Up & Coming Social Media Trends Driven
There has never really been any doubt that social media is deeply embedded into the lives of both Generation Z (born 1995-2012) and the Millennial Generation (born 1980-1994). According to research by the Pew Research Center, 92% of all millennials have a mobile device and connection to a single social media platform is a thing of the past, today’s younger generations are plugged into an average of four social media networks, using them extensively for social, leisure, networking, purchase and business.
All of this connectivity takes time and, the further down the generations we look, the more the connection with social media increases, with millennials spending and average of 6.19 hours a week checking their social media (Neilsen) and 38% of American teens checking in more than once an hour (Common Sense Media). . Social media is in a constant state of flux and millennials, who, according to Forbes, will make up 35% of the global workforce by 2020, and Generation Z (24% by 2020) , are far quicker to jump onto the next thing than their older counterparts.
As far as they are concerned, the more visual, connective and fast-moving the experience, the better. Small wonder that the older generations are pedalling fast to keep up! We have the low-down on the up and coming social media trends that are currently being driven by millennials and Generation Z.
How millennials and Generation Z are using social mediaUnderstanding that these two key generations are inseparable from their social media is one thing but grasping exactly how they use them and how this influences social media trends is quite another. Social media platforms are not all made equal and it is often the quality of connection experience that millennials and Generation Z get from them which depicts their rise or fall.
It is important to remember here that, because of fast-moving developments in popular social media technology, these two generations do not view their social media with exactly the same eyes. Millennials were born into a lifestyle-rich environment that endorsed the rise of the mobile internet, this means that they have tendencies towards high lifestyle expectations and are used to publicly sharing the reaching of lifestyle goals through their social media.
Those belonging to Generation Z however, grew up in a more financially cautious era and have never known a society without constant access to social media. These combined factors have
made them more relaxed about their lifestyles and therefore less easy to sell to, they are also more aware of the constraints of a life led publicly through the internet and more likely to have strong opinions about privacy.