Much of the demand for Wireless Internet usage comes from
teens and young adults. Wireless Internet growth will be driven
by people growing up with the Internet and wireless communications
as an integral part of their lives. This is especially
true among the younger segments of society, where the adoption
rate of new technology is rapid. That generation of children
growing up with access to the Internet throughout the
United States, Western Europe, and Japan is incredibly adept
at using technology, whether through school work, video
games, chat rooms, buddy lists, or short messaging. As this
Internet-literate generation joins the workforce, their spending
will increase, as will their acceptance for newer, more enabling
applications and devices. Jupiter found that teenagers represent
12 percent of the European online population, and in
June 2001 Europeans ages 12 to 17 spent nearly 8 hours
online. As this trend continues, Web sites must be designed for
the specific characteristics of their target audience: boys seek
novelty and entertainment, whereas girls enjoy fulfilling goals
and feeling part of a community.
A research study from the Pew Internet and American Life
Project has found that 73 percent of U.S. teenagers aged
between 12 and 17 (or 17 million people), use the Internet.
Furthermore, three-quarters of online teens say they would miss
the Internet if they could no longer use it, whereas almost half
say being online has improved their relationship with friends.
Nearly a third say it has helped them to make new friends. The
top five online activities for teens are email, surfing for fun, visiting
entertainment sites, using instant messaging (IM), and
researching hobbies. Only 31 percent have made purchases
online. About 13 million teens, or 74 percent of all online teens,
use instant messaging (IM). Only 44 percent of online adults
use IM. Nineteen percent of teen IM users say IM is now the
main way that they communicate with their friends.
When it comes to wireless phones, teens just can’t keep
their hands off them and stop talking. It is predicted that by
2004, more than half of U.S. youth, over 43 million, will own
a wireless phone and three out of four will use one. Teens want
the flashiest, most featured models— a stripped down phone is
“just not cool” nor is a grey or black model that looks just like
Dad’s. Teenagers are very fashion conscious, and major manufacturers
such as Nokia, Motorola, and Ericsson are all focusing
on new designs that appeal to the young generation. Both
carriers and application developers are focused on specially targeted
content, including sites providing shopping, news,
games, entertainment, education, and youth-oriented content. 127