Forrester: Gen Y sets pace for technology adoption

Members of Gen Y, the name demographers have given to people between the ages of 18 to 28, set the pace for technology adoption, according to a report out today from Forrester Research Inc. of Cambridge.

In a report titled "The State of Consumers and Technology: Benchmark 2008," Forrester, a market intelligence firm, noted that nine in 10 Gen Y'ers own a personal computer, and 82 percent own a mobile phone.

What's more, Gen Y members spend more time online - for leisure or work - than they do watching TV; 72 percent of Gen Y mobile phone owners send or receive text messages, and 42 percent of online Gen Yers watch Internet video at least monthly, Forrester said.

Members of Generation X (also known as folks who are 29- to 42-years-old) generally use technology to support a "lifestyle need," Forrester said, "while technology is so deeply embedded in everything Gen Y'ers do that they are truly the first native online population."

Even though Gen Y is relatively small. with 38 million Americans falling into that age category - an estimated 63 million Americans belong to Gen X - Gen Y members are crucial to technology adoption, Forrester said.

"Gen Y is the audience that most companies are struggling to understand right now because it's key to their future revenue growth," Charles Golvin, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said in a statement.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)