Global Village Summary Prestn

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Summary of Results
November 2007
Global Village – Summary - November 2007 1

The Idea
• Online Qualitative Research creates new possibilities for
international research:
– Phenomenal growth of Internet usage in a wide
variety of countries
– Multinational clients asking for multilingual research
– But online qualitative research is currently looked at
rather sceptically outside of North America

Let us team up internationally
and just DO it together!


Project Objective

Project set up to understand
current & potential future communications needs
of teens around the world
who are using mobile phones
and computers with internet access
to communicate in their daily lives


Process
• A group of qualitative research consultant partners teamed up to test
multilingual online qualitative research in their countries:

– One bulletin board per country with 20 teenagers
– 15-16year old boys & girls who use mobile phones & internet
– Discussing the same core topics
– Consecutive improvement of methods, and testing additional
methods throughout the fieldwork to maximise our learning

This report shows some overall
findings from the countries involved


Research conducted across globe
Canada - UK - Julia
Susan Abbott Gartside- Germany -
Spink Ilka Kuhagen
China-
DavidYing
Hon Ho

USA - Betsy
US-Latino - Otto France - Colette Italy - Raf
Leichliter
Rodriguez Chambon Manna

Brazil - Diva
Oliveira

India - Piyul
Mukherjee

South Africa -
Corette Haf


Results:

Life of a Teenager in 2007


Life of a Teenager in 2007
• Most important are friends and social life
– Meet in the city, hang out in parks/ in the city/ in restaurants
– Shopping
– Sports
– Music, dance, partying
• Love their pets
• Education is important at this age
– Especially in China and Germany school is perceived stressful
– In South Africa and India education is clearly the key to success
• Plans for life:
“Find a good job, be successful
and earn enough money in order to live well”
– This is very obvious in India, while in some countries (Germany,
UK, Italy..) the future seems less clear, and harder to achieve


German teenagers:
• Appreciate the freedom compared to
other cultures: kissing in public and
drinking already at 16, no school
uniforms

• But school and exams dominate
their lives and create stress

• Some plan to go abroad or emigrate
to have a better chance for success
and to learn about other cultures

No
uniforms


UK teenagers:
• Developing sense of self and
expressing themselves as individuals

„EMO‟ culture
• Their likely/ potential future is an issue
(depressive)
• The clear primary concern is crime –
both personal risk but also from
perceptions that all young people seen
to pose a crime threat

Fashion item as
well as music

Peer pressure
to look the part

Frustration

Love for friends
and family –
“My rocks!”


Italian teenagers:
• Big difference girls (sense of
building their future self, school is
important) and boys (hanging out
Travel Love with friends)

Rockstar • Future work is a concern (esp. for
icons girls)

• Only minor crime concerns, hardly
any interest in politics

Football


Fashion items,
must have French teenagers:

Environment
consciousness
Connected to
Style, the world
individuality

Inspiration, arts, culture

Will to transgress
First temptations
First love
Icons
Parties, night life


USA US-Latino teenagers:
Se Habla
Español
• Though English is the preferred
language, Spanglish is more effective

• Keeping in touch with families and
friends from country of origin is
important

• Strong concern to get into a good
college

• Proud to be able to live in a free
country like USA


Chinese teenagers nowadays
love how we want. No need to
care about others‟ view
Chinese teenagers:
anymore.
• Values: Good career, good relationships
(parents, family, friends), happiness

• Aspire to make A LOT (not just enough)
money!

• Exams and parents are main sources of
stress

• Feel have less chance for success in China
o Want to learn more about other cultures
Want style,
individualism
and freedom. Like this ...
Hope of our feel close.
mother
country.
Want to break
away from
traditions.

Graffiti is
standing for
this era. We
have the Challenge
dark side as oneself.
well as the
sunny side.

SOUTH AFRICAN
teenagers:
• Proud to be South Africans (Nelson
Mandela, Charlize Theron as models)

• Love the natural beauty of their country

• Post Apartheid positives versus Aids,
crime and corruption

SOCIAL LIFE


Brazilian teenagers:
• Value the right to have few
responsibilities

Traveling • Enjoy being able to dedicate this life
stage to having fun
o But reject being financially
dependent on their parents

• Try to find a good job

• Violence is a central issue!

Friends
Sports
Family Freedom


Results:

Usage of cell phones


Feelings for Cell Phones
• Picture sorting “What picture best represents your
feelings for your mobile phone?” worked really well!

• Different cultures, different countries, different languages
chose the SAME pictures... for the SAME feelings!

