The first generation that grew up accessing the web has come of age and is changing the way the internet is being used. Net usage is booming and usage is being driven by the 25- to 34-year-old age group, many of whom were originally shown the internet at school.

They were the first generation that flocked to Google to navigate their new environment, having started with sites such as Lycos, Excite and AltaVista. They were the original users of MySpace and the first people to experiment with user-generated content sites such as YouTube, having grown bored with the portals their service providers offered.

Their tastes for email and instant messaging, music downloads and funny videos have influenced the development of the web. Two-thirds of them are online every day. Half of them regularly use social networking sites and a quarter maintain their own digital profiles.

Research has found that young adults generally conduct research online before making a decision, with the majority (53 percent), spending 1-2 hours researching a product/service. This is a critical component: young adults are clearly seeking information before making a final decision. This presents a golden opportunity for Universities to inform and educate young adults about their institution.

• Young adults favor: direct mail, e-mail, SMS and social network sites.

• The 25 to 34 year-old group is the demographic most highly sought by advertisers.

• 25-34 year olds now spend 4.3 times more time on social media than with TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and books combined

• 25-34 Year-Old Cell Phone Owners are Interested in Receiving Location Based Advertising Specials, Provided They Opt-In for Such Alerts