New study released on Teens and media

This should be a wake up call to us who seem to take minutes or even upwards to 30 to 40 minutes to get our points across!


The article by Daniel Anstandig said this "Long-winded pitches and excessive ramp-ups to your point will result in losing the ear of your target. This is the first generation of consumers that speaks in bullet points. In 256 characters or less, a text message between two teens can plan an entire weekend. In 140 characters or less, a tweet can start a riot. Get your point across as efficiently as possible without sounding gruff." 

I'm not avocating that we start to form bible studies, devotionals or even sermons into 140 characters or less, but we should be concious to our audience and those whom are are trying to reach. This study focused in on teens 13-17. And I don't have to remind us how crucial it is to reach people prior to even high school and certainly college.

I wonder how long it will take the church, us youth directors and pastors to catch on to what main stream media and marketing consultants are already doing. We as the church has lost this battle over the past several generations, maybe we can get a step ahead of the next and take back some ground from the main-stream America and see what God can do with the generation coming of age! I can only imagine the possibilities. This generation is smarter, more creative, has every tool we ever dreamed of having and so much more.

How will we "stand out from the norm" according to this article? How will we make a difference in their lives? What will help them grasp the Truth of God for themselves? This is one servant who is certainly open to exploring the possibilities of how we are sharing the Gospel, communicating to this generation and how we may interact on a more productive level.

Read the entire article about the Nielson survey here. The Class of 2011: How Teens Interact with Media