Gen Z Consumes News Differently: Influencers Over Articles

According to a Business Insider article, Gen Z consumes important news primarily from influencers. When it comes to actual news articles, they read headlines and then scroll to the comments to see what others have to say, often skipping articles that are too long. A study by Google subsidiary Jigsaw revealed this.

According to the report by Jigsaw, which studies online politics and polarization, people also don’t want to see content that might force them to think too hard or emotionally upset them. They often rely on social validation from their peers or the influencers they follow to ascertain the factfulness of the information.

What Platforms Does Gen Z Rely on for News?

Gen Z users are also found to be quite loyal to the influencers they follow, using TikTok and its young user base to get a large amount of information from influencers.

In sharp contrast, other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, which have the presence of established media outlets, aren’t favored as much by Gen Z when it comes to news.

What Does Gen Z Not Like or Are Skeptical About?

They also don’t trust anything with ads, paywalls, or pop-ups asking for subscriptions or donations. Clickbait content is especially undesirable. News heavy on data and facts usually sees Gen Z making a beeline for the comments.

However, Jigsaw didn’t poll many Gen Z users about their digital habits. Instead, it used interviews with a handful of 13 to 24-year-olds from various demographics, classes, and genders, which the Business Insider article claims to look for qualitative depth rather than quantitative data.