Hooked Up: A New Generation's Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World [Paperback]

Jack Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2012

After two decades of technological disruption, economic collapse, social upheaval, political polarization and a war on terror, one generation carries on its shoulders the responsibility to return us to a time of social balance and economic growth. The Hooked Up Generation was born into disruption, but is destined to lead the world into a transcendental period of tolerance and peace. They are hooked on the Internet, hooked together by the Internet, and hooking up in relationships managed and defined by the Internet.

Jack Myers tells you why today’s college students may prove to be the next Great Generation and possibly the greatest generation of the 21st century. The Hooked Up Generation will make you hopeful about its future and yours.

Once again, Jack Myers has his fingers on the pulse on the very latest, the impulses of the kids who will one day run the whole show, and he has the statistics to back up his cogent insights. This is by turns an absorbing, disturbing and ultimately indispensable account of a hugely misunderstood demographic group that will shape our future. Myers clearly has done his homework and the result is this superb study.
~ Ken Burns, Filmmaker

At the Newhouse School, we are living with the Hooked Up Generation and experiencing the extraordinary transformation that Jack Myers has brilliantly captured. This is a must read for educators, parents and all those who care about the next generation of leaders.
~ Lorraine Branham, Dean, S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University

These Internet Pioneers, born between 1991 and 1995, are not like us. They absorbed the Internet like a native language while the rest of us struggled to learn it. Any time now, these pioneers will be commanding the agenda — and we’d better understand them. Hooked Up is the best guide to the future that I’ve yet come across.
~ Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP Group

The Hooked Up Generation is rewriting feminism, sexuality, politics, education, language, relationships, and media. This accessible and fascinating book brings new insights into how our cyber-society is shaping a captivating generation. The message is clear: the Hooked Up Generation offers hope for the future of our planet.
~ Mary Brabeck, Dean of the Steinhardt School, New York University

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack’s new book, Hooked Up: A New Generation’s Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World, shares insights into the first generation to grow up with the Internet and how they are likely to impact business, culture and society. Jack is a media ecologist and chairman of Media Advisory Group, which provides economic counsel to more than 250 media, advertising, marketing, entertainment and financial services companies who subscribe to the weekly Jack Myers Media Business Report. Jack speaks internationally on the impact of emerging media technologies on society, culture and business. He is an award-winning documentary film producer, author of four books and founder of the Women in Media Mentoring Initiative and Syracuse University Newhouse Network. Jack is the recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award, won the Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival, and has been nominated for both an Academy and Emmy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream. His most recent production is the Focus Forward documentary series with Morgan Spurlock’s Cinelan Group, underwritten by GE.

His 1998 book, Reconnecting with Customers: Building Brands and Profits in The Relationship Age, is recognized as a leading edge primer that anticipated today's dramatic digital transformation. Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future, published in 2007, focuses on the growing influence of social networks on young people. He began his career in sales and management positions at Metromedia Outdoor, ABC Radio and CBS Television, While in college, he co-founded the Syracuse New Times. Jack is a Board Member Emeritus of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. He served on the Advisory Board for the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University. He studied Media Ecology with Dr. Neil Postman at NYU and Radio-TV at Syracuse University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: York House Press, Limited (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0985550805
• ISBN-13: 978-0985550806
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack's new book, Hooked Up: A New Generation's Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World, shares insights into the first generation to grow up with the Internet and how they are likely to impact business, culture and society. Jack is a media ecologist and chairman of Media Advisory Group, which provides economic counsel to more than 250 media, advertising, marketing, entertainment and financial services companies who subscribe to the weekly Jack Myers Media Business Report. Jack speaks internationally on the impact of emerging media technologies on society, culture and business. He is an award-winning documentary film producer, author of four books and founder of the Women in Media Mentoring Initiative and Syracuse University Newhouse Network. Jack is the recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award, won the Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival, and has been nominated for both an Academy and Emmy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream. His most recent production is the Focus Forward documentary series with Morgan Spurlock's Cinelan Group, underwritten by GE.

His 1998 book, Reconnecting with Customers: Building Brands and Profits in The Relationship Age, is recognized as a leading edge primer that anticipated today's dramatic digital transformation. Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future, published in 2007, focuses on the growing influence of social networks on young people. He began his career in sales and management positions at Metromedia Outdoor, ABC Radio and CBS Television, While in college, he co-founded the Syracuse New Times. Jack is a Board Member Emeritus of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. He served on the Advisory Board for the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University. He studied Media Ecology with Dr. Neil Postman at NYU and Radio-TV at Syracuse University.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Drop the fear of the `unknown' and embrace the future August 28, 2012

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Jack Myers has accomplished something in his book HOOKED UP that he may not even know: he has assuaged the fears in those of us who were not born into the computer/Internet generation, mistakenly thinking that spending the bulk of time in front of a computer or an iPad or iPhone or laptop or other device that provides constant Internet access is producing a generation of asocial creatures - people who will eventually not be able to adapt to the world of reality. As Myers explains in this excellent book, nothing could be further from the truth.

