Zoetica Media

  • Home
  • Services
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact

“I Want My MTV”: Generation Y on the Rise

August 1, 2006 by Kami Huyse

Share this:
Twitter0
Facebook0
Google+0
LinkedIn0

Prom Night (4)
Originally uploaded by Special.

Just as I was getting over the sting of being called “old” because I use e-mail…

Hey, in my day it was innovative 😉

This morning I hear a great piece on the radio about the 25th anniversary of MTV. Just as that catchy tune, “I Want My MTV” starts ringing in my head, the host warns, “Don’t expect MTV to celebrate the anniversary much, the success of MTV rides on the latest fad.”

I shouldn’t be surprised. My generation, often called Generation X is pretty nebulous in its influence. The wikipedia entry can’t even definitively give start and end dates for the generation. It only manages to say, “The generation's influence over pop culture began in the 1980s and may have peaked in the 1990s.” In other words has-beens, washed up!

What we couldn't manage to muster in the shadow of the enourmous Baby Boom generation, it seems Generation Y, those now between 10 and 19 years old, will make up for in spades.

According to David Rosenberg, chief North American economist for Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc
Generation Y is bigger (42 million people) than the current 65-plus age group (37 million).

Here are some other characteristics of Generation Y according to Rosenberg as quoted in Kiplinger and the Globeandmail:

  • They represent more than 14 percent of the U.S. population and the United States has more 10- to 19-year-olds than Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and France combined.
  • Six million are Hispanic today and that ethnic group is increasing at six times the rate of the overall age group
  • They spend around $120 billion annually, with the growth rate in spending running at about 4 per cent a year.
  • They have a median income from $1,500 among 12-year-olds to $4,500 among 17-year-olds.
  • Top-purchased items are clothes, CDs, electronics, video games, jewelry, entertainment, fast food, soft drinks, cosmetics and magazines
  • Their spending is influenced more by magazine advertising media sources such as television, radio and the Internet
  • Ninety percent of 17-year-olds plan to go to college, compared to 30 percent of people over 65 who attended college and less than 60 percent of people aged 25 to 54

All I can say is, as communicators we better start listening to teens today in order to prepare for tomorrow. MySpace anyone? Oh, and, ¿Habla usted español?

(Update: John Wagner writes more about the 25th anniversary of MTV, and includes a link to a timeline)

Photo by special

Tags: Demographics|Generation Y|Trends|Public Relations|PR|San Antonio|Texas|MYPRPRO

Filed Under: Featured

About Kami Huyse

Kami Watson Huyse, CEO of Zoetica, is passionate about great communication. Working in Public Relations since 1994, and blogging since 2005, she has seen trends come and go, but one thing has stayed the same – people are looking for ways to authentically connect. She loves to connect with readers, so leave a comment or follow @kamichat on Twitter and connect there.

Subscribe to get the newsletter and premiums

Enter your email to subscribe:

  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Zoetica

Zoetica Swish SmallWelcome to Zoetica! We are an experienced team of communicators led by Kami Huyse who are dedicated to teaching you how to bring your communication to life with sound strategy, community building and solid success measures. Check out our blog, Zoetica Talks, browse our Resources, and check out our Sevices.We can't wait to get to know you better.

Recent Posts

  • Which Social Media Platforms to Use for Business in 2023
  • Creative Professionals, Get Ready for the Artificial Intelligence Takeover
  • The 5 Social Media Trends That Will Shape the Industry in 2023
  • The 5-Part Visibility Plan That Will Help Promote and Grow Your Business
  • Are You Ready for AI in Creative Work?

Zoetica in the News

5 Tools to Measure (and Manage) Reputation in Complex Environment PR News Byline

2014 trends for public relations, marketing and social media | Business | Kentucky.com (mobile mention) 

Digital PR & Social Media Guidebook – Contributing Author

How Communicators Can Get Started with PR Measurement, PR News Mention

Proving PR’s Value in the Age of ROI—How to Tie Results to Corporate Objectives | Bulldog Reporter (Speaker)

A Gnawing Crisis in PR: Measuring The ROI on Social Media Channels, PR News Byline

Named as one of AGBeat's top 50 industry influencers in 2014

Will Houston B2B companies answer the social media call? - Houston Business Journal

Social Media Measurement Twitter Chat: Evaluating Impact of Social Media on Foundation Outcomes (with tweets) · RWJF (Moderator)

Top 100 Social Media Power Influencers in Houston 2013

Named as one of 30 PR Experts You Should Follow on Twitter by e-releases

BusinessWire Congrats for Making the Top 100 Women on Twitter

Posts by Topic

Zoetica Talks

 

#SMBHOU

Influencer Outreach

Best Ranked

Measurement

Book Shelf

Nonprofit and CSR

Community

Online Ethics

CoolTools

Social Media Tactics

Crisis

Guidelines

How To

Social Networks

Humor

Speaking

Trends

Strategy

Latest Tweets

Tweets by @kamichat
© Zoetica, LLC | Disclaimer | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 - Zoetica Media · designed/developed by Petersen Media Group