What Gen Z Actually Do Online - SOCIAL & DIGITAL MEDIA TRENDS 2021
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What Gen Z Actually Do Online SOCIAL & DIGITAL MEDIA TRENDS 2021
WE ARE
YEAR13 IS AN EDTECH THAT EMPOWERS YOUNG
PEOPLE TO MAKE MORE INFORMED DECISIONS
ABOUT THEIR FUTURE AND ENCOURAGES THEM
TO LEAD HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLING LIVES.
We are a trusted advisor to 1.5 million young
Australians each year, helping them to navigate
their post-school transition and ultimately find more
meaningful employment. The Year13 marketplace
hosts our end-to-end career and life advice platform,
which supports youth in the development of their
optimal pathway across education, employment
and experiences.
Powered by Year13, YouthSense is a youth insights
platform focused on educating employers, brands,
government, teachers, career advisors and parents
on best practices when aiding youth through their
post-school transition, with particular focus on
understanding, communicating and working with
young people. This is achieved through the provision
of quantitative and qualitative data collated from
youth surveys conducted by Year13 and YouthSense.CONTENTS
03
YEAR13
METHODOLOGY
04 DEMOGRAPHIC
BREAKDOWN
05 INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 01
07 TECHNOLOGY
USAGE
CHAPTER 02
13 MEDIA
USAGE
CHAPTER 03
21 SOCIAL MEDIA
& STREAMING
CHAPTER 04
37 ONLINE
ACTIVITIES
CHAPTER 05
42 PRIVACY &
COMMUNICATION
CHAPTER 06
46 MARKETING
& PAYMENTS
61 FINAL THOUGHTS
3YEAR13 METHODOLOGY
WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE
One national survey of Australian youth, conducted
by Year13 and YouthSense in February 2021.
Total responses = 1,232
This survey formed the basis of this research
paper and was designed to gather comprehensive
information about youth and their online habits.
This survey was conducted online and respondents
were sourced via social media and through
Year13’s eDM (electronic direct mail) database.
Youth quotes featured throughout this report
were sourced from extended response questions
included in each survey.
For ease of reading, we will not reference data
collated from this survey. It can be assumed that
data in this report, unless otherwise referenced,
was derived from this research.
See right for combined demographics of these surveys.
3DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN
LOCATION BREAKDOWN GENDER BREAKDOWN
5% 5%
Non binary Prefer not
to say
0.5%
NT
13%
QLD 45%
6%
WA Male
6%
SA
35%
NSW
48%
2%
ACT Female
35%
VIC 2% AGE BREAKDOWN
TAS
29%
26%
Metropolitan 48%
(capital cities)
Regional 16%
45%
(small cities & towns)
11%
Rural 7% 9%
4%
3%
1% 1% 0.5%
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
OUR RESPONDENTS
51% 36% 5% 4%
are in are in are in TAFE. are on a
high school. university. gap year.
45% 4% 22% 9%
are working casual, are of Aboriginal are from a CALD consider
part time or full time. or Torres Strait background. themselves to
Islander origin. have a disability.
4INTRODUCTION
Without the internet it’s hard
to imagine how we would have
functioned in lockdown. Social media,
streaming, online shopping and
video calls kept us sane and in tune
with the world - or at least gave us
a channel to express our insanity
to it. No doubt a few of us secretly
bowed down and hugged our internet
routers in gratitude like a modern
take on the Simpsons hugging their
TV in the 90s.
But as can be seen in this report,
regular TV now is hardly on the
radar of Gen Zs. The internet has
well and truly replaced it as the de
facto parent of young people. But
what if these lockdowns happened
in the 90s and Gen Zs were suddenly
transported back then, how would
they have coped? Judging by the
results from our survey used in this
report, nightly movies they have no
choice in and a pile of magazines
they’ve already read cover to cover
just wouldn’t have cut it. Short, sharp
and speedy is in their DNA.
