My my my
Grown-ups forget that teenagers are also human. In fact, they are more human than grown-ups: teenagers have the advantage of youth. Because of this, they are less inhibited and more self-centred (which is not synonymous with being selfish).
Successful Web 2.0 sites exploit this self-importance.
“As a teenager I am interested in my friends, my music, my messages, my podcasts, MySpace.” Cutting edge web sites are not mass media. A teenager is not “mass”, a teenager is an individual. Technology allows us to cater to the exact wants and needs of an individual, with personalised services and knowledge whenever the person and time demands it.
MySpace, however, has more going for it than merely customisation. Whether intentional or not, Web 2.0 has long ago left behind the idea of “information”, and replaced it with the importance of communication. A piece of information is only as valuable as the community among which it is shared.
A teenager wants to stand out, without being singled out. MySpace allows anyone the opportunity to create an online alter ego. If people hate that identity, it’s easy to distance oneself from it. If it’s successful: bonus! without the typical playground risks like humiliation.
Finally, like all humans, teenagers like to feel in control. Web 2.0 is the ultimate empowerment tool on the Internet. MySpace allows you to not only customise but also individualise your page. The Web has always allowed this, but never before as easy and as powerfully as with a cutting edge Web 2.0 site. Technology has now allowed each individual teenager access to all information, and it then also allows personal control over the flow of that information. Teenagers crave empowerment – something that has always been rare.
In summary, a poster child Web 2.0 site like MySpace appeals to teenagers because it
• moves from mass media to individual media,
• replaces information with communication,
• allows safe experimentation with identity, and finally
• it empowers the teenager.