Thumb tribe (or sometimes thumb generation) is the younger generation with members who are more adept at

texting Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible compute ...

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

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)..." 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

Accessed June 19, 2014, "..'THUMB TRIBE' referring to the masses of young people around the world ..." and marked a shift in the favorite digit such that activities typically done by the forefinger, such as pointing at things or ringing doorbells, were now being done with the

thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

.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..." The term ''thumb tribe'' has been 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 Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

, 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'" .." 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. The term ''thumb tribe'' was first used in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

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 NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

''.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."..."

References

Communication Electronics and society 2002 neologisms

External links

Why your smartphone is irresistible (and why it’s worth trying to resist)
PBS Newshour. April 21, 2017. Psychologist

Adam Alter Adam Alter is a marketing author who also teaches at New York University Stern School of Business. Education and work Alter earned his Bachelor of Science from University of New South Wales and M.A. and Ph.D at Princeton University. His book ''Ir ...

.
The Amish use tech differently than you think. We should emulate them
Jeff Smith. ''The Washington Post''. February 17, 2020. {{Young adult development

See also

References

External links