5INTRODUCTION
Case in point - TikTok. Two years on from
our What Gen Z Actually Do Online 2019
report where Instagram reigned supreme,
today the name you can’t stop hearing
about is short-form video-sharing app
TikTok. It has sparked a dizzying amount of
cultural moments with its users, not least a
cranberry juice-sipping longboarder who
went viral and propelled Fleetwood Mac’s
70’s hit single Dreams to number one with
a whole new generation.
Simply put, it was a vibe. And it was these
little snippets of joy amidst the doom
and gloom people across the world were
craving and which TikTok delivered. So by
tapping into this zeitgeist and with a tonne
of hype around it has TikTok managed to
take Instagram’s crown as the number one
app for Gen Zs? A feat not even Snapchat
was able to achieve last time we checked.
We’ve got the answer.
We also look into other Gen Z online trends
including the move from computer to
mobile; how teens aren’t using Facebook;
the social effects of social media; the death
of downloads as streaming steams ahead;
how online privacy and online advertising
coexist; the rise of voice assistants, smart
devices and wearables plus a whole lot
more. So read ahead to find out what Gen
Zs actually do online in 2021. Because what
Gen Zs do online today is what the world
will be doing tomorrow.
6USAGE TECHNOLOGY WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE 1
TECHNOLOGY USAGE CHAPTER 1
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE
DEVICE TO BE ONLINE WITH?
Phone 71%
Laptop 18%
Desktop 7%
Tablet 4%
WHAT IS YOUR AVERAGE
DAILY SCREEN TIME ON MOBILE?
21%
5hrs
18%
17%
Screen time per
day on average
12%
10%
6% 6%
5%
3%
2%
.5%
Hours per day
8TECHNOLOGY USAGE CHAPTER 1
Favourite
Favourite
Computer OS
mobile OS
77% Apple iOS Windows 57%
21% Google Android Mac OS 39%
1% Windows Mobile Linux 1%
37%
use a
wearable
9TECHNOLOGY USAGE CHAPTER 1
53%
65% have a smart
use a voice device at home.
assistant.
39%
use a smart
speaker.
WHICH OF THESE VOICE/VIRTUAL
ASSISTANTS DO YOU USE?
53% 25% 5%
Apple Siri Google Amazon
Assistant Alexa
4% 2% 35%
Microsoft Samsung I dont use
Cotana Bixby voice assistants
10TECHNOLOGY USAGE CHAPTER 1
“It feels like I don’t spend any time doing
something other than staring at a screen. I
spend all day on my laptop at school, then
come home and use it for homework then
relax by going on social media or watching
a movie. It seems like too much technology
but I don’t know how else I would choose
to spend my time.”
Female | 17 | VIC | metropolitan
“There are far more positive factors than
negative factors when it comes to being a
young person online in 2021. For instance,
entertainment, resources for learning and
study, and mental well-being sites are all
extremely accessible. Communication has
never been easier and social media sites, the
internet and mobile phones make it easy to
keep up with trends, friends, and stay safe.”
Male | 15 | VIC | regional
11TECHNOLOGY USAGE CHAPTER 1
“A kid growing up without unbridled access
to the internet might have been spared from
the stress of ‘knowing it all’. Knowing about
the consequences of climate change, politics,
racism, classism and other problematic
views is a blessing and a curse because it
has bred a generation of severely depressed
and anxious people who are in turn severely
determined to change the world.”
Female | 17 | QLD | metropolitan
“I found that as I moved through high school
and downloaded an array of social media
apps, particularly Snapchat in 2018 and
TikTok in 2019, I found my eyes glued to the
screen and my passion for reading faded
away. Though this was hard, I can’t help
but be proud to say that I’ve already read
8 books this year and reduced my daily
screen-time by 1 and a half hours.”
Female | 16 | NSW | regional
12MEDIA USAGE WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE 2
MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 2
HOW OFTEN ON AVERAGE DO
YOU USE THESE FORMS OF MEDIA?
