DigitasLBi & YouthNet Launch YouthLab Insight Platform & Research Study

Global marketing and technology agency DigitasLBi has partnered with UK youth charity YouthNet to launch YouthLab, a first-of-its-kind insight platform and an innovative new revenue stream for the charity.

The announcement was made at Friday’s DigitasLBi UK NewFront in front of an audience of senior marketers and industry influencers.

DigitasLBi worked closely with YouthNet to develop YouthLab, an insight platform which enables brands to explore the impact of social media and digital technologies on the lives of young people.

With help from DigitasLBi, YouthNet will take the platform to the agency’s clients and other brands who are interested in gaining a better understanding of young people and their use of social.

Using a combination of ethnographic research, mobile activity tracking, social listening and peer review, YouthLab offers a multi-dimensional portrait of young people and their relationship with social media, uncovering the real motivations behind their online movements.

As part of the YouthLab initiative, DigitasLBi and YouthNet have today revealed a ground-breaking study into the emotional pressures faced by young people growing up in the age of social media.

The research sheds new light on social media and the young people who use it most, identifying the four dominant social media behavioural types amongst people aged between 16 and 24: Microfame Seekers, Expression Seekers, Independence Seekers and Inclusion Seekers.

The study reveals that young people today are constantly experimenting on social media, managing their personal online brands in sophisticated ways, but also seeking digital privacy, critiquing brands, exploring their passions and planning their future lives.

Click here to view the research.

Fern Miller, Chief Strategy & Insight Officer, International, DigitasLBi, said: “YouthLab represents a real opportunity for brands. A greater understanding of young people’s experiences and motivations on social will enable clients to tailor digital tools and products in a way that reflects their real needs and, ultimately, helps to improve their lives.”

Chris Martin, Chief Executive Officer, YouthNet, said: “We believe digital can be a force for good, helping young people get to our services wherever and whenever they need them. But we also recognise the pressures people face growing up in the age of social media. We’re excited to be launching this piece of research in partnership with DigitasLBi, as it enables us to offer deeper insights into our community’s motivations and social media habits.”