Mobile Natives

I first encountered the concept of “digital immigrants/digital natives” in my local school district as today’s Millennial Generation started to come into kindergarten and first grade 25 years ago.

Their teachers discovered that their digital background started with video games like “Pong” and “Frogger,” while their students were texting each other and writing their own software.

Now, Millenials are the youngest teachers playing catch up learning a new language.  They struggle to incorporate the ubiquitous mobile devices in their classroom into their curriculum as their students see no need for laptops or desktop devices, intuitively figuring out how to do everything they need on their device formerly known as their “phone.”

This is speeding everything up.

No one has an instant for a slow website to load, a video to buffer, unwanted ads to crowd their way in.  That requires "mobile native" software.

Even native advertising, which Twitter does better than almost anyone, must be entertaining, informative and relevant or the sender gets unfollowed fast.

The pressure is on.

The listener of analog radio is increasingly mobile native wondering what we’re doing to make their life better, more manageable and easier.

Fortunately, the country format has a bit more time than the formats whose audience is now becoming completely addicted to their mobile device.

You may not need the best app in the world yet, but it’s well past time to have a strategy and a time line.