Can Gen Z tame their tech?
Methods+Mastery
A team of curious, tenacious, and candid experts who are committed to delivering work that works.
In today’s edition:
Teens crave a healthier relationship with screens
What causes a witch’s brew of poor sleep and eating habits, cyberbullying, anxiety, and depression? According to a recent study : excessive screen and social usage.?
Maybe that’s why the anti-screen and social media sentiment has gone mainstream , especially from parents with young children. But is it making a difference??
New Gallup data shows that American teens spend about 5 hours a day on social platforms. Add in other screen-based activities, and the number rises to 7-9 hours a day. And in case you were wondering if that includes screen time for school and homework, it doesn’t.?
Calls to limit screen time aren’t new. In the past, parents and experts alike have advocated for no smartphones before high school, phone‐free education environments, and the #1000hoursoutsidechallenge . But something’s changing. Young people themselves are taking action to get their social media scrolling habits under control.
What does this mean for their relationship with technology as a whole?
Let the screening begin!?
What we’re seeing #1: For Gen Z, the social media breaks aren’t permanent, just a temporary reset.??
Of all the generations, Gen Zers aged 18 to 24 are the most likely to take a break from social media. Granted their breaks are often shorter (less than a week) than Millennials or Gen X. They’re more like mini “sprints” instead of signing out for good.?
Gen Z is becoming more self-aware—realizing they’ve spent most of their lives on social media. As one TikToker puts it :
“I created my Instagram when I was about 12 years old and I deleted it when I was 23. That’s 11 years on an app. 11 years is crazy. Literally half of my life online.”
Pew Research Center data shows that people between 18 and 25 are the only age group to see a decrease in social media use since 2019. Temporary or not, Gen Z is willing to take action when it comes to screen time, sparking trends like “Monk Mode ” and “#brainrot ” (even if they talk about it in a joking tone ) which have surged in search volume over the past year.?
What we’re seeing #2: Tech breaks are synonymous with personal growth.?
Screens off, self-improvement mode on. During screen and social breaks, people say they learn new skills and hobbies and live healthier and freer lifestyles. It’s even leading to self-reflection:?
“…I really got to learn who I am and what I like once I took a break. Now I had time to finally learn American sign language. I took two courses… I learned Italian…” TikToker
Of course, people don’t just blame themselves for their excessive social scrolling. Instagram especially has come under fire –and many people agree it’s not the uplifting, exciting app of its early years. People compare it to being “watched by ghosts,” and feel like they’re? “jumping in front of wolves” every time they post. For reasons like this, even creators encourage their followers to delete or take a break from the app.?
Surprisingly, many view TikTok as an “exception ”—keeping it for entertainment purposes but deleting everything else. Younger people are taking stock of which platforms they want in their lives, all while wishing they didn’t need them at all.
What we’re seeing #3: Gen Z yearns for a time when tech (and life) was simpler.?
Over the past year, interest in flip phones has gone up 15,369% among Gen Z and younger Millennials, and web searches for “dumb phone” increased 17% in Q1 2024. Could it be nostalgia for the early days of tech? Or is it an attempt to tame the impact of social on the lives of young people?
When smartphones burst onto the scene, technology quickly became the “main character” in many people’s lives. The rising hunger for “dumb” tech experiences may reflect a shift in young people’s needs–and tech makers are taking notice. From screen time reports to sleep-pattern tracking to customized notifications, tech makers are regularly rolling out wellness features for people to better balance tech and real life.?
This even goes for the great outdoors. Whether it’s navigating challenging terrain or using trail cameras or drones, hunters, hikers, and nature enthusiasts are using AI and other tech to bolster their outdoor experience . Elsewhere, gardeners have used AI to learn about plant care, soil health, seasonal tips, and predict future weather patterns.?
Disclosure: Google is a client of Methods+Mastery
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What It Means For You & Your Brand
We’re in the midst of a natural internet evolution. As marketers, we constantly have to evolve our strategies with audience behaviors, usage, and patterns. The great screen debate is no different. How social media looks today, including how it’s used by Gen Z, will be different from how it’s used 5 years from now, and that’s normal. Keep community, shared experiences, and connectedness in mind, because that’s what keeps us coming back for more.?
