I've heard my kids say somethings recently that point to some big shifts in how this new generation will consume and interact with media -- very different from my days, when "media" pretty much meant Saturday morning cartoons anchored by Superfriends.

Thing #1: When I clicked on the trailer below, Colin yells, "Katie, Didi: come watch the Clone Wars trailer!" I don't think I learned the word trailer until after college (ok, ok, I was a little slow and unhip), but for the new generation, trailers are an integral part of their media consumption. (And yes, we can't wait for this movie!)


Thing #2: In the middle of watching the trailer, Colin asked, "are they making a game to go with this?" Yup, kids expect games to go with the movies. Well, at least the game they are into now such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones and the Pixar family.

Thing #3: When Comcast's video on demand service (channel 1) "boots", you see a momentary text-based splash screen reading something like "Comcast Interactive Service....Please Wait." Last time Cameron (who just turned 3, mind you) saw this screen for a split second, he said, "Oh, Kipper lives in there."

So in his mind, his favorite shows live "in" a particular media world, and this was his way of saying, "some shows I see on the Tivo, other shows I see on Comcast, and Kipper happens to be a show I see on Comcast."

Now he doesn't use the words Comcast and Tivo, much less understand the concepts or companies behind them. But it's astounding how he anchors his shows in media universes which he can identify in 1-2 seconds -- without the benefit of pictures or logos. Cool. Frightening. Both!

I've heard my kids say somethings recently that point to some big shifts in how this new generation will consume and interact with media -- very different from my days, when "media" pretty much meant Saturday morning cartoons anchored by Superfriends.

Thing #1: When I clicked on the trailer below, Colin yells, "Katie, Didi: come watch the Clone Wars trailer!" I don't think I learned the word trailer until after college (ok, ok, I was a little slow and unhip), but for the new generation, trailers are an integral part of their media consumption. (And yes, we can't wait for this movie!)


Thing #2: In the middle of watching the trailer, Colin asked, "are they making a game to go with this?" Yup, kids expect games to go with the movies. Well, at least the game they are into now such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones and the Pixar family.

Thing #3: When Comcast's video on demand service (channel 1) "boots", you see a momentary text-based splash screen reading something like "Comcast Interactive Service....Please Wait." Last time Cameron (who just turned 3, mind you) saw this screen for a split second, he said, "Oh, Kipper lives in there."

So in his mind, his favorite shows live "in" a particular media world, and this was his way of saying, "some shows I see on the Tivo, other shows I see on Comcast, and Kipper happens to be a show I see on Comcast."

Now he doesn't use the words Comcast and Tivo, much less understand the concepts or companies behind them. But it's astounding how he anchors his shows in media universes which he can identify in 1-2 seconds -- without the benefit of pictures or logos. Cool. Frightening. Both!