Friday, November 18, 2011

Teenage Web behaviour

We have talked endlessly of how Zimbabweans consume the Web and are engaging in social media platforms, but today we want look at the behaviour of the average Zimbabwean teenager in relation to the Web.

Findings from Everyone.Online published by TheBehaviourReport.com, a Zimbabwean online-based market research business and publication, with several surveys in the bag (retail, health, telecommunications, accounting, and advertising), have shown that teenagers are a very active group of Internet users.
A book authored by Oscar Manduku last year discusses Web consumption patterns among teenagers in Zimbabwe.

It categorises youths between the ages of 15 and 21 as the “excessives”, with an unquenchable quest for information. This group is known to be very energetic, upbeat, trendy, adventurous, and inquisitive.

They want an excess of everything online. They also have a thirst for knowledge, a desire to discover new things, the energy to keep a tab on communication, and a curiosity for “literature”.

These are the factors that drive the “excessives” to a website.

According to the report, this group chooses websites that grab their attention instantly, display the latest trends, offer intellectually-stimulating content and are interactive. Interestingly enough, some in this group are also curious about the explicit adult content online.

This is where restrictive measures should be taken. In the book, Manduku notes:

“As individuals, they (teenagers) have a dire concern for respect, acknowledgement, love, patriotism, promotion, entertainment, just to name a few. Once websites offer such things, this group will frequent the websites and tabernacle henceforth, until the relationship becomes boring or renovates.”

This group of young people mostly accesses the Internet from cafés, mobile phones and some have the privilege of accessing the Internet from a home Internet connection.

Internet cafés not only offer a place for teenagers to access the Internet, but they offer a social setting to meet with friends and meet new people.

The “excessives” access the Internet mainly for research, chatting and email, using instant messaging tools, chats, video, blogs, egroups and news feeds.
They have the time to do this and the desire to stay in touch.

Three words summarise their Web behaviour: download, chat, profile!

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