if your ministry is chasing MTV you’re 5 years too slow…

I was reading this article on Wired’s blog, and it looks like MTV and VH1 have lost a lot of speed and traction with the ‘youth and 20 somethings’ according to the latest research.  I’ll highlight their explanation:

The fundamental problem could be that the “youth demo” that Viacom has hotly chased after for the last couple decades is a bust. Teens and twenty-somethings don’t watch TV anymore; they don’t read newspapers; and they’re technologically promiscuous — how can big media sell advertising against them if you can’t corner them in front of any single device?

Dauman hinted at the problem, but he didn’t address it head on when he said some viewers are migrating from broadcast networks to cable channels, but “the trend did not benefit some of our networks that cater to younger demographics.” The key takeaway: Young people have left, and they’re not coming back.

“It’s a bit of a challenge to dominate that demo because of their technological proficiency and their willingness and excitement to embrace new [technologies],” says James Goss, an analyst at Barrington Research. “MTV has tried to respond by improving programming to create a little buzz, but nevertheless, it’s a greater challenge. [MTV and VH1] remain a central part of the business, and [Viacom] is trying to do something about it.”

  *I love that we are considered both “technologically proficient” and “technologically promiscuous”… They’re right… I’m fickle… and so are all the students in my world…. 

Questions:


1) How is culture using technology to communicate??  
2) How should the Church be using technology to communicate/engage/interact with culture??
3)  How many years is the Church behind the learning curve???



This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 9:52 pm and is filed under Links, culture.
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  • Jason
    Wow, that is some really insightful stuff. The funny thing is, if we sit and think about it we have known it for a few years now! I think the majority of the teens-twenties spend their time doing...random things. It is all about what it has been about since Jesus walked the earth..RELATIONSHIPS.
  • MTV has showed their weakness for year, they have always had an awful and mostly useless website. With their resources they should have the slickest and hottest web site around....FAiL
  • Chris Elrod
    MTV also got away from what they did best...music videos. Though I am no longer a bivocational church planter...I still substitute middle and high school once a month to keep my credentials up. The kids Vcast vieos like crazy on their phones...they all the time say they only watch MTV or VH1 when the videos are on. Just my two cents.
  • Dan
    It always intrigues me that survey results always come out 3 years following the data collection. So there is always a lag. Plus, who are we asking? Does MTV have the same impact on Anderson, SC as Raleigh, NC? I don't know.

    I think the church needs to use everything we can to communicate with people - TXT, Facebook, E-mail, YouTube, Phone Calls, Snail Mail - Everything.

    T.V. is the only one that shouldn't be use because it is static and not as "reaching out" as the other sources. Heck, I go to the internet to watch shows now. Many of my teens do as well. It is a user-driven culture and T.V. doesn't lend itself to it.
  • @John -- all over it... my asst got back to you true!?
  • Oh, and btw, QuietTime.tv is coming very soon. You still down?
  • Whoa. This is a great article and read. Thanks for that! I think this highlights (among a number of things) that there is even a greater need for evangelical technological engagement on the web-o-sphere... because that's where we're all hanging out.

    1. Culture is using tech to communicate nearly everything these days. Throw me an example and I'll show you a site.
    2. Carefully, but also at the same time "dangerously". We need just as much wisdom and guidance by the Holy Spirit as we need the passion and fire and burn of being "entrepreneurial" in our online endeavors. A good mix, I'd say.
    3. a decade, or more. ... well, i've always said that (because I've heard that in some great research) but perhaps it's catching up slowly... ... nah. a decade.
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