Generation Z is just as media-engaged and tech-savvy as they’re often purported to be. eMarketer recently validated this belief with a study that shows Generation-Z adults (18-24) to have greater engagement with media channels and formats – across the board – than other generations.
For example, Gen Z adults spend about 2x the amount of time on social channels like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat relative to the broader population. Among these social apps, TikTok is not surprisingly the most popular at an average 57 minutes spent in the app per day – 3x the broader adult population.
Instagram is also sitting pretty with Gen Z, as eMarketer projects more of the generation will use the app by 2028 than will use TikTok at that time. Specifically, Gen-Z Instagram users are projected to grow from 50.1 million today to 59.3 million, while TikTok grows at a slower pace from 49.2 million to 51.6 million.
The reason Instagram will outpace TikTok is its direct messaging, which is currently easier to use and more active than TikTok’s corresponding function. This also takes into account the popularity of these platforms among the pipeline of younger Gen-Z individuals (9-18) that will cycle into the adult ranks.
Future Proofing
Meanwhile, TikTok and Instagram aren’t the only social apps seeing outsized attention from Gen Z. The generation represents more than half of Snapchat users, including both adult (18-24) and non-adult (9-18) Gen Zers. This stat bodes well for Snapchat in terms of its future prospects of a robust user base.
Speaking of that future-proofing play among social (and non-social) media and tech players, it’s what makes stats like these important. The engagement and affinities of younger generations can be used as a leading indicator when handicapping the future popularity of various apps and media channels.
On that measure, Facebook is not faring as well its social media competitors, given that its active user base skews older (see chart above). That fact is yet another point of validation that Meta’s (then-Facebook’s) $1 billion acquisition of Instagram in 2012 was a smart and prescient future-proofing play.
Speaking of future-proofing moves and big acquisitions, Google appears to be the biggest winner of all. Its 2006 acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion (a record at the time), positions it better than anyone in Gen-Z engagement. According to eMarketer, It beats all of the above players with 89.3 percent usage.
