Various weird and wonderful requests for info and insight arrive on the Tribes team desk and as a hot topic of 2013 it was not surprise to hear that C4 bigwigs wanted to hear the Tribes thoughts on the topic of data. But what was surprising is the sheer level of response we got from the community when asking them about the not what you would exactly call a traditional youth topic.

So, what did we ask them? All about big data and their personal information. Firstly how they feel about giving personal information when signing up to websites, how they want this info used and their thoughts on 3rd party Vs. 1st party data.

Well the reality is in a connected world young people have to give away information to do the essentials; book gig tickets, view content, buy online or receive updates. Unless they plan to go incognito that is. So in truth they all give away some info, but if they are to give away lots of info it’s vital that websites make it clear what their info is going to be used for. The Tribes are wary of giving away too much and a significant proportion of them are concerned about identity fraud and having their details googleable.

 

I am a little iffy about personal information  not because I distrust sites  but so much can be found out by quick googling most people’s names (including mine).

KateH, 17, Scene Kid

 

Many young people now use multiple email accounts for varying purposes, one for the essentials and another for random bookings and newsletters for example. Too much for me, but for digital natives managing multiple online identities is often the norm. Even then, those who feel unsure about how their information will be used may give false information. In some cases this can be a simple change in DoB or address. Indeed you only have to look at the disproportionate amount of people born on the 1^st January on databases to see that people are not worried about giving incorrect information.

But fret not; there are cases where they will give everything legit, the key here is trust. If they feel trust towards a site or a brand they will give it all. The other thing which can woo them is the offer of something useful, sometimes it’s not much more difficult than that, giving them something which offers them a clear benefit and they’re yours!

A crude example maybe, but it became apparent that it’s a bit creepy when an advert for a Susan Boyle CD follows them around the internet just because they looked at buying one for their mum! The Tribes seem to want something new with targeting; for example we also asked them about their willingness to give over information relating to their hobbies, brands or interests. This was much more warmly received as a targeting prospect because they could see how giving this information might result in more targeted advertising. Admittedly this was in the context of 4oD but they liked the idea that if they love movies, they are more likely to see movie trailers.
So let’s Bring it back to trust again, we asked a few Channel 4 specific questions; how much trust they feel towards C4, if they’ve seen Channel 4’s Viewer Promiseand what they thought about it. Although C4 specific questions, they still offer interesting insights into the world of privacy. What we found is that they enjoyed the open and transparent nature of it, there are few people in this world who relish reading T&Cs, but to have this info shown in a clear way helped C4 cut through in their mind.

I don’t know how channel 4 use my data  but I trust them not to be a dick with it. 3rd party is spam = go away!

Lauraloveslemons, 20, Rah

Finally, let’s talk 3^rd Party Vs. 1^st Party data. This was the most clear cut aspect of this question, put simply they were pretty much all passionate rejecters of 3^rdparty data. They considered it sneaky, underhand and inherently linked with junk mail and dubious phone calls. If it’s clear how your data will be used, you have the option to manage and update it, and then the Tribes will give you their details. But 3^rd party data remains the biggest of ‘NO’s’ in their mind!