Thumb tribe

The thumb tribe (or sometimes thumb generationNote: oyayubizoku is the term in Japan) are people who are more adept at texting using their thumbs than talking on the phone.JENNIFER WANG, NOVEMBER 23, 2010, Entrepreneur, Jargon: Thumb Tribe: Dexterous individuals who text better (and faster) than they talk., Accessed June 19, 2014Mike Tharp, October 9, 2010, Merced Sun-Star, Mike Tharp: Maddie's inspiration -- blanketing Merced, Accessed June 19, 2014, "...We thought this younger generation -- the Thumb Tribe with their texts, tweets, tats and taggers.."Kirsty Allison, 3ammagazine, rise of the nu mohemians, Accessed June 19, 2014, "..."It's a marketing dream," says Tadashi, ... We call them the Oyayubizoku generation (the thumb tribe)..." The term originated in Japan and became used in other countries over the next few years.

Background In 2002, a trend was identified among young people who used mobile phones for many activities, such as texting, email, entertainment, and conversations, as opposed to using keyboards with traditional desktop computers.H. MARTIN CALLE, NOVEMBER 29, 2007, Advertising Age, Multi-Cultural Marketing: The Thumb Tribe, Accessed June 19, 2014, "..'THUMB TRIBE' referring to the masses of young people around the world ..." Cybernetic theorist Sadie Plant noted that they often used their thumbs for such messaging, and that in this sense thumbs had become "the new fingers".Amelia Hill of The Observer, 23 March 2002, The Guardian, Thumbs are the new fingers for the GameBoy generation, Accessed June 19, 2014, "...In Japan, the trend was particularly marked. ... under-25s referred to themselves as oya yubi sedai - the thumb generation, or thumb tribe..."

Researchers reported in 2002 that this had led to the thumb being physically stronger and more flexible for many young people.25 March 2002, BBC News, Thumbs take over for text generation, Accessed June 19, 2014, "...thumbs of teenagers and young adults have become more widely used than index fingers ... more muscled and dextrous..." There are medical implications as well; excessive use of thumbs can lead to muscle pain and possible occupational problems.

Usage of the term The term thumb tribe was used in Japan in the 2000s to identify the "younger generation of Japanese texters".Anna Mindess, Intercultural Press, 2006, Reading Between the Signs, Accessed June 19, 2014, "...The younger generation of Japanese texters, called the thumb tribe..." Japanese youth used their keitai or mobile phone to download music, access Japan's version of Myspace called mixi, surf the web, check train timetables and so forth.Justin Norrie, April 14, 2007, The Age (Australia), A nation's youth all thumbs with PCs, Accessed June 19, 2014, "...Like many of her friends and millions of other young Japanese, she appears to use only her "keitai", or mobile phone, to send and receive emails, download music, access mixi (Japan's immensely popular version of Myspace), look at web pages..." This group is identified as a common source of smart mobs that assemble seemingly spontaneously.March 25, 2008, Brian Dubé, New York Daily Photo, Pillow Fight, Accessed June 19, 2014, "..Teenage "thumb tribes" are often cited as the origins of smart mobs..." The Japanese texting style relies heavily on the thumb, according to a report in NBC News.Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press, July 16, 2008, NBC News, Japan: You can probably find an iPhone there, Accessed June 19, 2014, "...The Japanese style of texting relies mainly on a thumb ... users are dubbed "oyayubi zoku" or "thumb tribe."..."

In 2007 the term thumb tribe became used by marketers to identify younger consumers and in politics to identify persons who are not part of the younger generation, such as American politician Mitt Romney, who in 2010 was said to have owned a mobile phone but not been able to use it dexterously.MICHELLE QUINN, August 1, 2010, Politico, Mitt Romney not yet a member of the 'thumb tribe', Accessed June 19, 2014, "..'I don’t think Romney is a member of the thumb tribe,' said Paul Saffo...Amanda VanAllen, Aug 2, 2012, ABC News, Politico's Michelle Quinn: "Mitt Romney not yet a member of the 'thumb tribe'", Accessed June 19, 2014, ".Politico’s Michelle Quinn: "Mitt Romney not yet a member of the 'thumb tribe'" .."

Thumb tribe

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