June 2011 VOLUME 3 | NUMBER 2 Editorial 3 ven as I write, changes are taking place in the world of mobile internet, social media and internet technology. E There just seems to be no way to keep absolutely up-to-date. Imagine then the dilemma for users! While young people seem to have a natural attitude and knack for these technological and communication changes, parents seem to have a harder time just to keep up. This issue of Youth Hong Kong discusses this and other issues related to mobile internet, talking to young people, parents, educators and others about how and where this technology will develop. What emerges is how to respond, adapt and utilize these advancements in a positive and creative way, while remaining vigilant to potential pitfalls as well. We look forward to hearing from you, maybe through your mobile internet! Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP Executive Director The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups June 2011 4 Highlight Mobile internet: Youth HongYouth Kong getting on with it, getting into it June 2011 by Elaine Morgan The mobile internet is part of youth culture, but for the “digital immigrants” who were born before the 1980s and grew up without computers, getting going with it and keeping up with its pace of change can be a real challenge. Nevertheless, the mobile internet is a reality and anyone who wants to stay in touch with a young person’s world should know about it. 流動互聯網是青年文化不可或缺的部分。然而對於八零年代以前出生的「數碼移民」而言，要緊貼資訊科技的迅速發展，以至能有效地聯繫年 輕人和了解他們的世界，卻並非可以一蹴而就。 Keeping well connected The mobile internet presents a challenge but it also provides an We spend more time opportunity to bridge the generational divide and communicate better across age groups. Hong Kong, with 83%1 of its households connected to the internet than on broadband, has one of the highest internet penetration rates in people in China or Britain. the world. With an average of 22 hours spent online by everyone, every week, Hong Kong people of all ages are among the world’s most connected. We spend more time, on smartphones, netbooks, iPads and desktops, connected to the internet, than people in China or Britain. Forecasts for the mobile internet say that by 2012 there Narrowing generation gaps will be as many connected mobile phones as there are people in the Adult anxieties may lead them to want to control that energy, world2, so we have a head start. because of the apparent risks online. Parents’ love and care mean they always worry about their children, both in the real world and However, although broadband penetration is high across all families, now in the virtual world. If they are familiar with the features of that including those with a low income, this only applies to households virtual world they can help the inexperienced deal with it, but that with children in primary and secondary schools. The broadband means using it and being informed about how young people use it. penetration rate for low-income families without children is under 30%. This suggests that children’s education, requiring access to Innovative software applications at the heart of the mobile internet, the internet for homework, is a compelling motivator to get online such as social media, show how new channels of communication and to stay on the same digital “page”.3 can create a bridge across the divide. According to one researcher from the marketing and investment company KPCB5, the mobile The young use the mobile internet to stay in touch with the young, internet has a “SoLoMo” effect. It’s social, local and mobile. It but mobile internet also lets adults stay in touch with them, the maximizes sociable communication, with people near and far, on the way they think, their goals, and the risks they take. As Donald says move, at school, at work and at home. in her introduction to Youth, Society and Mobile Media in Asia, young people’s communication is “characterized by inventiveness, In the process of learning how to use the mobile internet, some energy… and intense sociability.”4 parents open Flickr accounts or make Facebook “friends” with Highlight 5 teenage sons and daughters. Grandparents, with more time at their disposal, maximize contact with distant family, sharing photo albums and news. There are still more adults than teenagers on Facebook at present and it is used for business purposes, not just social contact, on both smartphones and computers. Netiquette, positive image and good judgement A worldly, media literate member of the older generation is in the best possible position to advise the young about online etiquette and self-presentation. Young people chat online, they plan meetings, and share photos. They compare views and hang out, seeking emotional support and self-validation. That’s when they also need to be learning about social norms and acquiring social literacy. That's when adults can help them. However, unlike the media many adults grew up with, the new es social media