With all the talk of paying for online content filling various media outlets it seems a good time to have a slight reflection on what consumers actually pay for online and what they may be tempted to pay for. Accepting that the face of the internet has changed dramatically in the last five years it is fair to assume that within the next five years it will change even further. This therefore brings to the fore a whole new range of internet consumers who are still in their teens, regular surfers but not yet regular purchasers . These are the constant Facebook users, MSN addicts and Social networking junkies.
One might presume that the youth of today do not use Facebook as much as regular office workers tend to, but that would be an easy mistake to make. Whilst “Pay as you Go” mobiles are cheap, contracts are only available to those over 18 and so most social interaction for teenagers is on the websites of Facebook or MSN. If either of these sites were to start charging in the near future, which indeed they may, many youngsters would still continue to use them for a small fee, undoubtedly cheaper than a mobile and with potential free SMS included, then the internet will be creating a whole generation who are already used to, and indeed expecting to, pay for content. Evolution within the market.
Charges are coming and will be around for a very long time.
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