For GenY, mobiles & tablets more entertaining than TV

Facebook and mobiles seem to have replaced television as the youth’s chosen mode of entertainment. What’s more, most students today are spending more than an hour online daily, and using the internet not only as a mode of connect through chat, but 74% also increasingly use it for academic research.

These interesting facts were thrown up by the TCS GenY survey 2011-12, which in its third edition surveyed some 12,300 high school students across 12 cities in India. The survey was undertaken during the nationwide TCS IT Wiz program (Jul-Dec 2011).

With the rising popularity of smart devices like smartphones and tablets being made available at price points of sub-Rs5,000, Generation Y, or the youth are the main takers. In Mumbai for example, 98.77% of high school students own mobiles, and 59% of them access the Internet through their phones. This is in comparison to 89% owning PCs in the same city. However, internet penetration – which is a mere 13.79 million as of March 2012 (according to Telecom Authority of India) has been growing leaps and bounds as far as the youth is concerned, with five out of 10 students connected to the internet. Of this, PC penetration for the youth in India stands at 68.21%, while laptop penetration in the metros comes in at 51.64%, as compared to 47.06% in mini-metros. Tablet penetration, too, is higher in the metros with 15% listing it as the device of choice for Internet access, while it stands at 7% in mini-metros.

Another interesting trend that the survey throws up is that television has been replaced by mobile phones, iPods, MP3 players and gaming consoles as modes of entertainment. Social media has emerged as the way for GenY to stay connected, chat and communicate 24/7, with the survey showing that 85% of students use Facebook, followed by Orkut (43%), Twitter (30%) and LinkedIn (6%).

What’s more, the Internet is given preference over voice calls to communicate – with 68% youth using Internet as a communication platform, as compared to 59% making voice calls. It is also interesting to note that contrary to popular belief, email is preferred over SMS as a means of communication by GENY, with 44% using email, while 36% use SMS, and 33% use instant messaging (IM).

All this time online, has led to an increase in students choosing IT as a career option. Indeed, 34% of students today choose IT as a career option, as compared to IT being a second choice three years ago, coming after engineering. IT companies, too, have started hiring younger candidates, with TCS claiming that 69% of its employee base being GenY, as compared to 61% in 2010.

Easier access to smart devices and high-speed communication has revolutionized the way youth behave and prioritize. And staying connected can definitely help drive efficiency in organizations, too, going forward.