense of global, personal connection and collective consciousness enabled by the internet (and information age)
- a generalized sense of anxiety brought on by access to an overwhelming amount of information – and the need to stay connected across networks
- use of hyperbolic language in self-expression, arguably to avoid getting ‘lost’ amidst this information overload
- blurred definitions and categorizations of self (think designer-slash-DJ-slash copywriter-slash blogger)
- transience in short-term relationships
- balancing work & pleasure by seeking out pleasure in short, pre-programmed breaks – this generation is used to having access to things that give them immediate pleasure
Some of these characteristics may be relate-able to more than just Gen Y, but to anyone highly engaged in today’s connected, digital culture. A reminder that ‘youth’ is defined by more than just how young you are (or aren’t). Watch the film below.
Check out the video from 13th Street Universal, where they explain their latest campaign to ‘involve their audience like never before’. This is one of those promotions that seem to have everything but the kitchen sink thrown in - augmented reality, smartphones, location-based experiences, real-world interaction, scavenger hunt/gaming mechanics and social networking.
I like the tech, and the experience sounds highly engaging, but I’m left wondering: how does this idea achieve any scale? The depth of experience can’t really be shared effectively with video units like this, and they’re clearly not going to send every potential audience member to Berlin. Perhaps they are counting on PR coverage to get people to tune in to a more generalized version they’ll release later? Or they imagine that the winners will be influential enough with their friends to spread the word? Or maybe they are only picking winners with high Klout scores?
http://culturalfuel.net/2011/03/20/the-witness-the-first-movie-in-the-outernet/
What is Situationist? Situationist is an iPhone app that makes your everyday life more thrilling and unpredictable. It alerts members to each other’s proximity and gets them to interact in random “situations”. These situations vary from the friendly “Hug me for 5 seconds exactly” or “Compliment me on my haircut”, to the subversive eg “Help me rouse everyone around us into revolutionary fervour and storm the nearest TV station”. Members simply upload their photo and pick the situations they want to happen to them from a shortlist, in the knowledge that they might then occur anywhere, and at any time.
What Community Psychologists Do
The new and disparate areas of community psychology are thus bound together by a singular vision: that of helping the relatively powerless, in and out of institutions, take control over their environment and their lives. This should, in turn, foster in all of us a greater “psychological sense of community.” Community psychologists must, however, “Wear many hats” in working toward the creation of social systems which: (1) promote individual growth and prevent social and mental health problems before they start; (2) provide immediate and appropriate forms of intervention when and where they are most needed; and (3) enable those who have been labelled as “deviant” to live as dignified and self-controlled a life as possible, preferably as a contributing member of the community.
For example, a community psychologist might (1) create and evaluate an array of programs and policies which help people control the stressful aspects of community and organizational environments; (2) assess the needs of a community and teach its members how to recognize an incipient problem and deal with it before it becomes intractable; or (3) study and implement more humane and effective ways for formerly institutionalized populations to live productively in society’s mainstream.
Community psychology is not only a professional and scientific discipline. It is also an intellectual/ value orientation that is applicable to virtually any field or profession. The community perspective challenges traditional modes of thought. It looks at whole ecological systems, including political, cultural, and environmental influences, as well as focusing on institutional and organizational factors. It realizes that the “interaction” between a person and the environment may have as important an effect on his or her behavior as the effect each factor has separately. The community approach also emphasizes the effects of stress and social support, and the practicality of prevention and self-help. Furthermore, it recognizes the demand for local empowerment and bureaucratic decentralization (and anti-professionalism) and the importance of cultural relativity and diversity. The community perspective simultaneously stresses the utility of research, not only for theory development, but for program evaluation and policy analysis—and the omni presence of values (implicitly or explicitly) throughout society and even science. An important aspect of the community orientation is its appreciation of the authority of historical and structural contexts. And, finally, it emphasizes community and personal strengths and competency, as opposed to weaknesses and pathology.
a city to be successful, it must be a community in the same sense. In my opinion, Eau Claire is such a community and as a result has been able to respond to some major economic setbacks. Building a community takes strong leadership, a high level of participation by individuals from all sectors of the city, and constant attention by these leaders to the need to form consensus on ways to address the needs of the city. In 1991 the city reinvigorated its economic development efforts by creating a new organization, the Eau Claire Area Industrial Development Corp. (ECAIDC), with the mission “to create and maintain quality job opportunities in the Eau Claire area.” The formation of the ECAIDC was a key to invigorating the sense of community. With broad-based representation on the board of directors from education, city and county government, business, and service organizations, the ECAIDC serves as a symbol to citizens and prospective businesses that the community is committed to economic growth and stability. Equally important, the ECAIDC serves as a vehicle for sustaining and communicating the city’s shared agenda for the present and the future. In fact, it is the high level of agreement on this agenda that makes the Eau Claire community so strong. For example, we have very high standards and expectations for the quality of life in the Chippewa Valley. We support an excellent educational system in the schools, technical college and university. We appreciate and work to maintain the beauty of the natural environment, which gives the city part of its unique character. When people feel that they are part of a community, that others share their concerns about economic need and that others care about their economic future, they are better able to handle difficulties like the Uniroyal plant closing. While the loss of this major manufacturer had a significant impact on the city, the community rallied to the support of those affected, and the strength of the community has carried us successfully through the time of crisis. http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=2871
his past weekend, Kelso police handed out several citations to the kids for disorderly conduct and un-safe driving … all related to an extreme game of tag.
