Trends & The Tipping Point

When reading about the review of digital media for 2010, the trend that stuck out to me the most was the drastic reduction in email usage among young people. In ages 12-17, it was down a monumental 59%. There is no doubt that this harsh decline in email usage is due to the continuously increasing use of social media. Nowadays, Facebook has become even more convenient than email. As fast as it is to email a message, it can be even faster to send it using Facebook or post it on a friend's wall. Also, when looking at the age group of 12-17, it is understandable that they would be far more interested in Facebook than email. Facebook is hip and cool, while email is old news. In contrast, email usage among 18-24 year olds is only down 1%. My guess is that this is due to the amount of email corresponding that takes place while in college. When coordinating a group project or contacting a professor, email is the way to go. High school students do not use email for the same reasons that university students do. One more trend to note is the increase of email usage among 55-64 year olds and also those who are 65 and older. I would attribute this to the fact that older generations tend to be behind with the latest technology. 10 years ago, these age groups would never have known how to compose an email. Now, they are finally getting around to learning about it. This is why it will be several more years, if at all, before older generations will get around to using social media.

The tipping point factor is a very interesting topic to look at. It describes how epidemics do not only take place with disease, but also ideas. An idea can be planted one day, see massive adoption the next, and completely die out soon after. This concept can also be applied to social media. Word of mouth is the best way to spread an idea, and social media is the best tool for word of mouth. If you truly want an idea to take place, find people within the social media realm who have enormous influence over their peers and get them to post the idea on their facebook page, twitter account, and/or blog. You are almost guaranteed to see this idea take root and grow like a spider web. This can be applied to practically anything; products, services, contests, and promotions can all be spread using this technique. The key is to remember that everything has a tipping point, which means it will eventually reach its peak and fall. To avoid this, new ideas need to be incorporated and new conversations need to be started. The key to continuing and ultimately mastering the spider web effect is to keep an idea fresh.