Corporations Just Don't Understand: Why Some Products Fail While Social Networks Thrive for Teens

A well-known fact of teen life is that they generally spend more time online than adults, often participating in new online activities and online communities. This is a trend that the consumer electronics (CE) industry has picked up on, creating a new line of teen-targeted devices that are connected and ultra-portable, such as Sony’s mylo and T-Mobile’s Sidekick. These devices often feature preloaded IM clients, connections to social networking sites and the ability to store music, video and photos. But does a portable device with all the bells and whistles, such as connections to Skype and MySpace, inherently resonate with teens?