are driven by their users, particularly the young. As ag M all 6 ore for Collier and Magid say in A Parents’ Guide to Facebook , this is “a choi nnels ce of communication cha large swath of the wired and wireless social web that increasingly mirrors all of human life”. In real, human life, adults have more experience in handling risks and gauging potential. In “social media Keep up with change life”, it’s their responsibility to maintain media literacy and to pass on If we move with information technology, keeping pace with its social literacy to the young. changes, we’ll hone our evaluative judgment and sharpen our skills. With the mobile internet we also widen our communication channels and practise those skills wherever we are. Curiosity and youthful attitudes provide motivation. Notes and sources 1 Michael, David. The Connected Harbour. Boston Consulting Group, May 2011, p.9. 2 This figure is based on statistics which you can watch changing by the second at http://www.phonecount.com/pc/count.jsp, a source cited in http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Mobile_Internet_growth#cite_note-6. 3 http://www.futuregov.asia/blog/2011/apr/26/jeremy-godfrey-looking-back/ Buckingham, in Youth, Identity, and Digital Media, says, “Media 4 Donald, Stephanie Hemelryk (Dean, Media and Communication, RMIT University literacy involves not only ways of understanding, interpreting of Melbourne.) Youth, Society and Mobile Media in Asia. London, New York: Routledge, 2010. and critiquing media, but also the means for creative and social 5 Doerr, John. In Murphy, Matt & Meeker, Mary. Top Mobile Internet Trends. KPCB, expression.” For older people, curiosity and youthful attitudes February 2011. 6 Collier, Anne and Magid, Larry. “A Parents’ Guide to Facebook.” ConnectSafely, provide motivation, as does wanting to help the young evaluate and 2011, http://www.staysafeonline.org/blog/%E2%80%9C-parents%E2%80%99- sift information. Information overload is a serious problem for young guide-facebook%E2%80%9D-great-new-resource-connectsafelyorg-and- and old alike and we all have to learn how to cope with it. ikeepsafe-coalition. 6 Insight interviews Going mobile Youth HongYouth Kong staying cool June 2011 Professionals in various sectors talk about the salient features of the mobile internet and social media. The mobile internet has gained huge popularity in Hong Kong and growth on the mainland is one of the fastest in Asia. Social media is used heavily by young people as an integral part of the mobile internet. Young people need to present themselves wisely when social networking. Teachers and parents have to be aware of these factors in order to be effective mentors. 多位專業人士簡介流動互聯網和社交媒體的特徵。流動互聯網在香港日益流行，其在內地的增長乃亞洲之冠。青少年的生活與社交媒體息息相 關，他們必須加以善用來表達自己；師長亦應留意有關現象及趨勢，給予青少年適切的指導。 Growing up mobile Thomas Crampton, Ogilvy Older people grew up with letters, talking Mobile and enabled through a wire on the wall. For young people Youth aged 15-24 are early adopters of smartphones everywhere but compare Italy, top communication can be instant, visual and of the chart at 47%, and India on the bottom at 10%. China is at 29% and Hong Kong multi-faceted. Every form of communication at 24%. has strengths and weaknesses. Talking face-to-face means you have to be in the same place at the same time. Now we can communicate from anywhere, in any time zone, in a more collaborative way. 53% 62% 64% 67% 71% 71% 75% 90% Mobile feature phone The growth of China’s mobile internet is one of the biggest trends in China and Asia. Fortunately prices of new tools like smartphones are coming down, partly Smartphone 47% 38% 36% 33% 29% 29% 25% 10% because of competition. Not only socializing US UK but the economy itself will be based around Italy India Spain China Russia these new tools. The digital divide will grow Germany between those who use them and those who Source Nielsen News Release Hong Kong, December 2010 and March 2011 don’t. Ogilvy social media infographic Insight interviews 7 Image by networkcultures (Flickr / Creative Commons) (Flickr / Creative Image by networkcultures Presenting yourself Social networking sites (SNS) such as Young people need to understand the RenRen, the closest mainland social media consequences of their online behaviour. to Facebook, are used a lot by university Learn how to present themselves. But students. YouTube equivalents on the learning how to present yourself online mainland are Tudou and Youku, but they’re is not the same as learning how in real more like online TV stations. Sina weibo and life. Communication’s efficiency, scope Tencent are favourites for microblogging. and quality can been enhanced but body language and eye contact are missing. Don’t resist… get used to it. Giving support Thomas Crampton, Asia Pacific Teachers and parents need to be social Mobile phones are used to send nearly half Director at Ogilvy Public Relations, media users themselves to be effective of the updates on these SNS.