3+ Hours a Day 37%
(e.g. Instagram/TikTok)
1-2 Hours a Day 42%
Social Media
30 Minutes a Day 12%
Every Few Days 3%
Weekly 1%
Occasionally 2%
Never 2%
3+ Hours a Day 8%
(e.g. Year13.com.au)
1-2 Hours a Day 17%
Websites
30 Minutes a Day 22%
Every Few Days 19%
Weekly 8%
Occasionally 21%
Never 5%
(e.g. Magazines/Newspapers)
3+ Hours a Day 0.5%
1-2 Hours a Day 1%
Print Media
30 Minutes a Day 3%
Every Few Days 7%
Weekly 8%
Occasionally 36%
Never 43%
14MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 1
Streaming Video
(e.g. YouTube)
3+ Hours a Day 17%
1-2 Hours a Day 29%
30 Minutes a Day 16%
Every Few Days 19%
Weekly 6%
Occasionally 11%
Never 2%
Streaming Movies & Shows
(e.g. Netflix)
3+ Hours a Day 16%
1-2 Hours a Day 32%
30 Minutes a Day 7%
Every Few Days 23%
Weekly 8%
Occasionally 11%
Never 3%
15MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 1
Television
(e.g. Free-to-air/Foxtel)
3+ Hours a Day 2%
1-2 Hours a Day 8%
30 Minutes a Day 12%
Every Few Days 16%
Weekly 12%
Occasionally 28%
Never 22%
Physical Video
(e.g. DVD/Blu-Ray)
3+ Hours a Day 0.5%
1-2 Hours a Day 1%
30 Minutes a Day 0.5%
Every Few Days 5%
Weekly 5%
Occasionally 42%
Never 46%
16MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 1
3+ Hours a Day 36%
Streaming Music
1-2 Hours a Day 30%
(e.g. Spotify)
30 Minutes a Day 16%
Every Few Days 10%
Weekly 2%
Occasionally 5%
Never 2%
3+ Hours a Day 5%
Downloaded Music
1-2 Hours a Day 3%
(e.g. iTunes Store)
30 Minutes a Day 3%
Every Few Days 5%
Weekly 3%
Occasionally 22%
Never 59%
3+ Hours a Day 2%
1-2 Hours a Day 3%
Physical Music
(e.g. Vinyl/CD)
30 Minutes a Day 2%
Every Few Days 6%
Weekly 5%
Occasionally 29%
Never 54%
17MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 1
Radio
(e.g. Triple J)
3+ Hours a Day 1%
1-2 Hours a Day 4%
30 Minutes a Day 11%
Every Few Days 18%
Weekly 10%
Occasionally 31%
Never 24%
Streaming Podcasts
(e.g. Serial)
3+ Hours a Day 2%
1-2 Hours a Day 4%
30 Minutes a Day 4%
Every Few Days 11%
Weekly 9%
Occasionally 33%
Never 38%
18MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 1
Games
(e.g. Mobile/Console/Computer)
3+ Hours a Day 12%
1-2 Hours a Day 14%
30 Minutes a Day 8%
Every Few Days 16%
Weekly 8%
Occasionally 25%
Never 17%
75% 43%
of males of females
game weekly. game weekly.
41% 32% 27%
from regional areas from rural areas from metropolitan
game daily. game daily. areas game daily.
19MEDIA USAGE CHAPTER 1
WHAT ONLINE CONTENT DO
YOU PIRATE OR PAY FOR?
Pay for Pirate Both N/A
Music 63% 5% 9% 23%
Movies 52% 10% 21% 16%
TV Shows 49% 8% 18% 25%
Games 51% 2% 6% 40%
E Books 18% 6% 5% 71%
20& STREAMING SOCIAL MEDIA WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE 3
SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
48%
feel they’re addicted
to social media.
Males Females
41% feel 54% feel
they’re addicted. they’re addicted.
27% use it for 46% use it for
3+ hours a day. 3+ hours a day.
“People are too addicted to their
phones. To the point where it’s
weird if you’re not addicted.”
Male | 18 | NSW | regional
22SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
WHICH SOCIAL NETWORKS
DO YOU USE REGULARLY?
