The results of the Ericsson How Teenagers Use Technology in their Social Lives study:
1. The two most important methods of communication to teens are meeting up in person and texting. So for all those who worry that teens spend their entire lives online, they still prefer to see each other face-to-face.
2. The use of video chat by teens is growing. Although still not very important to them, it is being used more frequently, sometimes just to talk or hang out and sometimes even to do homework together.
3. Social media for teens is Facebook. It has completely changed the dating process. The four things they do most on Facebook are:
- Liking
- Creeping - going into somebody's profile and checking out their friends, pictures, etc.
- Updating status
- Commenting
4. Social tools change over time, however they still are about belonging and being significant.
5. Ownership levels for smartphones and regular phones are the same for 17-year-olds, but 13-year-olds are much more interested in getting a smartphone, if they don't already have one. The same applies to tablets.
This is just a brief summary. The read the entire report, go to Talking, Texting, Poking and Dating: How Teenagers are Using Technology in their Social Lives. What do you think of this study by Ericsson?