Like a pet, always around me

Contact/Proximity „On the go’
Connection, Friendship, Love


Importance of Cellphone
• To most teenagers the cell phone is of utmost
importance!
– Not to miss out on anything!
– A lot of texting with friends
– Listen to music
– Some phone calls, for urgent information
– Snapshots of friends with photo and video
– For security to get in touch with parents or other help
– Cellphones are often used as alarm and watch

• Without their cell they would feel empty, naked, cut off
from the world, lonesome, unsafe , sad, bored and
antiquated!


Day in Life of Cell Phone
Hello all this is R’s phone ! I never Oulala.....7a.m.....let’s work !! I have to make her get out of
sleep!! but I do lose my voice , the bed, this lazy girl !!! After having broken her dreams with
especially in the mornings when I am my alarm, she put me directly into her school bag (she is
prone to giving R a headache! I’m a little too afraid of forgetting me) and the school day begins, like
scuffed but still cute. I don’t go with R to every other…Because she is overly stressed out and afraid
to be late, she looks at me a lot during all her way to school,
school so I’m lonely in the mornings!
even though she knows very well that she is going to be 10
Afternoons and especially evenings I’m minutes ahead of schedule...Thanks to my « vibrating »
very spoilt cos I get a LOT of attention! mode, I stay on in her school bag even during lessons but I
Mxit is a staple at all times so I’m very rarely get out of it. During the break, a little glance at
always plugged into the world wide web me (one never knows !?) to see if a new message is waiting
,..not to mention my charger !! ha for her...usually none, so I’m thrown back in the bag until the
ha. Weekends are by far the best cos next break. Back home, I am directly put on the desk, she
I’m always at my boss's side!!! (SA) often forgets me, captivated by her computer or by
something else. It may happen that I ring numerous times,
and she’ll notice it only at the moment she is going to switch
me off, she says she is thinking to look at me earlier next
time, but…I’m switched off. (France)


The phone's side of the story…
Being a teen's mobile has …but also has its lows…
its highs… • Getting starved to death when your owner
• Knowing everything that forgets to recharge or letting your owner down
goes on between your owner due to "crappy battery life“
and friends, and getting to go
everywhere they go • Life-threatening accidents -- getting dropped,
• Getting "tricked out" with stepped on, dropped in the toilet
cool ring tones, call tones, • Abuse
and wallpapers “I’m sick of getting thrown around when she gets mad -
• Basking in the pride of take it out on something else not me!!!”
faithful service, doing your “She gets frustrated [with my poor reception] and
job reliably and efficiently -- throws me, and slams my face shut. It's not really
even to the point of power- my fault though [it's Sprint]”
tripping • Fatigue due to owner talking until 4am, or non-
“I am precious cargo to him
because i am taken care of stop texting
so well i even get to sleep • Mental health - "going crazy" due to overuse/old
on the pillow with him every age, or having a "bad attitude" due to a money-
night so he doesn't miss one
text” grubbing service provider
“… I do only what is required nothing more because it is
just too much work. I don't care. All I care about is
money. MONEY!!! …”

*USA

Mobile Phone Channel Choices
Current drivers of choice:
WHO: Voice TXT IM email

Parents/family √√√ √

Good friends √√ √√ (√) (√)

Others √√√ (√) (√)

WHAT:

Conversation/confirmation √√√

Convey info/manage emotions √√√

Whatever √ (√) (√)

Cheap, quick, easy,
Immediate, quick, personal, private, risk of
POSITIVES:
secure, high touch misunderstanding,
quiet (!)
Cost, both have to be available Junk, cost, only 1o1,
Cost/ Cost/
NEGATIVES: same time, parents can reach limited size, tedious availability availability
you typing

(√) = if at computer, and speed/cost is acceptable

Relationship with my phone
We are with each
other ALL the time
and most of the time,
my phone is doing all
the work for me
(keeping my
schedule, getting
calls to me and
receiving texts) while
I'm the one in my
I treat it as if it means the casual clothes doing
world to me / I take care all the fun stuff!)
of it / Handle with care /
Close to me

We are tight – meaning
that I use it ALL the time


Relationship with my phone
company*
Lately my phone bill
has been high. So i
feel alot of tension
and worriedness
when its time to pay
the bill

Service is excellent,
great reception, no
dropped calls, no
weird increases on
my bill that i'm not
notified about. They
offer packages just
They’re always so for me with an
They're always helpful and always acceptable price
"online" and ready to giving me thumbs up range. Basically
fix my phone when ideas on how to do they make me
needed, or just cool stuff with my happy
answer questions phone..
about my phone.

