Youth use new media, traditional

According to Dr Isa van Aardt (YRU Manager), part of the study was aimed at assessing the impact of new media on the behaviour and self-perceptions of the youth. The research was conducted among 1038 high-school learners in Gauteng at the end of November 2009.

New media complements old

Van Aardt said that according to the study it did not seem that the traditional media such as the print and broadcast media were under threat but were rather complemented by the new media. Learners were asked to indicate which of the different media (magazines, newspapers, radio stations and television channels) they had personally read, paged through, listened to or watched in the ‘past 7 days'. In all cases more than 50 % of the respondents responded positively (see figure 1).

Van Aardt indicated that the grade 7 to 12 learners were more involved with and influenced by the broadcasting media when compared to print media and that there is a difference between learners coming from different social backgrounds. The latter refers to a categorisation according to school type where learners from ex-model C schools, which can typically be classified as those who reside in middle to upper socioeconomic areas, and learners from ex-DET schools, who tend to be from a lower to middle socioeconomic class. The difference in the readership, listenership and viewership are reflected in figure 2.

School model affects results

New media seem to have diffused to the same extent among grade 7 to 12 learners in both ex-model C schools and ex-DET schools. However, this permeation has been more recent in ex-DET schools. The study also reveals that high-school learners who have access to and use the new media adopt and adapt to new innovative media developments at a faster pace than adults do. Increasing access to and enthusiastic usage of the new media by high-school learners proves that, not only are they the innovators in this area, but they are changing their life styles to adapt to the new media and to use them for their own benefit. The present study also emphasised the fact that socioeconomic factors need to be considered when investigating new media trends among the youth. A clear digital divide between high-school learners in the two school types, were established (figure 3).

Van Aardt indicated that the study also revealed that high-school learners view new media as much more than communication tools but as aids in their psychological growth through adolescence, thus confirming the international trend. Although cellphones, in particular, have enhanced the capacity of the youth to communicate, they are used in combination with other tools, such as social networking sites and MXit, both of which were accessed via cellphones.

Internet through cellphones

The vast majority (75.4 %) of the respondents indicated that they accessed the Internet via their cellphones. Nnono Shai, also of the Youth Research Unit, said that the Internet is used to access social networking sites as well as MXit to make new friends, to join ‘chat groups', to interact with existing friends and to exchange private messages, which are all activities that are part of social development of high-school learners. In addition to using the Internet to obtain information for study and research at school, playing interactive games and interpersonal communication seem to be important reasons for using the system.

Decision-making still ‘old school'

Van Aardt said that interesting trends were found as to the aspects and people influencing the buying decisions of the adolescents participating in the study as well as their brand awareness as far as new media and clothing are concerned. According to Van Aardt, friends, family and the traditional media seem to play a more important role in influencing their buying decisions than new media. Less than half the respondents indicated that they are influenced by cellphone or Internet advertising (figure 4).

Analysis by message type revealed that certain media are more suitable than others are for conveying different media messages. Billboards are the most effective for carrying promotional messages, whilst magazines are seen as suitable for providing gossip (figure 5).

Cellphone branding key

According to Shai, having the right brand of cellphone is more important to the adolescents participating in this study, than having the right brand of clothing or computer (figure 6). This aligns with the importance of having a cellphone with the latest features and the fact that having the latest cellphone allows them to feel cool and be recognised by their friends.

In conclusion, Van Aardt said that the study provided worthwhile and interesting insights into the role of media, especially new media, in the lives of high-school learners in South Africa. The importance of both the traditional media and new media to high-school learners is emphasised and the differences between the different community areas provide valuable information to be considered when developing future marketing strategies, marketing communication, marketing segmentation and competitive business strategies in support of sustainable business.