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.








Saturday, August 18, 2012

The 'Multipls accounts' in Social networking sites : Youth trend in India

In a report citing the survey conducted by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) stated that the youngsters in urban India have started experiencing social media fatigue, logging on less frequently to social networks like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Orkut, Linkedin, Myspace, Friendster, Hi5 and BigAdda than when they initially signed up, according to a survey. About 55 per cent of all respondents across these cities said they have consciously reduced time spent on social media websites and are no longer as active and enthusiastic about their favourite social networks as when they had signed up. Nearly 30 per cent of these said they have deactivated or deleted their accounts and profiles from these websites and it is no longer a craze among them, while most of the remaining users said they have started maintaining a low profile on social networks as their privacy is being breached.

  If the report is believed, then the downfall of popularity of the social networking could have been termed as ‘ SNS fatigue’ among youth due to various reasons including ‘breach of privacy”. But, according to the qualitative research by INgene (conducted via personal interviews in 3 metro cities of India) there’s another ‘social wave’ of having ‘multiple accounts’ in SNS. The youth are clustering friends, family members and ‘new found strangers’ according to the ‘closeness’ (especially among young females). Various accounts are used to keep the interaction mode controlled (hence, the transparency of identity). Even, sharing the photos is ‘controlled’ via multiple accounts. Even in the display image actual photos are not uploaded (can be a photo of a celebrity whom the youth adores or a nice flower!) always unless it’s a ‘personal’ account. The ‘[anonymous accounts’ are used to ‘understand’ a stranger, before indicating him / her about the ‘actual’ account.

Many offices have banned the use of Social networking sites hence the SNS mobile apps are more in use.

Moreover, as I have mentioned in my earlier report, the ‘adopted differentiation’ is visible even in the use of Social Networking sites where the ‘niche’ sites (the beta version of Zucker) are becoming more popular than the mass (ie. Orkut, Facebook, Bigadda etc.).

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Emerging socio psychological trend among young girls in India



The alternative ways of recognition gaining is becoming popular : http://www.desiclub.com/community/culture/culture_article.cfm?id=511
http://www.masaladance.com/

Though the social resistance over changing gender role change is visible:

http://www.punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=4&contentid=201207142012071409285011394763061

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18824367