It’s not just Kelso and Longview where this game is a hit. Apparently it’s getting more popular up and down the West Coast.
This game can involve a few people or hundreds, with one group of kids trying to catch another group. It’s the old-fashioned game of flashlight tag – taken to a new level.
Here’s how it works: It’s usually played at night, with any number of people. One group of kids – on foot and in cars – chases and tries to tag the other kids with a flashlight beam. However, the chase can last for miles – through city streets and even backyards – sometimes from as far away as Longview to Kelso.
“If they’re not having fun doing something free,” said Kelso resident Valerie Bates. “…then what are they supposed to do?”
Kelso police said it’s getting dangerous, so they’re cracking down on the kids’ game.
The game itself, called “Fugitive,” isn’t against the law. However, the way it’s played could be.
This past weekend, a group of about 150 kids were involved in one game. That time, a bunch of 9-1-1 calls came in from people thinking they had vandals and prowlers around their homes as the kids chased through the neighborhoods.
Founded2010About**OF IS GOING TO BE INACTIVE Starting 10/4/10 UNTIL 3/25/2011**Here to Bring the Omaha Fugitive Community Together as one.haha :)Invite anyone thats cool enough.Click on the Events Tab to see if there are any upcoming games.Company Overview** OMAHA FUGITIVE IS GOING TO BE INACTIVE STARTING 10/04/10 UNTIL 11/28/10, INFO ABOUT THE WINTER GAME WILL START TO BE PUBLISHED IN EARLY DECEMBER**
If you know of a fugitive game that is going to happen, tell us and we’ll post it on here for every one to see. So that people will know about it and SHOW UP!
What is Fugitive?
Go to http://www.google.com/ and type in Fugitive Game.
Omaha Fugitive President: Coming Soon!
Omaha Fugitive Chapters:
Millard West (Proposed)
President: NONE… (read more)MissionGOALS:
- One 100+ Person Game by the end of July 2011
- Two 50+ Person Game by the end of July 2011
- Have a Better Written Explanation of Fugitive and its Rules by July2011AwardsOmaha’s Best Fugitive Game Playing Group
Prof. Eilam says that this explains human behavior in response to trauma or terror, such as the citizens of New York City in the days after the 9/11 terror attacks, or after natural disasters such as the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. These are times when people stand together and accept a general code of conduct, explains Prof. Eilam. Prof. Eilam and his fellow researchers measured the anxiety levels of three groups of ten voles each. They placed the voles in a peaceful environment and measured how much time each vole spent out in the open and then in protected areas. The more time a vole spent in protected areas, the higher the anxiety level, though this varied among individual voles. Then the researchers exposed the voles to a common threat, placing the voles’ cage within a barn owl enclosure, and attracted owls to the cages by placing meat on top of the cage. The voles’ experience, says Prof. Eilam, was one of being attacked. After a night of exposure to their natural predator, the voles were tested once again for anxiety. Now, researchers found that each vole was equally stressed. According to Prof. Eilam, this result is surprising compared to the control group, in which each vole went through the stressful night in the owl’s enclosure individually. When facing their predators alone, there was no common level among all thirty of the voles when it came to their stress levels. While they showed heightened anxiety, it was directly in relation to their base level anxiety response, as measured before the first experiment. “It’s not a question of being more or less afraid,” says Prof. Eilam. “Under threat, members of a social group will adopt a common behavioral code, regardless of their individual tendency towards anxiety.”
An excited air filled the cold Friday night as students congregated at Colorado State U. in questionable garb. It was too late for a football game and too obvious to be a party. Time passed, it was almost 11 p.m. The area quickly erupted into a frenzy of giggles and shouts. A deafening scream signaled that it was the time. A slow chant began and grew faster. “Undie Run. Undie Run. Undie Run.” A flurry of shirts and pants flew into the air to reveal both creative and disturbing undergarments. This was the third Annual CSU Undie Run, a tradition that blends fun and philanthropy into a night of chaos and camaraderie. “It was a good portion bigger than last year,” said Undie Run organization President Chandler Stewart. The group collected 80 trash bags full of clothing at the end of the night from the estimated 1,500 students who participated. Last year, about 700 to 800 people turned out for the event. “The amount of quality clothing we received for Haiti and Chile was beyond my expectations,” said co-creator Michele Hynes, in an e-mail to the Collegian. Participants were equally as happy. “It’s just awesome,” said participant Corissa Venrick, who sported mismatched underwear and threw condoms to other runners. Girls put on their sexiest lingerie, as did the men. Others sported costumes, from thong-wearing fairies to diaper-wearing man-babies. Sophomore Robbie Gallagher chose to fight the cold in a fuzzy gorilla suit and blue boxer shorts. He, like most, came to find release from upcoming stress of finals.