89% 76%
YouTube
75%
Snapchat
Instagram
60% 56%
Facebook
26%
Pinterest
TikTok
20% 18% 1%
I don’t use
Twitter Reddit social media
23SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
71% of females use TikTok 44% of females use Pinterest
regularly compared regularly compared
to 48% of males. to 5% of males.
86% of males use Youtube 26% of males use Reddit
regularly compared regularly compared
to 67% of females. to 10% of females.
24SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM
USAGE BY AGE
29%
15 83%
39%
16 87%
49%
17 92%
65%
18 92%
76%
19 90%
75%
20 87%
89%
21 80%
87%
22 80%
90%
23 91%
86%
24 100%
25SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE
SOCIAL NETWORK?
Instagram Snapchat
32% 20%
TikTok Youtube
18% 15%
Facebook
4%
Twitter
3%
Pinterest Reddit
3% 3%
26SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
“Having a medium online through Instagram
etc. we’re allowed to create a platform for
our voices and become activists in our own
ways through spreading information about
things happening around the world and we
can even organise events like climate protests
happening across the globe.”
Male | 16 | NSW | regional
“I have been blown away by the amount of
content that I’ve learned off TikTok this year! I
have learnt how to make so many new foods
through TikTok recipes. I have found people on
TikTok going through similar health challenges
as me and I have been able to watch their
videos and feel less lonely because it is like
I am going through my recovery with people
who understand me.”
Female | 20 | VIC | metropolitan
27SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
WHAT CONTENT HAVE YOU
CREATED AND SHARED ONLINE?
Photo 82%
Social media story 70%
Instagram video 39%
Meme 35%
TikTok video 35%
Art 29%
Youtube video 28%
Music 15%
Creative writing 14%
GIF 12%
Facebook video 10%
Game 9%
None of the above 6%
Blog post 6%
App 3%
Podcast 2%
“Apps such as Youtube, Instagram
& TikTok also serve as a creative
outlet for young people allowing
them to broadcast their music, art,
photography and videography.”
Female | 17 | TAS | regional
28SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
1 in 4
have entered into a
romantic relationship with
someone they’ve met online.
8% through dating apps
21% through social media
“I have met a partner and many
friends through social media and the
connections are truly strong.”
Female | 17 | NSW | metropolitan
29SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
32%
don’t present the real
45%
have been motivated
version of themselves to better themselves
on social media. so they can post the
results to social media.
“While it is very positive in that we all have
a community such as TikTok and for the
most part we get along there are also
many toxic aspects to social media that
make it very difficult to feel like you can
fully be yourself on there. There are way
too many expectations on young people.”
NB/NC | 18 | NSW | metropolitan
“Technology is increasing day by day so
everyday people like me can manipulate
and hide imperfections through apps and
software like Facetune or Photoshop.”
Female | 19 | NSW | metropolitan
30SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
71%
have limited their time on social
media to improve their mental health.
79% of females have 64% of males have
limited their time. limited their time.
“I feel the pressure. The pressure to look better
than you did in your last post so you get more
comments from people you never talk to, calling
you “stunning” so that maybe more people will
want to hang around you because you’re “cool”.
The pressure to show people that you have
friends or you go out partying and you definitely
don’t just sit at home, in bed, watching Netflix
most of the time.”
NB/NC | 18 | NSW | metropolitan
“Seeing a story of your ‘friends’ out without you,
or seeing people from school underage drinking
and clubbing, you are all of a sudden made to feel
completely left out and somewhat on the back
foot of what people your age are ‘supposed’ to be
doing. In other words, social media makes FOMO
100000x more potent.”
Female | 18 | VIC | metropolitan
31SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
37%
have been bullied
or harassed online.
ON WHICH APPS HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED
ONLINE BULLYING OR HARRASSMENT?
Instagram Snapchat Facebook
25% 19% 11%
TikTok Twitter Dating Apps
7% 3% 3%
32SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
40%
think phones should be
kept in lockers during class.
“In years 6 to 7 I was cyberbullied online
through direct messages on Instagram.
