Ypulse Conference to Explore 'Totally Wired Generation'
Teen media and marketing blog Ypulse has partnered with conference producer Modern Media to produce 2007 Mashup, a two day event held at San Francisco's Nikko Hotel July 16-17 which will explore today's "totally wired generation."
Explaining the focus of the conference, Ypulse Founder Anastasia Goodstein writes, "This event was born out of almost three years of blogging and building a diverse community of media and marketing professionals who all have something in common: an empathy for youth and a passion for reaching them in an authentic way -- whether that's through a marketing campaign, editorial content, a website or other technology product or face to face. If I've learned anything over the past couple of years blogging about this audience, it's that, yes, they are 'totally wired.' It's not that they write code or can take apart a computer (although some can), it's that this generation has grown up with the internet and cell phones and has integrated technology into their lives as naturally as the air they breath -- they're hyper connected, multi-tasking and incredibly marketing savvy."
Speakers at the event include Loopt CEO Sam Altman, Jones Soda CEO Peter van Stolk, Emo Girl Talk Host Martina Butler, Net Family News' Anne Collier, MyYearbook President Catherine Cook, Seconf Life's Claudia L'Amoreaux, Fanscape CEO Larry Weintraub, Photobucket CEO Alex Welch and many others. Panels will examine teen psychology, music, social media, teen media usage and anything else you can think of that has to do with teen marketing, advertising and behavior. And it won't just be grownups telling you what they think they know about teens. Teens, yes, actual teens will be on some panels as well imparting directly how they connect, network and use media.
With marketing, advertising and media consumption turned on its head of late along with entirely new, never before seen media consumption and social networking patterns, this is a conference you just might want to attend. And, no, we didn't get paid to say that.
Comments
OK - personal, true story. I'm talking to my nephew and his 21-yr-old friend (OK - he's not a YPulse teen, but he was two years ago). I make a reference to Imus. Who's Imus? the kid asks.
I pick myself off the floor and explain what went on in April, using the NHH phrase. Blank stare. "Guess I didn't catch it." After picking myself off the floor again, I suppose I could have asked about Virginia Tech but I didn't have the will power. I know this is a sample of one, but for f*ck's sake...
So, what is the definition of TOTALLY wired? Can you be totally wired and basically unaware?
Totally, man.
Not a matter of unaware. No 21 year old, let alone anyone under 35 gives a crap about wacky, washed up Don Imus. It's completely unsurprising this kid has no idea who Imus is or what went down last month. Why would he care? Imus speaks to a far older generation and is irrelevant to this 21 year old.
Totally wired and being aware of things are two different things entirely. Just because someone is wired does not mean they are going to be aware of things that are not relevant to them no matter how important they may seem to others.