Global Village – Summary - November 2007 * Canada 23

Use of the Internet


Computers for Teenagers
• Computers are “essential” to life of teenagers
• Mainly used for communication purposes (email, chat,
IM)
– Networking also with distant friends
– Catch up with friends, dates, etc.
– Exchange thoughts with close friends
• Computer helps balance a stressful day

Computer is Makes me
important! happy!


Use of Internet
Teenagers explore the virtual world, creating new
communities, visiting sites of their interest and making
new friends around the world:
– Chat!!! - With Instant Messaging: msn, icq, skype
– Email
– Social networking
– Watch movies
– Search „I use the Internet
• information for school probably 20 times
• get information about the world more for fun - than
• ...or just surf around... for school!“
• disco – see where there is which party
• download music
– Play (esp. boys!)
– Online shopping – only in some countries (Canada, USA, UK)


IM/Chatting It is easier than
telephone, you need
not pay and you can
see whether the
• All teenagers use IMs and use it a lot!
other person is there
– Personal: “More personal than an email” – it is so simple!
– Instant: “Message gets there faster“, “ faster answer”
– Flexible: “Many tools, smileys, types, colours, games”
– Free “No costs – compared to the phone”

• ICQ, MSN, SKYPE are the favorites
– some also use it for VoIP
– China uses QQ

• Discussions are different than in a personal setting at school:
– “We can talk more freely: nobody can interrupt or listen and laugh like at
school”
– “I would talk about topics I would never talk in person”
– “There is a new topic every day ...”


English – Teenager - English
• A new language has evolved: abbreviations, slang,
phonetical...
– “i wud love 2 hav sum features of the apple i phone nd also sum
features nd if possible sumtin like a bond phone i knw aint
ppssible bt if it cn b done mayb a GPS system or i mean many
things sey viseo calling nd stuff even push 2 talk!!!!” (India)

– “hi!!!gud mrng tannu..... how r u?? m gr8 2day n all set to
continue...” (India)

– “A will fiel misrubel” without my cellphone” (South Africa)


Chatroom
• There are many local chatrooms, often combined with the
networking groups
• Teenagers use those chatrooms intensively:
– Tend to be less personal, no personal details given
– Talk about
• Music
• “Anything without having to show emotions”
• “Can talk about anything without blushing”
– Though, with too many people involved in the discussion can get “too
overcrowded and hard to overview”
– Anonymity is seen as advantage
– Never want to meet anybody new really

“The difference to meeting at a real party is that you
can enter at any time – day or night – without
dressing up and you can talk about some things
easier online than if you would meet in person.”

Online Communication
We have new Social
You would say topics every Networking
things you day
would never
say in person Anonymous
Nobody can so you never
listen like need to blush!
when you talk
at school with Meet
a friend friends of
friends!
IM Sometimes get to
know new people

Chatroom


Google as an animal...
Lion: the king of the Net (SA)
Dominates the jungle, others are like
cats, clever, able to go anywhere but
ridiculous when near the lion (Fr)
Always on the prowl and google is
always looking for results (US-
FAST
Latino)
SMART
Cheetah:
Damned fast & intelligent SUPERIOR
(Ger) Owl:
Fast, effective & gets it Prudent, wise, clever,
right most of the time(SA) shrewd (Ger)
Fast!(US-Latino) Chameleon:
Colourful / changes on
anything you want to
know (SA)


Current vs. Future Computer as Animal


Feedback


Reaction to Online Discussion
• Teenagers liked the format a lot!
– It provided anonymity and allowed free answers, no need to
blush
– It gives them the freedom to use at their convenience
– No need to go to a facility, could use from home

• Still they thought it was time consuming!

„Their relief when got to the
end was clear! „


Teenagers feel comfortable
discussing online!
• Anonymity creates comfort!

– “It was easy for me to open up. Thus I had never a feeling that anybody
would watch or observe me”

– “I felt very comfortable and secure to share all my private feelings”

– “.. because it was anonymous you could open up easily, not risking to
be embarrassed”

– “being anonymous you could really share your utmost private details,
and then the others would probably open up as well as they would see
that there is no reason to be scared”


Bulletin Board format
• Convenient participation:
– respondents and observers log in any time
– stay as long or as short as their schedule permits
– allows for variations in school/ extra-mural/ weekend activities

• Technology:
– less fast-paced than Real Time FG‟s
– no fast typing or reading speed required
– ideal for respondents new to this methodology
– good for countries with slower internet speed

• Depth and richness of responses:
– topics that require thoughtful answers
– detailed responses
– interactive discussions

• Anonymity
– promotes disclosure of deeper, more personal, candid responses

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