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Global Marketing

Will the Generation Born into the Age of Social Media be the End of it?

As a millennial, I often hear from older generations that the world was so much better when young people weren’t so absorbed with their phones. In addition to killing chain casual dining, napkins, and cereal (see Business Insider for a comprehensive list) millennials are also said to have killed intimate conversations and eye-contact. To Generation Z, young people who are coming of age now who have never lived in a world without the Internet, this world older generations speak of seems prehistoric. This especially at a time where people young and old document their lives down to the smallest details across all platforms of social media. Teens and pre-teens usually keep the pulse of the culture, and I have seen my younger family members switch from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter to Snapchat and back, dictating to me which social media platform is the coolest.

 

But now it seems that young people are moving away from these social media platforms. According to UK agency Seed, of the students surveyed 77% stated they would leave social media for an extended period. In another study by Origin (hyperlink) 34% of Generation Z have left social media while 64% have at least decide to take a break.

 

These statistics are certainly worrisome for businesses. Generation Z leaving social media is a challenge for global marketers, who rely on advertisements on the various platforms to reach out to people all around the world. So how can marketers and businesses combat this trend?

 

According to WebProNews, Generation Z believes more in the message of products rather than corporate loyalty. This means that companies need to take the risk of taking stances, whether political, social, or cultural, to connect with Generation Z. This will be a topic further discussed in a future blog post, as we look in to detail how this Generation is rallying full movements using social media. WebProNews also suggests that marketers focus on one area of social media as opposed to spreading their message across all the various versions. For this suggestion, keeping an eye out on the different trends, or ‘coolness’ of the various social media platforms is pertinent. There is no point on focusing on one social media platform when all of Generation Z is on a different one.

 

Keeping up with the times may be tedious, especially as trends change so quickly, but it is important for industries to be flexible and remember that their investment will be worthwhile. Although the landscape of social media continues to evolve, there is no doubt that social media is one of the best ways to market a brand’s message on a truly global scale.

 

Sources:

  1. http://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-are-killing-list-2017-8#golf-7
  2. https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2018/mar/28/majority-students-considering-taking-break-social-media/
  3. https://www.webpronews.com/growing-number-of-millennials-and-gen-zers-are-quitting-social-media-according-to-new-research/

 

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