Segment: Digital Natives – Carefree Hedonists

Internet milieu: Carefree Hedonists (12%) – 8.7 million

Carefree Hedonists are fun-loving users with average Internet skills and experience. But they also have little fear about the medium. This Internet milieu primarily includes young people from the contemporary middle and lower classes who really enjoy the easy access to entertainment and communicatons that the Internet provides, and intensely use social networks as well as the music and games found on the Web.

When they go online, Carefree Hedonists are looking for entertainment, distraction and reassurance, not least because they are trying somewhat to compensate for the unspectacular daily lives they think they are leading. They want intense stimulation and are in the habit of using several media at the same time.

They have little awareness of online threats. As a result, they have few security worries and tune out the risks – they are more interested in fun and the personal usage factor (relaxed in the Web). One of the characteristic features of this group is its carefree attitude toward data security and data protection: “Why worry? The Internet is uncontrollable anyway.”

In a comparison of types, Carefree Hedonists have the lowest awareness level. They act without having major concerns about security and consciously disregard the risks (indifference) or unconsciously disregard them (ignorance). For this reason, Carefree Hedonists are the group that is most exposed to online dangers. Their intensity of usage is high, particularly with social media. In the process, private data are placed online with relatively little thought. Virtual locations where they pursue their diversions and interests, find inspiration and show off have become an essential part of their daily lives. Carefree Hedonists do not think that they are appealing targets for hacker attacks and sometimes cannot believe what companies could do with data about them.

While Efficiency-oriented Performers favor “both” self-responsibility and systemic measures, Carefree Hedonists have a rather fatalistic attitude of “either/or.” Self-responsibility runs head-on into their indifference and apathy. Above all, they would use services or pre-installed software programs that they would not have to spend much time dealing with. But they have a fundamental distrust of institutions and support an unregulated Internet as a result.

Carefree Hedonists (12%) – 8.7 million

Attitude profile

Communication requirements and needs for action

  • Education about individual liability and the legal impact of online actions
  • Raise awareness of using data

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* Self-evaluation on a scale of 1 = “beginner” to 6 = “expert”
** Agreement with the statement “personal data on the Internet is very secure/secure”