Pay attention to tech that encourages creativity and exploration. We’re seeing more positive experiences come from advanced technologies like AI and XR/VR that encourage learning and discovery. It’s a given that public perception of these experiences will continue to shift as they become less scary and more mainstream. Is there a way your brand can use these technologies to encourage play??
Connect beyond the screen and consider IRL events and experiences. People are seeking ways to connect that don’t involve mindlessly scrolling feeds. Hosting events gets people up, moving, and interacting with others who share a similar interest. So what do you say, time to play community matchmaker?
The Social Scoop
Get up to speed with the biggest stories on social.
Think you’re talking directly to your favorite influencers? Think again. Meta expands the Creator AI program, adding other popular influencers. The program which launched last year allows influencers to DM fans using a chatbot. This means mega-accounts can connect with their fans while decreasing the workload of managing and responding to mountains of messages.
Our take: Many creators already depend on teams to help with messages, and this could help take it to the next level, starting with DMs and eventually extending to comments. While the program helps creators design specific responses to questions, some are hesitant about the type of interactions that could happen with their followers, and question the authenticity of these relationships. There have been hiccups with previous celebrity bots not aligning with their real-life counterparts on certain questions and topics. While initial creator-to-fan messages will include an AI disclosure, Meta is not sharing the names of those who are participating in the program.
TikTok Notes is the latest photo-sharing app. First announced through notifications on TikTok , it started rolling out in Canada and Australia last week.
Our take: It’s clear TikTok is taking inspiration from others, as the interface is reminiscent of Pinterest and Instagram . There’s no U.S. release date yet, but early testers are excited for a non-Meta alternative for photo-sharing.
New Gen Z social platforms find inspiration from early internet communities and forums. A host of new social media sites, including NoSpace , PI.FYI , and Youni , focus on recommendations, IRL memories, and bringing community to online spaces.
Our take: We already saw this coming with the uptick of private sharing on social , but Gen Z is taking control of its destiny with these curated platforms and communities. It’s unlikely you’ll see brand activity on these pages (at least for now), but they will provide insight into how Gen Z is thinking about different topics and ideas.
Rabbit Hole of the Week
We’re obsessed with internet rabbit holes. Here’s one we dug into this week:
??Neopets??
Picture this: it’s springtime in the year 2000, and you’re navigating the dreaded dial-up to be reunited with your favorite pets and friends. You decide to visit the Money Tree for some omelettes.?
This is the world of Neopets : a game and virtual platform that began in 1999 where players could buy, trade, collect, and nurture a collection of digital pets. Over time, the world of “Neopia” grew to incorporate games, events, forums, and virtual currencies. During the early aughts, Neopets was the stickiest site for children’s entertainment, with an average fan spending 117 minutes per week on the site. Over the years, Neopet experienced internal changes (new ownership, original software phased out), embraced the world of NFTs , and even experienced a black market scandal !?
Why the Neoissance? This year marks the 25th anniversary of Neopets and they kicked it off by announcing a new era for the game. The page and game look identical to the last 25 years , part of the hook for Millennials who long for the early look and feel of the internet (40% of players are 24-34). The single premise behind Neopets remains, but the content continues to evolve and expand with new worlds, characters, and opportunities. So if you’re craving omelettes and are ready to reunite with Bruce the penguin, there’s never been a better time to re-enter the world of Neopia than right now.
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Alt Text is brought to you by Methods+Mastery . Our insatiable curiosity and hunger to understand the world around us is what fuels our mission. We go down cultural rabbit holes to understand how trends form and how people think and behave — all so we can build work that works.
Disclosure: Methods+Mastery serves multiple clients . Those clients and/or their peers and competitors may be included in Alt Text, if we feel they’re relevant to what’s trending in social. We always disclose direct client relationships and affiliations.