Study: Where does Gen Z get their news?
June 13, 2023
A study from Day One Agency and USC Annenberg Center for Public Relation titled Ask Gen Z: A Deep Dive into Gen Z’s Scrolls, takes a deep dive into Gen Z’s media consumption habits, as the generation is actively reshaping today’s media landscape.
The report uncovers that Gen Z’s relationship with their scrolls and information consumption has fundamentally changed when comparing their habits to their parents and previous generations.
While there are many third party studies that already highlight this topic, Day One Agency and USC Annenberg were most interested in the nuances of why Gen Z was interacting with certain media content, and not others, not just how they’re spending their time online, but why, and who’s influencing them.
The mobile ethnographic study tasked a representative sample of eligible USC students born between 1997-2004 to log daily video updates of themselves about the information they consumed.
Findings include:
- The ‘Pleasure and Panic; of the Feed: Gen Zers are seeking a more mindful and intentional relationship with their screens. They look to social media for entertainment and escape, many also expressed concerns about the amount of time they spend in front of their screens, and sought to reevaluate their relationship with their go-to apps.
- There’s a New Prime Time — It’s All the Time: Students’ always-on information consumption habits have created a new reality: traditional media models that have revolved around ‘when’ are less relevant than ever. Where, is far more important.
- What Constitutes News?: The definition of ‘News’ is changing. Students not only expect to be informed by what they consume, they also want value, utility, and entertainment.
- The Recommendation Generation: The way that students consume information today has also fundamentally revolutionised how they discover, learn and buy. Screens are Gen Z’s storefronts, and the product discovery journey starts on social.