As we rapidly evolve towards a digitally-focused world, our phone usage and screen time continues to rise. We had the chance to chat with Andrew Roth, founder of research consultancy GenZ Designs, about their GenZ screen time report with insights on how much time Gen Z is spending on their phones, where are they spending it and what it all means.
Tell us a bit about GenZ Designs. What kind of work do you do, and who do you typically work with?
GenZ Designs is a research and innovation consultancy focused on Generation Z. We are Gen Z founded and Gen Z operated, and our approach to work is about doing things differently; we call it tapping into the frequency of culture.
Consumer behaviors and culture today are shifting more rapidly than ever before, yet many companies continue to use the same tools to understand them. So, we said how do we tap into the speed (frequency for the physics fans out there) of culture with tools that reflect that?
Our work spans from custom research to brand health tracking (Gen Z focused) to innovation strategy. We’ve been working alongside brands like Chipotle and Denny’s, along with advertising, media and creative agencies to bring Gen Z voices to their tables.
The Screen Time Report mentions early on that Gen Z does not fill out surveys, and you had direct reports of usage sent in. How did you arrive at this methodology? What difficulties and benefits came with it?
As a generation with the shortest recorded attention span that has grown up multitasking on devices, we tend to not trust survey data on Gen Z. Do you know a Gen Z’er that has signed up for a survey response platform AND can sit through an entire 30-question survey while paying attention to every question and answering accurately to each question while not getting distracted or bored? Yep, neither do we.
Our methodology from the screen time report reflects exactly how we work; how do we take the idea of collecting screen time usage data, in a Gen Z way? Well, iPhone users get extremely detailed reports in their phone settings, with app usage stats from every second of every day. So, we asked our network of 50,000 Gen Z’ers to submit a full video screen recording of them going through their screen time data in their iPhone settings.
Benefits were plentiful - more accurate, more precise, more meaningful and just MORE data coming from our Gen Z network. Difficulties? In order for the data to be valid for comparison we needed the entire data set from the iPhone recording, so a majority of the submissions we were unable to use.
Average screen time for Gen Z is nearly double that of Millennials, the sharpest rise we’ve seen over any generation. As they age, do you think their phone usage will reach numbers more in line with the increase of prior generations?
For phone usage, I actually think we’re reaching a plateau; there’s only a certain amount of time we can spend on our phones, and with Gen Z’ers entering the workforce and into a more adult life, it’s likely overall numbers will slightly drop. However, that is just on mobile. Computers, TVs, VR, and the overall “screen time” will, I believe, continue to rise.
To what degree do you feel brands have helped shape the social media habits of Gen Z? Or is Gen Z forcing brands to adapt to the culture they’re building?
Gen Z is in the driver’s seat of culture. We shape the way brands understand, engage and interact with consumers on social, and it’s not a two-way street. As soon as brands catch on and start trying to popularize a meme or Gen Z language, Gen Z has already moved on to the next best thing. It’s a culture totally driven by a generation that for the first time understands and can physically see their impact on the corporate world.
After conducting this research, were any popular misconceptions you’ve seen about the habits of Gen Z that were proven to be false?
I think there’s this common misconception that Instagram is dying for Gen Z. And in some ways, it is true. There are definitely some Gen Z’ers on the platform that have lost their purpose to use it. In fact, in some additional research we found that nearly 25% of the 1432 Gen Z’ers we polled said there “was no real reason” or “they weren’t sure” why they used Instagram. BUT. The report demonstrated loud and clear that regardless of the feelings we may have towards the platform, there is still a massive and significant number of Gen Z’ers using it and using it a lot. 91% of Gen Z’ers had it in their top 10 apps, and 49% had it in their TOP 2. Instagram may need to adapt, but it is certainly not dead.
In your opinion, what is the most important takeaway from this report regarding brands trying to reach Gen Z and maintain cultural relevance?
Reaching Gen Z is not about influencers. It’s not about statements on social justice and it’s not about using lowercase letters or Gen Z slang or being on TikTok.
Reaching Gen Z and building cultural relevance is about understanding who we are, and how we interact with the world around us. It’s about understanding not just what technologies we’re using, but how we’re using them. It’s about understanding the way we’ve grown up with social media and how that has impacted every aspect of our lives.
Reaching Gen Z is about understanding the seesaw that is culture.
Reaching Gen Z is about understanding that in order to truly balance that seesaw of culture, the first and most important step is to stop and listen. Because hidden amidst all the noise that is advertising, media, and creative is the collective voice of a generation, a voice that will tell you exactly what they want and need; you just have to be willing to sit and to listen.