After two years of rapid acquisition of cell phones by youth, we have now reached the point where one in every two Canadians 12+ owns a cell phone.

The number grew from 41% in March 2001 to 50% in February 2003, with the growth predominantly coming from teens aged 15 to 19 who moved from 30% to 48% and tweens aged 12 to 14 who moved from 6% to 26%, according to Solutions Research Group’s trending study ‘In the Name of Cool.’ But the new levels of ownership are not the most interesting aspect of what’s happening.

A division is forming based on how age groups are using their cell phones/wireless technologies and how this manifests itself in lifestyle and attitudinal changes. (May I convey my apologies to older wireless users who are on the early adopting end of the technological spectrum.)

The older groups (30 +) are content to use a cell phone as a cell phone – this being a device which keeps them in touch with home or office when they are not in the home or office – and that’s the end of the story for them.

This group’s attitude toward new features like Internet browsing and text messaging is typified by comments such as, ‘Why can’t you just wait until you get home?’ Attitudinally, they are holding to a home/office-based connectivity.

In contrast, youth are embracing mobile connectivity and are thirsty for the new features becoming available.

Responding to the statement in the study, ‘Many new cell phones now come with advanced features…tell me to what extent [they] appeal to you,’ the percentages reported by the youngest age groups were high but declined steadily by age for all of the features included.

Fifty percent of teens said they were ‘very’ interested in sending and receiving instant and/or short text messages but this dropped steadily to 27% for 20- to 29-year-olds, 17% for 30- to 39-year-olds and just 9% of the 50+ age group.

The trend was similar for the other features including browsing the Web, personalizing ring tones, listening to MP3 files, sending and receiving e-mail and playing games.

What will this mean as we move forward? The age-old maxim ‘It’s not what you have that counts, it’s how you use it,’ applies well here. Having a cell phone alone is not enough to produce dramatic change if it is used only to enhance a lifestyle which remains home- or office-based. However, youth are using that same wireless technology to facilitate a mobile-based lifestyle resulting in a significant change that will affect work environments, entertainment choices, media usage, attitudes and behaviours.

We’re starting to see it at work now. For example, constant and instant connectivity alleviates the need to plan, which was never the hallmark of youth but is now almost completely unnecessary. If Friday night plans move from one venue to another, youth can instantly broadcast this change via messaging to their entire group. It’s like watching a school of fish instantly shift direction. Plans need not be laid out well in advance, nor do they need to be firm.

There’s an advantage to this kind of spontaneity but there’s also an inherent danger in the development of an inability to plan or to tolerate structured timelines and a frustration with those who aren’t connected. It’s a working demonstration of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ or perhaps, more aptly, given that some adults have the ability but not the inclination to use it, the ‘wills’ and ‘won’ts.’

Further evidence of this great techno-cultural divide is illustrated by observing each demo as they sit down to their computers.

Adults will sit down, check their e-mail and then proceed with the task at hand.

Youth will sit down, open their IM (Instant Messenger), open a media player – audio and/or video, and then proceed to the task at hand. As they work, youth will query any of their peers who are online for assistance as they complete their task.

They are never alone; they complete their project with the assistance of their online peer group.

It’s a difficult point of difference for adults to understand since even if they wanted to use IM while they worked, they probably wouldn’t have any friends logged on to help them and couldn’t reap the rewards of this kind of on-line support.

What does this mean for marketers?

Youth want the ability to contact you anytime, anywhere – so make yourself accessible.

Youth are constantly and instantly connected. The experience of one is the experience of all. If you’re good, they’ll all know about it, but if you’re bad…

Michele Erskine is VP at Toronto-based Solutions Research Group Consultants. She can be reached at merskine@srgnet.com. ‘In The Name of Cool’ is Canada’s Independent Consumer Trend Report on Technology, Media and Entertainment. For more information, point your browser to www.inthenameofcool.com.