To say that the communications sphere of contemporary youth has greatly expanded over the past decade could be the understatement of ...well, the decade!

In terms of connectivity and cultural currency - cell phones, pagers, net surfing, wireless e-mail, ICQ, chat rooms and MP3 trading enjoy massive popularity with any Canadian in their teen or young adult years.

Today's youth are fluent in multi-tasking, instant response, quick access to information and being connected with each other at all times.

The implications for their lifestyle are:
-increased awareness by simple communications / information osmosis;
-increased expectations for contemporary messaging using ALL available media;
-exceedingly fast ascendancy of underground trends both into and out of the mainstream;
-better organization on the whole; and,
-a sense of empowerment (particularly driven by their innate engagement with the Internet).

The implications for business are:

-a need to engage youth using ALL available communication means (online advertising and presence, ICQ boards, pager prompting etc.);

-a need to understand the empowerment that expanded communication has given youth and utilize this for advancing your brand and products (the power of viral networking);

-a need to increase your vigilance of ALL trends affecting youth culture in order to remain contemporary in youth-oriented marketing initiatives (as youth does - so should those marketing to them - cast your nets widely and deeply when engaging this target).

Finally, technological angles need not dictate all that you do to communicate with youth. As our feature piece noted - Canadian teens and young adults will always look for a visceral connection to your service, brand or product. As your electronic initiatives increase, so should your street-level attacks. The sphere has widened on both ends of the communication spectrum.