Whenever I want to know what my 15-year-old son likes, I ask him. He gives me an answer and I know where I stand. Sometimes, the experience is gratifying; more often than not, it is frustrating. What do you expect from a teenager, after all? Well armed with this knowledge, I am baffled by the US bank Morgan Stanley's research methods into garnering insight into teenagers' media likes and dislikes. Senior analysts in London approached a 15-year-old intern and asked him to produce a report. A few text messages to his friends and a day of writing later, the boy, Matthew Robson, handed in his work. His boss, Edward Hill-Wood, was full of praise, describing the effort as 'one of the clearest and most thought-provoking insights we have seen'.
Morgan Stanley's clients, particularly those involved in investment in the media sector, have apparently been clamouring for copies. The findings have financial institutions the world over excited. Given my job, I was also eager to see what Matthew had to say. Newspapers and magazines are facing tough times in the internet and mobile-phone age. Proprietors and journalists are searching for ways to compete with shrinking advertising budgets and news that is delivered fast and generally for free.
Matthew found that teenagers believe outdoor advertising and internet banner ads are annoying. They multitask on computers and mobile devices, chatting with friends through text messages and Facebook while listening to music. Twitter is not popular with teenagers. Nor do they like radios or buy CDs. Instead, they prefer to listen to music and watch videos through streaming websites or illegally download for free from the internet. They like to play computer games. Television is watched erratically; big screens are preferred. Teenagers do not read newspapers or use phone directories, again turning to screens for their knowledge.
Forgive me, but these revelations are not insightful. Since the year dot, teenagers have not had much money and have clamoured to get what they could for free. I am not surprised that advertising grates - the 3,000-plus ads that bombard me each day between my home and office and while I am reading and researching on the internet are at best a distraction, at worst, a nuisance. I also like to play games and watch big television screens. Hard-copy newspapers - well, I like them, but it is not difficult to see that people in their 20s and younger prefer to get their news and views from portable devices with screens and internet connections.
These are not idle claims or observations. They are based on research carried out to the standards set by Morgan Stanley. I approached my sample - I did not have to go far - and confirmed that his age was 15. Privacy rules require that I do not divulge his identity. I asked him to poll his friends on their media habits. He grunted a few times, but did not confirm whether he would do as he was told. As I was speaking to him, he was playing an online computer game, with hip-hop music blasting from the speakers, and had a mobile phone in his right hand, his thumb furiously tapping out a text message.
I had to repeat the request a few times. When I raised my voice to a threatening level, he gave a half-hearted verbal response of acceptance. Half an hour later, he e-mailed me. He said his friends think that newspapers are old-fashioned, Twitter is 'for nerds' and Facebook is 'kinda kewl' (his spelling, not mine). Advertising 'sux'. He is well aware of the illegality of downloading songs from pirate websites - I have lectured him endlessly about it - so he judiciously neglected to respond to that question. I know for a fact, though, that he has never bought a CD.