Remember when we thought Millennials were social media obsessed? Generation Z, or as we’re dubbing it, The Pivotal Generation, is on an entirely different level.
The mixture of hyper-connectivity and selectivity when it comes to social media usage by Pivotals makes it necessary for brands to keep their finger on the pulse of constantly shifting expectations in order to market most effectively. If mass media died with Millennials, then members of the Pivotal Generation are digging the grave.
In order to better understand the motivations of this new generation, we worked with the experts, teens themselves, to learn what drives their behaviors and what they think about their generation’s progression.
What we found will change the direction of the market today. Get a preview of how Gen Z engages with social media in in Part II of our Gen Z video series. And stay tuned, we’ll have one more video to help you understand how to develop relevant messaging for a whole new consumer.
For teens today, social media has created a new type of currency that is used to valuate brand and individual worth.
“I think with a like we are exchanging a type of social currency. If I like her picture, will she like mine back?” said one of our teen experts.
While social media has closed the gap between peer networks, it has created an enormous amount of social pressure that teens must bare every day. As a group of young consumers who are still in the throes of forming their personal identity, the way they present themselves on social media is even more important, and even more fluid — as they can change their outward facing appearance with the swipe of the finger.
For brands aiming to connect with this generation, it is imperative that they not only understand the rules and etiquette that defines this new landscape but also have their finger on the pulse of what makes social media relevant to teens. For more details, be sure to check out our full report: Getting to Know Gen Z: How the Pivotal Generation is Different From Millennials
Download our latest Gen Z research now
Want more on Gen Z? Stay tuned for Jeff Fromm & Angie Read’s new book, Marketing to Gen Z, coming Spring 2018. Pre-order here!
