As the generation that grew up with the internet, it's no surprise to hear that Gen Z is the most digital generation yet. A new WARC report, ‘Finding Gen Z’, takes a deep dive into the extent of the generation’s media consumption habits to find that 16-24 year olds are spending two thirds of their media time (68%) with digital channels.

The report has been launched as part of WARCs marketing intelligence service. While Gen Z is commonly defined as those aged between 13 and 25, the ‘WARC Global Ad Trends: Finding Gen Z’ focuses on consumers aged 16 or older.

While time spent with digital media is high, overall consumption of media is less with Gen Z. The report finds that since 2018, 16-24s globally have consumed less media per day than 25-34s, and the gap is getting larger, with Millennial audiences consuming greater quantities of both linear and online streaming TV.

Platforms like TikTok (40% of TikTok users are 18-24 year olds), were found to be a far more likely place to find Gen Z’s when it comes to video consumption. The report reveals that young people tend to consume video on-demand and audio media more than traditional linear broadcast content.

Searching for authentic social media

While social media leads consumption of media across all regions, rates of global social usage levelled off in 2017, and are forecast to dip even more by 0.5% year-on-year in 2022. This means that platforms find themselves battling to win share of Gen Z’s finite attention, with any gains by newer platforms like TikTok or BeReal likely to be at the expense of other apps.

With growing concerns around the authenticity of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and BeReal have gained real traction with younger audiences. The past twelve months have seen a distinct shift against overly curated social feeds in favour of interaction between friends and real insight into the lives of others.

The attention economy

Increases in online media consumption by 16-24s have been driven by the creation of new media opportunities such as music and podcast streaming. These newer media environments are often those with the most under-developed advertising proposition and present a growing opportunity to reach Gen Z where they spend the most time.

Audio channels play a particularly key role in Gen Z media habits and podcasts in particular have an extended grip on the attention of young people. In stark contrast to TikTok videos that often have a 6 second window to make an impression, long form podcasts have grown in popularity and can hold the attention of Gen Z for well into an hour. 16-24s globally consume more audio content per day than all forms of premium video viewing combined.

Yet, while videos on TikTok are short, TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes per day with the app making it increasingly valuable for brands who are able to get it right. 

“Gen Z has been uniquely impacted by technological innovations. It was the first audience to navigate childhood and adolescence with social media; it has been exposed to audio streaming and video on-demand services from a young age.” added Alex Brownsell, Head of Content, WARC Media, and co-author of the report, “These trends have left an indelible mark on the generation’s media choices and the channels through which advertisers can reach consumers under the age of 25.”

Increased media consumption born out of the pandemic paired with proliferation of media sees a fragmented media landscape hard to navigate for both advertisers and audiences. The best way to reach Gen Z is to understand that the audience is complex and media consumption choices factor in geography, individual preferences and interests beyond age group. The generation so savvy to technology is also savvy to advertisements and so finding the right platform and pairing it with the right creative is the key to unlocking its potential.