Watching the very young interacting with technology is slightly scary. My four year old is quite happy navigating around the cbeebies website (BBC) and finding programs he wants to watch on iplayer. My daughter created a powerpoint presentation with animation, video and complex graphics aged eight with no adult help. I have been teaching touch typing in their school to kids aged seven upwards. They pick it up extremely quickly. In fact the perception amongst teachers is that there is a significant difference between every year group that start school in terms of their innate understanding of this technology. This technology is part of their culture.
But what fascinates me is the way social aspects seem to be starting to play a part in childrens game environments. The Wii is an interesting one – firstly because it is innately social in that it is displayed on the TV which is in a public place in the home. Playing games on the Wii is a very shared experience in our home. We all chip in to help solve the latest problems. We talk about what is going on and share clues.
The games themselves are also very social. Nintendo’s Animal Crossing is an environment where you build your own home and environment interacting with other people. You can also invite your friends to come and join you in your town across the internet. However even the more competitive games like the SuperMario series seem to be introducing a social element. In SuperMario Galaxy one of the latest offerings from Nintendo the links between the games are all about talking to others and sharing information.
On the internet the potential for social interaction is of course even greater. The hot topic in the playground at our school just recently have been “Moshi Monsters” and “Club Penguin”. Both of these involve games set in a social environment. Children customize their homes and how they look. They can make friends with others across the internet and visit their homes. They can leave notes for each other. These are highly complex social environments.
This social networking has even extended to homework! Mathletics is a maths environment where children are rewarded for completing task with credits with which they can buy items to dress their avatar. They use these avatars when playing competitive mental maths games with other across the internet. The motivational aspects of these social aspects to gaming are clearly a winner.
These are children who have not yet entered the world of social networking and texting so popular with teenagers. Yet they are already primed to be doing it and with avengeance. I can completely understand why virtual goods are set to be a huge money spinner. To the kids their virtual presence is very important to them.
What is the message for businesses? The message is that their consumers are changing. Changes amongst our kids not only reflect changes amongst the adult population – the kids also have an impact on the adults that they come into contact with! Our culture is changing. Companies need to pay attention.
SociaLNK can work with you to identify the best social media strategy for your company. Contact us.
