• by Kathy Sharpe , July 20, 2006

The self-expression enabled by social networking is ageless

It's impossible to get through a day of news and blogs without mention of MySpace, YouTube, or Facebook. Whether the subject is how much they may or may not be worth, what depths of depravity their users seem capable of, or the appetite advertisers have for their less-than-controlled environments, social networking communities certainly make good copy and offer some respite from the latest non-adventures of Google and Yahoo.

A real understanding of social networking users is less evident. They're often written off as the standard youth demographic, 18 to 24 (and often younger), and it's assumed they'll outgrow these "communities" sooner than they move 0ut of their dorms.

It's foolish to dismiss these sites as a passing fad or a youthful phase, like joining a band or going Goth. For starters, compare these sites to the online communities of old. This isn't just about chatting or dating; these sites are venues for people to express themselves, possibly to millions of other people, via Web pages, music, collages, photos, and video.

These sites perfectly fit the needs of just about everyone who's gripped by the inspiration to create. Calling it "consumer-generated content" misses the point of what is happening here. This is about a fundamental shift in the way people interact. The Internet has given the basic human need for attention and self-expression a powerful platform that literally spans the world.

And who is using it? Let me introduce you to Generation Creation, a term coined by David Kegel, the creative director at Sharpe Partners.

What is Generation Creation? It's young, but not as young as advertised: 48 percent of MySpace.com visitors are over 34, and 26 percent of them are over 45.  As for gender, it's a fairly even split: 49 percent female, 51 percent male. Is this a demographic or a psychographic?

I say the latter. Generation Creation may trend younger, but it represents active participants across the entire age spectrum. As more baby boomers retire, the median age will likely creep even higher.

Why? Because this is easy for both the time-crunched professional raising a family and the sleep-starved high school senior. As recently as three years ago, doing anything more complex than uploading photos and creating screensavers required some knowledge of at least basic html. Now not only is that basic knowledge much more common, but these sites make everything from page-building to uploading videos exquisitely simple.

And let's be clear: Video is the preferred tool of Generation c. It is as powerful a medium as we have ever created, and it is now equally pliable. Anyone can shoot, edit, and share their videos without the need for a sound stage, editing console, or projector. Video is becoming as easy to communicate with as still photos. While most of us lack the skill of a Scorsese or Spielberg, we can now tell our own stories just as easily with a couple of mouse clicks.

No wonder YouTube is flourishing. You can argue with the quality, but you can't argue with the energy. Such sites are not going to fade away. The visitors will not suddenly go back to spending all of their online hours on espn.com. They may choose different sites, even different tools, but the behavior isn't a passing fad. It's part of who we are as human beings.

Computers and video are very different from cave paintings, but the drive is the same. Generation Creation is only going to become more adept, demanding, and important in the years ahead. Maybe your brand should get to know it?

Kathy Sharpe is CEO, Sharpe Partners, Inc. (kathy@sharpe-partners.com)