Real-Life Reporting on Gen Z and Gen Alpha for Understanding the Tech-Native Consumers of the Future ：Anatomy of Social Media Usage by Gen Z
Generation Z is attracting attention as a segment that will become the center of consumption in the coming years, and is followed by Generation Alpha, a group has been familiar with the digital world since birth. At INTAGE, the Generation Z Research Subcommittee(1) has been working with various departments and affiliated companies while conducting joint research with Atsushi Kogoma(2), a professor at Sanno University, to clarify the information exposure, values, and consumption behavior of “tech natives” such as Generation Z and Generation Alpha.
In this, we take a closer look at how Generation Z uses social media, which is an indispensable part of their daily lives. This article is presented by Mitsuhashi of INTAGE Qualis’ Research Promotion Department, and is based on her own interviews of respondents and observations of their behavior.
Which social media platforms are Gen Z using, and what are they doing on them?
Though we speak of “social media” as a single entity, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are all used in different ways. Let’s take a look at how each of these platforms are used and what kinds of culture have formed around them, from the perspective of users.
Fig. 1 shows a small selection of the survey findings on how each platform is used.
Fig. 1
Instagram is often cited as users’ main social media site. They are actively engaged in input (browsing), output (posting), and communication, and it seems to be the platform that Gen Z users are most likely to reach out to. Details on their usage habits are described in the next section.
As shown in Fig. 2, Twitter usage tends to fall into one of two patterns: active usage as a “secondary platform” or “mostly dormant”. Those who use it actively as a secondary platform utilize it to collect information about a field or topic of interest and/or to interact with friends. The “mostly dormant” types, on the other hand, use it only to obtain real-time information about events such as train delays and earthquakes, or to find out what is going on in the world through the “Trending” feature. Some low-frequency users position it as a “last resort” way to kill time.
Fig. 2
TikTok users are of two types: those who use it occasionally to kill time, and those who are heavy users, indicating that there are still many light users of this platform. While occasional users only skim the “Recommendations” a few times a week, heavy users not only skim the recommendations more frequently but also look for review videos on TikTok when there is an item that they are thinking about buying. It should also be noted that in addition to the review videos themselves, they refer to the comments section for “word of mouth” reviews, because while Instagram is less likely to have actual users’ comments on product review posts, TikTok tends to have general users’ reactions – such as “This is so true!” – in the comments section.
How Gen Z uses their Instagram accounts
Next, let’s take a closer look at how Gen Z uses their main social media platform, Instagram, for input, output, and communication.
First, there is the differentiated use of multiple Instagram accounts. As noted in the first article of this series, the high school students, college students, and other people under 25 who comprise Generation Z tend to have more accounts than adults over the age of 25 (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3
Of the multiple accounts they have, one is what they call their “main account”, which has the widest range of follower/following connections. Next, there is a “sub account”, comprised only of close connections to whom they can express their true selves, and then a “hobby account” or “otaku account” that is focused solely on their own areas of interest.
Fig. 4
Instagram “main account” usage
The main account is one with around 400-800 followers and accounts followed, and consists mainly of real-life connections from jr. high school onward. How do they go about posting and communicating on this main account?
There are two types of Instagram posts: those that appear on one’s profile screen and on followers’ timelines (their “Feed”), and “Stories”, which are posts that disappear after 24 hours. Profile/Feed posts are carefully-selected posts with a strong “special occasion” feel, and feature images of travel destinations, theme parks, beautiful scenery, places visited, and attractive outfits. Female users in particular tend to create a “slightly stylish” profile by adopting a uniform “tone and manner” (with light colors, primary colors, etc.) in their posts.
One point that must be noted here is that while they say they want to show, or let people know about, their “good side”, what they mean by this is a little different from what Millennials and older users mean. Millennials are also motivated by a desire for “likes” and a wish to show a “better-than-real-life” version of themselves. The “good side” of themselves that Gen Z users want to show, however, is within the bounds of real life. The purpose is not so much to enhance how they are seen by others, but rather to create a better relationship between themselves and the people who have seen their posts, so their posts tend to function more as a tool for developing their personal relationships.
For example, when a classmate with whom they are not yet friends asks to “exchange Instagram accounts”, they hope that their profile will make a good impression and the person will think, “What a stylish and friendly atmosphere! I’d like to be friends with her”, or “Oh, she likes this band. I’d like to talk leisurely with her about them sometime”. This suggests that Instagram profiles are being used as a kind of “visual business card”.
Fig. 5
Next, they might post a scene from the same event to “Stories”, showing a tasty dish, something they learned in class, or a visit to a place where a friend is working. The events shared on “Stories” are commonplace in nature, and since they disappear in 24 hours, they are posted more frequently than “Feed” posts, with little concern about tone and manner. While “Feed” posts tend to show special events and “Stories” posts tend to show more commonplace events, the overall focus on “events” suggest that Instagram is in fact a kind of “memory repository”.
In addition, they may continue to exchange messages via one-on-one communication through the “DM (direct message)” function or by replying to someone’s post (e.g., replying to a Story that says “I went to eat ramen with so-and-so” with the message, “That looks nice, I want to go, too!”). Instagram is also used as a message board for school club activities, indicating that a distinctive feature of Instagram is its use as a communication platform.
