Even scarier for brands: Young people don’t want brands'
friendship, and they think brands should go away. “Many brands are
looking to social media as a strong digital channel to communicate
with these consumers, since it’s where 12- to 17-year-olds are
spending so much time,” wrote Jacqueline Anderson, Forrester’s
Consumer Insights Analyst, who authored the report. “But research
shows that it is important to consider more than just consumers’
propensity to use a specific channel: Almost half of 12- to
17-year-olds don’t think brands should have a presence using social
tools at all.”