The iPod generation

If your job involves working with youth, or if it should (economic developers take note), you may want to read this article about the kind of people that visit Apple's iTunes Music Store. You might call people that fit the profile the "iPod Generation."

Not only do these folks comprise nearly 14% of everyone on the Internet, they have very specific interests and preferences, and I'm not talking about their musical preferences. If you are wondering why young people keep leaving your community or region, or why you can't attract young workers to your area, you should probably print this article out and circulate it widely in your community while asking, "What do we have that is of interest to these young people?" Some of the interesting data includes:

• One of their favorite television channels is BBC America (a broader worldview?).
• Their favorite car is a Volkswagen.
• They are very likely to be a reader of Wired magazine (do you read it?).
• They are much more likely to be young than the average Internet user (have you ever visited the iTunes Music Store?).

If you want to solve the disappearing youth problem in your community, you have to start by understanding their interests. Here's an easy way to get started.