This eventually spread to a hate group-chat
being made about me which put me in a very
bad spot. I was diagnosed with anxiety and
depression because of this event and had
to move schools that same year.”
Male | 18 | WA | regional
33SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
WHICH VIDEO STREAMING SERVICES
DO YOU USE REGULARLY?
Youtube 86%
Netflix 85%
Disney+ 33%
Stan 32%
Amazon Prime 19%
Twitch 12%
Foxtel Now/Go 9%
Kayo Sports 7%
Apple Tv+ 7%
Binge 6%
Optus Sport 3%
Telstra Tv Box Office 2%
I don’t use video
streaming services 1%
Tubi 1%
Males Females
are more likely to are more likely to
binge Youtube. binge Netflix.
34SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
WHICH MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES
DO YOU USE REGULARLY?
Spotify 87%
Apple Music 14%
Youtube Music 12%
Soundcloud 11%
I don’t use music
streaming services
3%
Other streaming services 3%
WHICH TV CHANNEL STREAMING
SERVICES DO YOU USE REGULARLY?
9Now 32%
7Plus 27%
10Play 19%
ABC iView 19%
SBS On Demand 16%
I dont use TV channel 46%
streaming services
35SOCIAL MEDIA & STREAMING CHAPTER 3
“All music-streaming, video-streaming, visual
platforms have enabled and empowered so many
people I know to put themselves out there and work on
projects. I also follow many great Instagram/YouTube
accounts that have educated and supported me in my
growth as a young adult — from world issues to mental
health to sexual health, these online platforms are
where I have learnt most over the past few years.”
Female | 18 | NSW | metropolitan
36ACTIVITIES ONLINE WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE 4
ONLINE ACTIVITIES CHAPTER 4
ON AVERAGE HOW OFTEN DO YOU
DO THESE ACTIVITIES ONLINE?
Chatting or
Messaging
Daily 88%
Weekly 7%
Monthly 1%
Occasionally 3%
Never 0.5%
Studying
Daily 50%
Weekly 26%
Monthly 5%
Occasionally 13%
Never 6%
News
Daily 25%
Weekly 24%
Monthly 7%
Occasionally 28%
Never 16%
38ONLINE ACTIVITIES CHAPTER 4
ON AVERAGE HOW OFTEN DO YOU
DO THESE ACTIVITIES ONLINE?
Learning new
skills/info
Daily 25%
Weekly 36%
Monthly 14%
Occasionally 21%
Never 5%
Health &
Wellness
Daily 17%
Weekly 28%
Monthly 16%
Occasionally 27%
Never 13%
Video
Chatting
Daily 14%
Weekly 29%
Monthly 14%
Occasionally 34%
Never 9%
39ONLINE ACTIVITIES CHAPTER 4
ON AVERAGE HOW OFTEN DO YOU
DO THESE ACTIVITIES ONLINE?
Life Admin
Daily 12%
Weekly 14%
Monthly 7%
Occasionally 25%
Never 42%
Dating
Daily 4%
Weekly 4%
Monthly 2%
Occasionally 15%
Never 75%
Shopping
Daily 3%
Weekly 22%
Monthly 24%
Occasionally 40%
Never 10%
40ONLINE ACTIVITIES CHAPTER 4
ON AVERAGE HOW OFTEN DO YOU
DO THESE ACTIVITIES ONLINE?
Ordering
Food & Drinks
Daily 2%
Weekly 17%
Monthly 16%
Occasionally 34%
Never 31%
Blogging
Daily 2%
Weekly 2%
Monthly 4%
Occasionally 14%
Never 78%
Gambling
Daily 1%
Weekly 1%
Monthly 1%
Occasionally 7%
Never 90%
41COMMUNICATION PRIVACY & WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE 5
PRIVACY & COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 5
HOW IMPORTANT IS ONLINE
PRIVACY TO YOU?
Extremely Important
44%
Very Important
33%
Somewhat Important
20%
Not so Important
2%
Not Important at all
1%
43PRIVACY & COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 5
IS YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILE IS YOUR TIKTOK PROFILE
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE? PUBLIC OR PRIVATE?
