A 15-year old intern at Morgan Stanley has become an overnight sensation having written an acclaimed report on how teenagers use social media.

http://media.ft.com/cms/c3852b2e-6f9a-11de-bfc5-00144feabdc0.pdf

Morgan Stanley said many fund managers, and several CEOs contacted them about the note, written by Matthew Robson, and that feedback was several times greater than the team’s usual reports, according to the Financial Times.

So is Robson a genius who is able, like no one else, to read the runes of media? It’s possible but a look through the report suggests a more simple explanation for the furore. Robson is a confident, clear and very persuasive writer.

The title of the report is the first clue: “How teenagers consumer media”. Take this line, with which Robson dismisses the newspaper industry: “No teenager that I know of regularly reads a newspaper, as most do not have the time and cannot be bothered to read pages and pages of text.”

Or this about radio: “Most teenagers nowadays are not regular listeners to radio. The main reason teenagers listen to the radio is for music, but now with online sites streaming music for free they do not bother.”

You can see why these, and many other insights in the three-page report, might appeal to some investors who might feel detached from the separate and alien world of teenagers. His conviction helps him present his own views and preferences as fact. But can one teenager, however confident and articulate, speak for his entire peer group?

Ironically for Robson it’s the newspapers, and adults who can be bothered to read the pages of text in his report, who are responsible for his 15 minutes of fame. And if he’s minded to exploit his own talent, a career writing pages of text could beckon.

(jadams@ecdinsight.com)