About INgene blog : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog

About INgene : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog:
This blog explores the detailed characteristics of Young-India and explains the finer & crucial differences they have with their global peers. The blog also establishes the theory of “adopted differentiation” (Copyright Kaustav SG,2007) and how the Indian & Inglodian youth are using this as a tool to differentiate themselves from the “aam aadmi” (mass population of India) to establish their new found identity.

The term youth refers to persons who are no longer children and not yet adults. Used colloquially, however the term generally refers to a broader, more ambiguous field of reference- from the physically adolescent to those in their late twenties.
Though superficially the youth all over the world exhibits similar [degree of] attitude, [traits of] interests & [deliverance of] opinion but a detailed observation reveals the finer differential characteristics which are crucial and often ignored while targeting this group as a valued consumer base. India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less then 24 years of age and is charted as the most prospective destination for the retail investment in the A. T. Kearney’s Global Retail Opportunity Report, 2007. With the first ever non-socialistic generation’s thriving aspiration & new found money power combined with steadily growing GDP, bubbling IT industry and increasing list of confident young entrepreneurs, the scenario appears very lucrative for the global and local retailers to target the “Youngisthan” (young-India). But, the secret remains in the understanding of the finer AIOs of this generation. The Indian youth segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided (socio-psychologically) into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians & the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population lives in the rural (R1, R2 to R4 SEC) areas with least influence of globalization, high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% (A, B,C, D & E SEC) and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to the Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers (A1,A SEC) and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy & luxury items. They are internet savvy & the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east & west, developing & developed countries etc.), highly influenced by the western music, food, fashion & culture yet Indian at heart.








Sunday, April 1, 2012

The generation biasness and perception of being “lonely”

The survey commissioned by Yours magazine (the study included people aged between 18 and 80) stated that over a third of people spend more time chatting online than going out with friends. Sixty percent of those surveyed said they found it difficult to make friends 'in real life' compared with online and a similar number (69 per cent) said they believe that Britain is an unfriendly place to live. Youngsters are turning 'skin hungry' as networking online leaves them feeling as lonely as the elderly, a study has found. Having an average of 243 Facebook friends, teenagers are spending so much time on the internet that they have little time to move out with friends. This report was widely published in india (covered by The Hindu. Deccan Chronicle, Asian Age etc.) and as usual the “gray hairs” (midnight’s children, as named by Sashi Tharoor) enjoyed it as the “declining social behaviour” of youth in India.

The online- offline war has reached in a level where we tend to feel a perverted fulfilment by proving the “online” behaviour is actually making us “unsocial”. We decline to accept that online is also a parallel society which has its own benefit and system. The online life of youth is grooming them well into various fields; right from personal styling, learning English / communication skills, presentation skills and knowledge. At SNS like facebook or blogs, the GEN next learns the skill to write on the wall, pursue the opposite sex into friendship (online), share knowledge, build community, be fashionable (and load photos in the album), learn new skills (through the how to videos) etc. Even, the online activity makes an introvert more of a “smart kid”. This boosts the confidence level of an individual.
The parallel society is not only relevant when one wants to widen his/ her friendship circle without being pestered much about the security factor of adding an “unknown” but also the knowledge sharing possibilities are immense.
Today, the youth are omnipresent in both the societies (online , offline). They are aware of what best they can get from both. Otherwise, the overwhelming crowd in malls, parks, pubs and concerts will not consist of 80% population below 30. Neither they are "isolated" from their peergroup nor they feels lonely. It's the other generation who makes them feel lonely and insist them to accept it! The report quoted the so called relationship expert Julie Peasgood who says "instead of breaking down society's barriers, technology has made us more isolated and it is affecting young people". Its totally opposit to what the youth thinks about their social presence, online. The offline society no more attaracts them cause they are too limited in knowledge and domintae by the other two generations in India.

The places to hangout might have changed but the mentality to hangout remains same and the physical presence should not be considered as the only factor of being “social”!

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