Ask HN: how to reach teenagers with a social network? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: how to reach teenagers with a social network?

1 pointJCB_K3 comments

Hi HN,

As far as I know, the easiest audience to reach by social networks, and subsequently the first audience which is reached, is 20/30-somethings. Facebook would be a bad example as it was first pitched at college students, but look at other examples: only recently Twitter started to be popular among teenagers. (At least in the countries I've lived in in Europe: 1 or 2 years ago no teenager would use it, I now see more and more teenagers on it.) Foursquare is still the domain of 20-somethings, just like Gowalla, or Reddit, which potentially could be interesting for 15/16/17-year olds as well.

How come? Is it because teenagers are not really interested in new social networks, they just want to be where their friends are? Or is it because social networks aren't pitched at them? (Because there's not much money to find maybe?) I'd be interested to hear what other people think about it.

Is it because teenagers are not really interested in new social networks, they just want to be where their friends are?

That's not just teenagers-- that's pretty much everybody, if you ask me.

Now, I don't know where you are in Europe, but here in Norway, Facebook is pretty much ubiquitous with teenagers. I was a hard-ass with my daughter, and wouldn't let her sign up until she actually turned 13, so she was sitting up on the night before her birthday, with the form filled out, waiting for the clock to strike midnight so she could submit the form. Within 18 hours, she had more "friends" than I do, and all of them were kids she knew from school.

Note that also, here in Norway, there was another social network aimed specifically at children, which was quite popular-- perhaps it still is, with the under-13 crowd who don't have access to Facebook.

But why is it then, that social networks get adapted by young adults first?

My previous startup targeted teens so I think I can contribute to this discussion.

Contrary to popular belief, most teenagers are not whiz kids early adopters. The most important thing for them is to fit and to do so, they go where everyone is or appears to be.

If you really want to target teens, you have to capture the 18 - 25 cool crowd. Get them and the teens will come soon enough.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com