Myers takes the time to explain the history of the computer and its gradual development to the stage where we are now and then focuses on the young men and women who were born between 1991 and 1995 - the time when the Internet was born - and explains how these individuals have grown up in a world with different values and different methods of relating and communicating. As Myers states in his introduction `hopes for a positive future are hard to come by as we progress more deeply into the second decade of the 21st century. A new century begins with hope. But for a generation entering their teen years early in the millennium, hope was marred by the 9/11 attacks, economic uncertainty, social unpredictability, civil unrest, political polarization, global chaos, climate crisis, technological disruption and cultural dispassion. What doe the future hold for this generation, and how will this generation impact the future? The answer lies in the minds and actions of the self-assured, self-aware and tech-savvy Internet Pioneers - a group of 21.2 million Americans, born between 1991 and 1995, is the first generation to grow up after the Internet browser Mosaic was introduced in 1993.'

Myers then proceeds to share with us the research he has done with his interviews and studies of this group of people and examines the manner in which they behave technologically, communicatively, sexually, educationally, and on and on. The increased capacity to access instant information, he sees, as a speed course in problem solving unlike any we have ever seen. He does not see this group of people as isolated but rather that their means of relating are simply more immediate and different that those ways to which we older people have become accustomed. It is as though this group of people who were born into a world of extraordinary chaos in every mode of thinking and behavior will be the ones who will find the solutions to the current problems of the world. Having been known nothing but disruption they will find the road to survival - that road being one directed toward balance, socially, economically, and even spiritually.

Myers book is not only informative about how the Internet Age functions but It also sets aside the growing fear of some manner of approaching Armageddon. It is a book that restores hope and a sense of relief, and allows us to respect rather than bemoan those young people who text their way through life and find their joys on an instantly changing screen. We can breathe! Grady Harp, August 12

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Young People Are Our Future November 27, 2012

By Tom Guarriello

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It may seem obvious but young people will determine the future of our species. In the midst of the hand-wringing about Millennials, Jack Myers has produced a study that ought to give us all hope.

Yes, the current generation of young people ("Internet Natives," Myers calls them) are doing things profoundly differently than any generation before them.

That's because they've lived dramatically different formative years than any of those generations.

The Internet isn't just a way to buy things and read the New York Times. The Internet is the most profound communication technology ever created.

And these kids grew up with it in their cradles.

The difference that makes in their worldview--yes, that's a generalization, but all generational statements are--is profound. Myers documents their take on fundamental questions facing civilization--like equality, justice, preservation--and makes a strong case for optimism.

Read this book and then, as another reviewer did, discuss it with your kids, grandkids and neighbors. Give Internet Natives a chance to tell you what they really think. You probably won't like everything you read or hear; what generation of elders ever has?

But when you're done, I think you'll find that Jack Myers has given you an important set of insights to use to get a glimpse of what the future might bring.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The IDK generation? September 16, 2012

By Margaret Picky TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

"Hooked Up" examines the behaviors and attitudes of the "Internet Pioneers" that have had almost universal access to virtually instant and unlimited information and communication. What makes them different from previous generations is that technology such as the internet and cell phones has always been an unquestioned, integral part of their lives. There are about 21.5 million college-aged young adults in the United States who were born between 1991 and 1995 and there are hundreds of millions more around the world with a similar perspective.

The basis for this book was a 100+ question survey of 1,000 students in this cohort as well as interviews with members of this generation and experts. A broad range of topics is covered, from the pervasiveness and frequency of use of particular technologies to beliefs about politics, religion, and human rights; sexual behavior; SMS language; even what television networks and cartoons they grew up watching and how they were affected by watching them. There are particular chapters on Apple, marketing, celebrities, wikis, memes, and other quite interesting topics.

"Hooked Up" is similar to a mini-textbook in form and tone but makes for easy reading, with short chapter sections, lots of examples, and simple tabular presentation of data when appropriate. The actual survey results are included in the back of the book, along with references and sources, a bibliography, and an index.

Reading this book gave me a better understanding of these young people, a subset of the Millennial generation, who sometimes baffle older people and give them the impression that their primary attitude is "IDK". Some attributes they have are impressive, such as the ability to multitask with multiple screens or what appears to be an attitude of acceptance towards people unlike themselves.

Although "Hooked Up" is primarily descriptive and doesn't fully explore comparisons to prior generations, I did note many similarities that I had not been aware of before and in some ways, this is reassuring. It also hints at the future: 61% of them support legalization of medical marijuana, 80% of them believe global climate change is important, and only 16% of them believe abortion should be illegal in all instances.

A copy of this book was provided for unbiased review.