TIME MARCHES ON - 04.13.2022
April 13, 2022
Good Wednesday morning! I'm novelist Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES posts.
A little nostalgia. Today is the last day of RISK WORLD, the Risk and Insurance Management Society's (RIMS) 2022 Annual Conference in San Francisco. It's good to see that it's a live meeting again. I attended these meetings for many years. In fact, I go back so far I can remember when RIMS was called the National Insurance Buyers Association. It became RIMS in 1969. As an insurance industry researcher back in those days, I researched and wrote about the concept of risk management, which did not exist when I started in the insurance industry.
In reviewing the pictures from the Conference posted daily on the Internet, I have to say the faces look young, and I don't recognize a sole. I've only been retired for twelve years. Yes, times and people have changed.
Now, as a novelist, I'm still researching material for my novel SKYWARD. As the storyline heavily involves the younger generations, I was interested in a recent LOS ANGELES TIMES "The Wide Shot" column. Here's what I gleaned from it – "Gen Z spends a lot of time on screens. They average 7.2 hours of video a day, which is nearly an hour more than the 6.3 hours spent by Gen X. . . .Assuming (naively, of course) that people get the recommended eight hours of sleep a day, that's nearly half of young folks' waking hours captured by brightly lit rectangles.
However, while typical 13- to 26-year-olds consume content all day, they are not watching the same way as previous generations. Their viewing changes throughout the day. The typical Gen Z-er's media diet starts with casually scrolling TikTok and Reels in the morning, switching to YouTube around lunchtime, and turning to Netflix or Hulu in the evening for the latest must-see comedy or drama . . .
'Video has essentially become a friend to Gen Z,' said Laura Vanison, Vevo's senior consumer and artist insights director. "It's rewarding. It's keeping you company. It's not just for relaxation at the end of the day once you've fulfilled all of your life's obligations and duties."
A recent Deloitte media trends survey indicates that 57% of Gen Z-ers and 60% of millennials said they spend more time watching user-generated video content online than TV shows and movies on video streaming services. Just 45% of Gen X respondents agreed with that statement.
This generation grew up with an online videos as part of their daily lives. These viewers demand material that reflects their values, and they're good at spotting fakes and calling them out. These consumers are more diverse than their predecessors regarding race, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
'You're seeing these forces at play where people just want realness," said Anthony Palomba, an expert in audience behavior at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. "It is a very well informed, very engaged, very plugged-in generation, and a very hard one to satisfy.'"
In my novel SKYWARD a group of these savvy Millenials, Xs and Zs, have elected to have mankind colonize space. This is from their planning notes –
BOWMAN LUNAR COLONY PLAN
Structure
Units
Centers
Division
Bureau of Investigation
Spaceport
Lunarites
Selected
Chipped
Partner
Specified Assignment
Guarantees
Rules and Guidelines
The Philosophique
ASSIGNMENTS
Overseer
Counselor
Team Leader
Assistant Team Leader
Senior Team Member
Team Member
Junior Team Member
Apprentice
Agent
ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT
Governance Center
Computer Center
Observatory
Planning and Development Center
Research Center
Medical Center
Advanced Educational Center
Human Resource Center
Finance Center
Fusion Center
Bureau of Investigation
Brig
UTILITIES UNIT
Atmosphere Division
Water Division
Electrical Power Division
Nuclear Plant
Solar Panel Facilities
Sewage Division
Communications Division
Wireless Communications
Fiber-Optic Cable System
AGRICULTURAL UNIT
Farm Division
Husbandry Division
Commissary Division
CONSTRUCTION UNIT
Design Division
Architectural Design
Structural Integrity
Surveying and Boundryline Division
Tunneling Division
Heavy Construction Division
Light Construction Division
TRANSPORTATION UNIT
Tunnel Transportation Division
Surface Transportation Division
SPACEPORT
Catapults
RAW MATERIALS EXPLORATION, EXTRACTION, AND PROCESSING UNIT
MANUFACTURING UNIT
Heavy Manufacturing Division
Light Manufacturing Division
Robotics Division
WAREHOUSING UNIT
Drygoods
Cold Storage
MAINTENANCE UNIT
Interior Maintenance Division
Exterior Maintenance Division
CHILDREN'S UNIT
Nursery
Dormitory
Basic Educational Center
APARTMENT UNITS
Basic
Special
GUEST QUARTERS
WORKOUT FACILITIES
ENTERTAINMENT
Media Programs
Video Gaming
Theater
Ice Rink
Curling Center
EMERGENCY TEAMS
Fire Team
Hazmat Team
Computer Emergency Readiness Team
The Bowman Twins' mother, Daniela, likes what they have come up with. If you are not sure what the above means, don't worry. Hopefully, it has gained your interest. My next few posts will explain their plan in more detail.
Cheers,
Richard V. Rupp, Author
Website – www.richardvrupp.com
Email – rupprisk@gmail.com
Copyright©2022 by Richard V. Rupp