Hey everyone,
I know we're not really suppose to post full articles/links but rather summarize the article, but this one is really worth reading, especially if we end up contininuing on with the middle school girl demographic. I'll summarize some main points, but definately read it, as it specifically alludes to 14-year-old girls.
Playground Networking, Now Online
Basically, the concept of social networking is becoming increasingly common among this age group. What is being aimed at them, specifically? Avatars, chat, and "adult activities such as e-commerce." It touches on Whyville and the recent changes as Club Penguin.
The argument is these cites claim to be both educating and entertaining Young girls. That's their claim at least. The whole idea of Internet marketing (through ads, etc) is feared to have the capability of having similar effects as TV ads, which can lead to stagnant development, obesity, violence, etc ... as well as the always dangerous brand loyalty (my thoughts: I feel materialism definitely starts at this age, yes?).
Anyway, it's worth a read.
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2 comments:
I actually kind of like the e-commerce idea. I think that there's a possibility there of teaching kids how to be financially responsible. Maybe going into car financing is a bit much, but figuring out a way to educate kids about the economy without them realizing it might actually be a really good direction for this project to go in, provided that was done tastefully and ethically.
I think we should all have to play Club Penguin at least once before we decide whether or not to launch into the middle school demo. I tried it once a few years ago and watching me play it must have been like watching my parents figure out how to attach pictures to emails - I was totally lost.
If we go in this direction, e-commerce is definitely important, but I think that truly understanding who we're dealing with (and what they're already using), only then can we truly develop a functional app/site.
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