Chapter 7

In Chapter 7, I think that Tapscott actually got stuff right for once. One thing that he stated correctly was that teenagers don't buy most of their products on line. Instead, we research the product online before buying it in store. We do this because most teenagers don't have credit cards yet, which are required for every online purchase. Unfortunately the person he interviewed to get this information didn't realize that was what happened until his daughter told him, and Tapscott probably didn't know this either.

I had issues with the section on "integrity." I remember seeing earlier in the book how his daughter wouldn't buy roses from companies who used lots of pesticides and chemicals and child labor. He said that Net Geners only buy from "fair trade" companies. This cannot be further from the truth. Many teenagers are obsessed with companies like Holister and Abercrombie & Fitch. Both of these companies have many of their items made in Chinese sweatshops. They also have their employees working in highly "toxic" environments from all the cologne and perfume they spray.

The quote on page 187 could not be more true regarding really annoying ads. Tapscott nailed this on the head. Net Geners want clever ads that tell us the product is out there and gives us a few reasons why we should buy it (humor helps too). A good example of this would be the "Mac vs. PC" ads. As much as I hate Apple, I will say the commercials are very well-done.

Social Networking

In chapter seven, Tapscott has a section called "My social network." He says that traditionally a person may have a social network of about a hundred people that they interact with, but with the internet, we are connect with hundreds and even thousands of people. Different people may have different opinions of you, depending on how many friends you have. One person may think you're popular if you have 1,500 Facebook friends, while others may find that creepy. This section ends with him saying that "Today's typical Internet user already has 2.3 percent more significant social ties than a nonuser does." This statement immediately made me realize that the internet is a great way of networking in the professional sense, in that , if you use it right, the internet can provide you with great opportunities with people you may not have met anywhere but the internet.
I found this article that discusses the advantages to using social media as marketing. One big reason that it is so useful is that it is free. Another is that people not even directly affiliated with a company can market their products.
“One interesting example furthering evidence of companies relinquishing brand control is The Coca-Cola Company, known for its utmost security of its brand. Coca-Cola had little success with social networking until a "fan page" emerged from the hands of an out-of-work writer who simply liked drinking Coke. That page, not owned or controlled by Coke, became the most successful fan page on Facebook (3.3 million members) through viral marketing while defying the rules of traditional advertising and stunned execs who spent millions on 'inside the box' campaigns.” This ties into the idea of prosumerism; companies and their consumers, working together for the betterment of the product.

Chapter 7 N Fluence

In this chapter, Tpascott talks about how the net generation uses the internet to find and compare the products they want to buy before they buy them. Some net geners are switching completly to buying online while most net geners dont have credit cards, so they just read reviews and determine the best bang for their buck, then go to the store and buy the product. The use sites such as consumerreports.org, or my personal favorite, mysimon.com
He also talks about how we use our friends recomendations more than ever these days. We use social networking sites even to determine what we will buy. We trust our friends opinion of the product more than we trust the company. We also want a lot more form the companies than ever before. We want them to treat us with respect and to accept our feedback and thank us for helping to make the product better.

www.mysimon.com