70% 57%
Private Private
26%
use a VPN.
44PRIVACY & COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 5
“Young people are well aware of the risks of the
internet especially in regards to the permanent
nature of it, but I believe growing up and always
being surrounded by social media and the
internet has created a sense of complacency.
We are so aware of a lack of privacy in the age
of social media that we are perhaps less worried
than we should be about what is shared online.”
Female | 22 | VIC | metropolitan
“My mates and I consider our privacy to be
important and we don’t like using social media
apps. However due to nearly everybody using
social media around us we feel forced to use
them because we feel left out on what is going
on around us. Overall, most of the time going
on social media makes me uncomfortable.”
Male | 18 | SA | rural
45PRIVACY & COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 5
WHICH IS YOUR PREFERRED COMMUNICATION
METHOD WITH FRIENDS?
Message
80%
Phone call
11%
Video call
6%
Audio message
3%
“Social media can deter young people from
meeting up with friends in real life due to
being able to simply chat and interact online.
This means our face to face interactions with
friends, especially following high school, are
low and more frequent interaction occurs
via mobile phones.”
Female | 18 | VIC | metropolitan
46PRIVACY & COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 5
WHICH MESSAGING APPS
DO YOU USE REGULARLY?
Instagram
81%
Snapchat
74%
iMessage
62%
Facebook Messenger
60%
Discord
30%
Whatsapp
23%
Other
12%
“It’s good communicating with your mates
online - we mainly use Discord because that’s
where we feel most safe and secure within our
own channel - to game, chilling, even supporting
each other and completing homework together.
As well as sharing a whole heap of memes
to each other over Discord, Snapchat and
Instagram.”
Male | 18 | SA | rural
47PRIVACY & COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 5
WHICH OF THESE VIDEO CHAT APPS
DO YOU USE REGULARLY?
FaceTime Zoom
54% 29%
Facebook Skype
Messenger
10%
26%
WhatsApp Houseparty
8% 8%
Google Duo I don’t make
video calls
2% 23%
48& PAYMENTS MARKETING WHAT GEN Z ACTUALLY DO ONLINE 6
MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO
RECEIVE ADS ONLINE?
Instagram Facebook
45% 25%
Youtube Websites
23% 18%
Google Search Snapchat
17% 13%
TikTok None of the above
13% 20%
50MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
74%
prefer branded content
over traditional advertising
for brand promotion.
“Social media platforms are hyper-saturated
with ads so what really stands out to me is
when a brand’s advertising poses a question or
provides something short and interactive.
A good example is the Instagram account
@werenotreallystrangers — what I find to be
most striking is the way it provokes personal
reflection, questioning and some sort of
emotional engagement with its content.”
Female | 18 | NSW | metropolitan
51MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
59%
like targeted
44%
use an
advertising ad blocker
“As much as people hate them, targeted
advertising works! I have a lot that I’ve
bought and have on my wish list from
targeted Facebook and Instagram ads.”
Female | 16 | VIC | metropolitan
52MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
85% follow a business
on social media.
Instagram Facebook TikTok
76% 42% 28%
Youtube Twitter Snapchat
26% 10% 8%
“Even videos of small businesses have been
doing well on TikTok. Larger franchises such
as fast-food chains are beginning to interact
with the audience of TikTok which is what
makes them appear as funny and relatable
towards an audience who finds satisfaction
from online banter.”
Female | 18 | NT | rural
53MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
54% have bought something
from a social media ad.
Instagram Facebook Youtube
41% 17% 14%
TikTok Snapchat Twitter
9% 6% 2%
“One of the most underrated elements of
advertising on Instagram at least is timing.
Most people, me included, are super busy in
the mornings but when I’m scrolling through
my phone at night before bed if I see an ad for
a nice top or something I’m much, much more
likely to save the photo, check out the website
and even buy the item.”
Female | 18 | VIC | metropolitan
54MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
Influencers are twice as effective as
celebrities at marketing to Gen Zs.
