For the last year, IFTF has been studying how young people form and use social networks in their daily lives. Our study focused on five geographic regions: Silicon Valley in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Sweden. The objectives were to study the effects of new information and communication technologies on the formation of social networks among young consumers; and, to determine the implications of these effects for businesses, particularly as they relate to the diffusion of innovative new products and services.

Through extensive interviews and observation, we explored the important relationships in the social networks of 13- to 27-year-olds in these regions, the function and form of such relationships, and the duration and frequency of interaction.