Are Face-to-Face Connections Extinct?

  By: CMC Research Chair Nancy Tellet
 
Just when you think teens and young adults never look up from their screens, think again. Although every generation is using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and new platforms that are developing on the daily, social media is not the only way! That’s right, face-to-face connections are here to stay.

According to the Digital Lives 2018 study conducted by the Culture Marketing Council: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing (CMC), Hispanic, non-Hispanic African-American and non-Hispanic White respondents across generations found that social media “can be fake,” “can show the worst in people, with bullying and racism,” and “can be dangerous.”

Yes, the majority of respondents were still on social platforms, but they also found that face-to-face interactions were still important. When asked how they most often communicate with their family, 35 percent of 18-49-year-olds said, “in person,” while 28 percent said, “texting,” and 19 percent said, “speaking on the phone.” When 13-17-year-olds were asked, an overwhelming 52 percent said, “in person”, while 24 percent said “texting” and 14 percent said “speaking on the phone.” Across both age groups, face-to-face connections were the most popular form of interaction with family members, despite the prominence of technology and texting in this day in age.

The numbers don’t lie… although marketers assume that digital is king, face-to-face communication is here to stay, and it has become a refreshing change of pace across cultures and generations. According to Digital Lives 2018, 40 percent of 13-17-year-olds said social media “can be a serious waste of time,” while 45 percent of 18-34s and 49 percent of 35-49s agreed with the statement.

So what does this mean for marketers? No, we’re not recommending you pull the plug on all of your digital campaigns, but a back-to-basics strategy to supplement digital certainly can’t hurt. Whether that means demonstrating your products or selling your services at trade shows, or implementing a print advertisement or two, “old school” advertising can serve as a refreshing change to consumers who are overwhelmed by digital advertisements that follow them on every website.


 

 

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