32%
have bought something
because of an influencer.
43% 24%
of females of males
have bought have bought
something. something.
16%
have bought something
because of a celebrity.
21% 13%
of females of males
have bought have bought
something. something.
55MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
“I notice a lot of influencers on
TikTok that teach content or give
advice with the sole intention to
provide better information to their
followers. This makes them more
reliable and trustworthy. I am able
to believe in what they say when
we are at their best interests.”
Male | 18 | NSW | metropolitan
“Influencers seem more like real
people. Sarah’s Day is a great
example of this. Her promoting
her body bloom product was so
good I purchased it twice. She is
a genuine person and someone
with a reputation like that will
always have my money.”
Female | 22 | SA | regional
56MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED COMMUNICATION
METHOD WITH A BUSINESS?
Email 38%
Messaging App 26%
Phone Call 12%
Website Live Chat 12%
Social Media Comment 10%
Online Form 3%
“Often I don’t have time to speak on the phone
so if I can shoot off a message on Facebook
Messenger and then get a reply in minutes
or hours I find it much more appealing than
brands who say ‘please give us a call on…’.”
Female | 19 | VIC | metropolitan
“People like when a big brand or even
verified Instagram account replies to their
comment or even likes it. On YouTube it
is always good to know people are liking
your comment or are reading it.”
Male | 16 | QLD | metropolitan
57MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
87%
use a debit card.
18%
use a credit card.
69%
use a digital wallet.
16%
use buy-
now-pay-later
services.
58MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
WHICH DIGITAL WALLETS
DO YOU USE?
Apple Pay 50%
I don’t use digital wallets 31%
PayPal 31%
Google Pay 9%
Beem It 7%
Visa Checkout 4%
Samsung Pay 3%
Mastercard PayPass Wallet 3%
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE
WAY TO PAY BACK MONEY?
Bank Transfer 62%
Cash 24%
PayID 10%
Beem It 5%
59MARKETING & PAYMENTS CHAPTER 6
9%
have owned
cryptocurrency
16% of males 4% of females
have owned have owned
cryptocurrency. cryptocurrency.
60FINAL THOUGHTS
The internet moves pretty fast, if you
don’t stop and look around once in a
while you could miss it. So that’s what
we decided to do here - to stop and
take a look around to find out just what
is happening online with Gen Zs today.
From what we’ve heard it’s clear that
having access to a world of information
and being able to communicate with
anyone, anywhere at the press of a
button are what Gen Zs love most about
being online in 2021. They’re informed
and they’re connected and thanks to
that they feel like they’re just getting
started on their way to reshaping the
world.
But these upsides also have their
downsides. Having so much knowledge
at their fingertips means they’re
growing up faster and waking up to the
realities of the world earlier. On top of
this their level of connectivity opens the
gates for online bullying, comparisons
and FOMO.
The overriding sentiment from Gen Zs
though is that the internet gives a lot
more to their lives than it takes. With
an average of 5 hours per day screen
time they’re spending close to a third
of their waking lives on their phones. If
you want to reach them then this is the
place to do it. If you want to understand
them then this is how.
So by finding out here what it is they’re
actually doing online we want to make
reaching them and understanding
them as easy as possible. Because we
can be sure what young people are
doing online today is different than a
year ago and will be different than a
year ahead. But for now, this is their
online world and what’s happening in it.
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Copyright and disclaimer
The materials presented in this report are for information purposes only. The
information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for
making their own assessments of the matters discussed. Readers are advised
to verify all relevant representations, statements and information and to obtain
independent advice before acting on information contained or in connection
with this report. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information
is accurate, Year13 will not accept any liability for any loss or damages that may
be incurred by any person acting in reliance upon the information.
Reference as: Walker, I, (2021). ‘What Gen Z Actually Do Online: Social & Digital
Media Trends 2021’, Year13, Australia.
Copyright © 2021 Year13’s ‘What Gen Z Actually Do Online: Social & Digital Media
Trends 2021’ research paper is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
Non-commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0 AU) https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/You can also read