Usage of other accounts
While their “main account” is a place for them to show their “good side”, their “sub-account” is where they post antics, funny faces, complaints, and sad feelings – to a few close friends or a small group of followers – that they do not post in the main account.
Moreover, because their personal information can be identified, many of them “lock” their main and sub-accounts, meaning that only those to whom they have given permission can view their accounts.
They may also have a “hobby account” or “otaku account” that specializes in a certain field or genre, such as pictures, idols, manga/anime, etc. This is where they share their passion with others and enjoy the world of their favorite things/people to the fullest, and also gather and exchange information. However, trends vary from person to person, with some having no “hobby accounts” or “sub-accounts” at all, while others have a total of more than 10 Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Why this meticulous separation of hobby accounts? The recommendations that appear on the home screen and search screen of social media sites are tied to the history of activities (likes, saves, etc.) for each account. Therefore, if they create a separate account for each artwork or area of interest, such as illustrations, music, or anime, each account will display recommendations specific to that topic, resulting in an account that is rich in content. They use multiple accounts because they want to immerse themselves fully and efficiently in whatever world is of interest to them at that moment. The same applies to Twitter.
This subtle separation of platforms, accounts, and posts in accordance with the area of interest and the depth of the relationship appears to be a characteristic feature of Gen Z’s use of social media sites
What they look at on Instagram
In addition to the “Feed”, where they can see posts by people they are connected to in real life, celebrities they follow, and influencers, Gen Z Instagram users also frequently check the “Explore” tab, which appears when they tap the magnifying glass icon.
Fig. 6
The Explore tab is a feature that displays posts of interest to the user and covers a wide range of genres. Since it offers an endless scroll curated to their own preferences through a sophisticated algorithm, it seems that Gen Z users are often tempted to check it out.
This state of enjoying drifting in a sea of personally relevant information is different from “information gathering”, which involves active “searching”. It could be described as “information swimming”. It is during these “information swims”, which they do several times a day, that they discover products they are interested in or find things they want to do.
Finally, in addition to the Explore tab, influencers should also be mentioned as one of the factors influencing consumer awareness and consideration behavior. Many of the Gen Z users interviewed said that there are influencers whom they like or aspire to. This does not mean, however, that Gen Z will buy a product if a well-known influencer introduces it to them. Things are not that simple, for the following two reasons.
Firstly, the recommendation of a product by an influencer does not necessarily lead directly from awareness to purchase. In fact, such cases were found to be extremely rare. While they are influenced to some degree – e.g., they might take note of the message content and feel that “it must be good if they say it’s good” – the recommendation is nothing more than a trigger of product awareness and may be one factor that is given strong consideration. As one respondent put it, “If an influencer I admire uses a product, I’ll be interested in it. However, if I feel that the product is not for me, I’ll pass it over”.
The other reason is that Gen Z’s “favorite influencers” include not only famous influencers but also nano-influencers with around 1,000 followers (i.e., not so different from “ordinary” Gen Z users in terms of their following), which means that the targets of their aspirational feelings are quite segmented.
However, as noted in part 3 of this series, if a product is introduced by one’s “oshi”, there appear to be fewer barriers to purchase. Their “oshi” – a person they support as a kind of “super-fan” – is a source of happiness, daily vitality, and personal identity, and a few respondents expressed a strong desire to “imitate” their oshi or support them by buying products. Some even went so far as to say that they buy items not because they need them but rather to provide financial support for their oshi.
The above findings suggest that when relying on intermediaries to create touchpoints with Gen Z, it is important to gain a nuanced understanding of their relationship with the target audience and carefully consider what impact they can expect to have.
If we want to communicate with Gen Z, the social media they use on a daily basis can serve as an important touchpoint. However, there is a danger of misreading their behavior if we apply stereotypical interpretations and approaches or try to decipher their behavior based on our own generation’s experiences. Dialogue and observation will enable us to understand their behaviors and the feelings driving them from their point of view, and it is this deeper level of understanding that will open up a true path of communication with Gen Z.
(1) [Generation Z Research Subcommittee] One of the subcommittees of the INTAGE Group R&D Center, this group aims to understand the characteristics of Gen Z that are relevant to the Group’s marketing activities and to establish research methodologies and methods of utilizing research findings on Gen Z that will lead to the development of the Group’s business. The group’s members, who have been involved in a variety of projects related to Gen Z, are now proactively engaged in bringing together their internal and external expertise and conducting independent research.
(2)【Atsushi Kogoma】 Professor of Marketing, School of Business Administration, Sanno University. His seminar’s activities include exploring the “new normal” in marketing based on the “life values of Generation Z”. Since 2015, he has been actively researching the real lives of young people by tracking their changing values and organizing the “Mirai Marketing Study Group”, a dialogue between students and working adults, with the Japan Marketing Association. Kogoma Seminar website： https://www.kogoma-brand.com/
Research Overview Period: December 28, 2021 to May 29, 2022 Respondents: 35 people in Generation Z (defined as people born from 1997 (24 years old) to 2009 (12 years old/2nd year of jr. high) Research methodology: Online interviews (n=31) and in-depth interviews/behavior observation (n=4)
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