In 2017, Youth for Christ launched a piece of research called ‘Generation Z: Rethinking Culture’. This highlighted that their third favourite place to spend time each week (other than being face-to-face with their friends) was online. We then began to consider what it would look like for young people to encounter Jesus there.
In September 2018, we asked a group of 1000 11-18 year olds a long list of questions. Thus the research ‘Gen Z: The Digital Generation’ was born. We asked young people across the UK questions about their perspectives and habits using digital media, specifically, their day-to-day use of social media and YouTube and how they affect them as individuals. The results have stimulated some insightful discussions about this digital generation.
Authenticity
One of the keys areas of reflection from the research was around authenticity, which is a highly valued characteristic of this generation. When we asked the young people ‘What makes you view a YouTuber or vlogger as inauthentic or false?’, 46% said that they “could just tell”. Their tone and sponsored content also affected how they were perceived. However, 85% claimed they themselves felt able to be completely authentic online. This is fascinating, given the way young people edit the material they post. The rise in ‘Finster’ accounts (fake Instagram accounts followed by close friends that show an unedited and unfiltered version) raises questions about their view of authenticity.
What are we to make of increasing numbers who have two social media accounts or multiple social media platforms? One for their public, edited persona, the other for raw and often more playful content. This could show that Gen Z is a generation that no longer understand what raw authenticity looks like. Or it could show that they are ignorant to the filters that they apply to themselves. Alternatively, this generation may see their online profile as the equivalent of your CV or personal marketing.
Long-Term Effects
The research also highlighted an apparent lack of awareness among young people of the long-term effects of digital media. When asked, only 36% considered themselves addicted to social media. Yet growing evidence from scientific studies shows it’s a widespread problem. Only 5% said that social media made them feel anxious and 4% that it affects their confidence. 18% said that it makes them feel calmer and 56% said that it makes them happier. Has Gen Z become desensitised to digital media that short-term dopamine hits are blinding them to long-term effects on their well-being?
Digital Connections
We then began to see how Generation Z view their online friendships and connections. When asked who they normally interact with directly online, 94% of young people unsurprisingly said their friends. However, when asked how they view most relationships that they build online, only 52% said they consider those involved friends. Many young people are engaging with others online but just over half claim to build or make friendships in that space. Does this reflect that young people see social media as a source of social entertainment and interaction, but not as a tool for cultivating relationships? When a young person’s online experience is just as real and significant to them as their face-to-face experience, how does it affect how they see others in the long term?
YouTube Generation
The second half of the research was specifically about YouTube. YouTube was the most likely online activity for a young person to engage with in their spare time. 86% of young people view YouTube by themselves but do not see it as a solitary form of entertainment. Generation Z are used to contributing to and curating the content they engage with. To them, YouTube is a communal digital art gallery. 39% of young people say they create and upload their own content and many like or dislike (70%), follow (61%), comment (64%), share (60%) or subscribe (58%). In this space, a lack of authenticity is one of the few things not tolerated. These interactions rarely lead to direct contact with the creators of the content, though.
Gatekeepers
As we look to lead, nurture and engage this generation in a new way and in a space that is native to them, we must not neglect our role as gatekeepers. We are the last generation to know a world without digital dependency. There is much for us to share with and learn from Gen Z, as we build a new sort of world together.
By Laura Hancock