Annual Realtime Generation Survey Reveals 13 – 17 Year Olds are
Tech Savvy, Secure and Demanding
- Social ‘not' working – Majority prefer ‘face-time' than
Facebook; 78% not posting personal information online; are more
concerned about internet security or have stopped using social
networking sites – savvy and secure!
- 46% will expect universities to provide a PC to use or own
while they study – the price tag for British universities would
average £150million per annum
- Only 11% plan to study sciences - Realtime
Generation1 to remain consumers rather than innovators
of technology; Britain faces shortage of tech workers
- 65% concerned about credit crunch – Will influence choice of
university and anticipate ‘career crisis'
Slough, 7th August 2008: Research commissioned
by international IT solutions provider Logicalis, has revealed that
today's 13-17 year olds are becoming far savvier about managing
their digital fingerprint, preferring instead to mix and match
their use of mobile gadgets and social networking sites with
traditional methods such as face-to-face communications, according
to formal or informal correspondence. In fact, the majority (29%)
would prefer to have face-time with, for example, prospective
universities, than any other communications or technology medium.
This is a generation that has developed its own 21st century
communications etiquette.
Referred to as the ‘Realtime Generation', 78% are now
not posting personal information on social networking
sites, are more concerned about their security, or have stopped
using these sites altogether. Furthermore, 46% admitted that social
networking was less important to them, and that they were using
them less frequently.
Chris Gabriel, solutions and marketing director for Logicalis,
said of the findings; “Whether this is down to better parental
control, the effect of media scare stories or just a growing
understanding of the risks of social networking, they are now
actively managing their digital fingerprints. Or is the social
networking explosion starting to wane?”
Conducted annually, the survey, entitled ‘The Realtime
Generation – How UK 13-17 year olds are coping in a digital,
dangerous and dynamic world', aims to uncover how this age group is
utilising technology, and how they are evolving their lives to cope
with the ever growing opportunity to engage with, and through, work
and social communications and information tools.
Whilst the Realtime Generation is able to better manage its use
of technology, it still expects and demands the availability of
mobile gadgets and the latest social technologies in order to best
communicate, study, and work. Businesses and education
establishments will therefore need to consider multi-channel
communication policies that support the use of formal and informal
practices.
The financial impact on the UK education sector, and government,
in order to meet these expectations, though, will cost in excess of
£150million per annum.
Says Gabriel; “Just as UK plc is bracing itself for the
financial impact of post-graduates that expect the latest and
greatest gadgets and mobile access technologies, so should
universities.”
Critically, the survey uncovered that this generation will
consider technology and the availability of technology services a
key differentiator when selecting prospective universities. Of the
1000 plus students surveyed, 46% will expect their university to
provide a PC for the duration of their undergraduate tenure, or own
outright – at a cost of over £150million per annum, or £300 per
student, to the university sector.
Gabriel adds, “Universities that want to lure the best students
will need to invest heavily to implement an IT infrastructure that
will meet the expectations of this group, and maintain their
competitive edge in the race for securing higher student intake. To
meet this £150m price tag, it is inevitable that universities will
be looking to the government, UK plc, and possibly students, to put
their hands in their pockets.”
Of concern to the British economy though, is that whilst the
increasingly tech-savvy Realtime Generation is keen to consume new
technologies and communication methods, it shows little interest in
developing the next generation of innovative gadgets and services.
Just 11% of respondents are planning to study sciences2,
compared to 31% opting for media courses. However, in contrast, but
encouragingly, when asked about their career aspirations, 47% would
consider a profession in IT.
Tom Kelly, managing director of Logicalis, comments; “This
survey is deliberately targeted at an age group that is being asked
to choose its education and career path. Whilst this science
statistic should worry UK plc, and the governments of today and
tomorrow, the message is clear; if we can educate them on the
correlation between science and the gadgets they can't live
without, and spark their interest before choosing their GCSE
options, we can influence the future of British industry.”
Kelly concludes, “Educators and private industry need to
collaborate closely on how sciences are taught. Businesses
worldwide are increasingly dependent upon technology to create new
markets and achieve better margins. Technology is a lucrative,
thriving career option that seeks to drive down operational costs
and increase innovation. In a climate whereby the future careers of
the Realtime Generation could be impacted by the credit crunch,
this is an opportune moment for the science and technology industry
to reach out to this digital native workforce.”
About Logicalis
Logicalis is an international provider of integrated ICT solutions,
delivering secure, converged computing and communications
infrastructure and services.
We can provide the architecture, deployment, integration and
management of networks and systems to deliver leading edge
solutions that create value for our customers and meet their
business needs now and into the future.
Logicalis is a trusted provider of multi-vendor solutions and
services operating in the most complex and challenging business
environments. Our relationships with the industry's leading
technology suppliers, combined with our business understanding
enable you to invest with confidence.
The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec Limited (DTC), a $3.2
billion multi-national Group listed on the AIM market of the LSE
and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. With international
headquarters in the UK , the Logicalis Group has operations in the
US, UK, Germany, and South America.
Logicalis UK has achieved independent certification for its
integrated management system, information security, IT service
management offerings and its environmental standards: ISO 9001; ISO
27001; ISO 20000 and ISO14001 respectively.
For more information, please
contact:
Jennifer Manning/Charlotte Sandy
Cohesive Communications
T: +44 (0) 1291 626200
E: mailto:logicalis@cohesive.uk.com
1 The Realtime Generation are natural knowledge
workers, connected, collaborative and expressive individuals, whose
use of personal knowledge worker tools and technology exceeds
that of their predecessors.
2Common programmes include computer science,
technology, biology, biochemistry, math, physics, general science,
and earth science.