Generation Z Reveal Expectations for a Digital Future in Global Study by Habbo Hotel
- Young people share their views that will shape trends in content consumption, online safety
and interactive education
• A third of young people never pay for content online whilst on the
internet
• Generation Z doesn’t see a place for traditional print media in the
future, but TV and radio will remain important
• 61 per cent feel online safety will become increasingly important
Helsinki, Finland, June 14, 2010 -- Research conducted worldwide to mark the
10th
anniversary of teen virtual community Habbo Hotel, reveals how the internet will continue to
impact the future of today’s teenagers. Over 49,000 digital natives aged 11 - 18 shared their
predictions of how the internet will shape content consumption, online safety, language and
education in the future.
A Digital Content Diet
As the debate over how to make money from online content continues, it is clear that for the
generation who has grown up in a digital playground, the future is mostly free. Almost a third (32
per cent) of respondents stated that currently they never pay for content, whilst a further 26 per
cent are only willing to pay if there are no free channels available. In Spain and Italy 48 per
cent of teenagers claim to never pay for content, compared to the UK where only 21 per cent are
determined to access all of their content for free.
Once young people have accessed their content, sharing doesn’t seem to be a big priority,
with only 23 per cent of respondents regularly sharing content online and 39 per cent rarely or
never sharing. Of those that do share, the majority of content shared is music (54 per cent), games
(35 per cent) and images (35 per cent).
Habbo Hotel residents expect to access content through a range of mediums, with the majority
unable to imagine a world without traditional TV or radio. The TV also joins the mobile phone as
the device that Generation Z would be most upset to live without – ranking higher than content
streaming or the downloading of MP3s.
However, whilst the TV remains a relevant and important medium to this media-savvy
generation, traditional print media (newspapers, magazines and books) won’t fair as well with 55
per cent of respondents saying that they will be extinct either very soon or some day in the
future. Only 18 per cent feel that printed media will always have a place.
Digital Safety
Online safety is a concern for Generation Z. The survey findings show that schools and
parents have the most influence in terms of educating young people about responsible and safe
online behaviour. The Habbos surveyed stated that they learn most about online safety at school (29
per cent) or with family (20 per cent). Friends only represented 10 per cent.
55 per cent explained that they feel fairly safe in most online environments, yet 19 per cent
state that they don’t feel safe in lots of online spaces. 61 per cent of those teens questioned
felt that online safety would become increasingly important in the future; whilst a quarter feel it
will be as important in the future as it is now.
A Digital Community
For Generation Z, interacting online is second nature and is as important as interacting in
the real world. Over a third (34 per cent) of those surveyed thought that in the future physical
meetings would decrease to be replaced with online interaction. When asked about where virtual
worlds could be utilized in the future, 55 per cent of respondents said ‘home’ – suggesting that we
may soon be creating a virtual home where we interact with our families online rather than just
visiting a virtual world.
The study also shows how teens are incorporating a new internet vernacular within their
vocabulary. SMS and online chat abbreviations are being used alongside more traditional language.
Over a third of those surveyed (34 per cent) felt that the informal language they use online could
be transferred into offline situations and used as they grow up. 29 per cent still believe that
they need to speak more formally in offline contexts while 31 per cent felt that they needed to
stop using abbreviations outside of the internet.
Beyond the impact on language, the teens questioned felt that the internet is having an
impact on education, with 46 per cent of teens believing that virtual worlds will one day be used
regularly in schools. Teens also prefer the digital approach to learning with 43 per cent of those
questioned finding it easiest to learn from the internet. Only 16 per cent chose books as their
preferred way of learning new things whilst 38 per cent liked to use a combination of the two.
With 64 per cent of the teens questioned claiming that online interaction has improved their
confidence, it comes as no surprise that Generation Z are building social networks beyond those
which are physically within reach - the majority of teens having between 100 and 200 online
friends.
"This global study provides a clear indication of the way the internet is impacting the lives
of Generation Z and how it will go on to shape the future. In the past ten years we have seen the
digital landscape change dramatically and it is the current generation of teenagers who are at the
forefront of this," says Timo Soininen, CEO of Sulake.
For more information contact
Sulake Press.
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