What the kids are up to
For the longest time, it seems that Gen Z social media has been dominated by a handful of apps, Snapchat, Instagram, and of course, TikTok.
Lately, there have been a few new key players on the scene, capturing Gen Z’s attention. From the low-effort spirit of BeReal (perhaps you saw the hilarious SNL sketch) to the highly detailed edits made by CapCut, we’re taking you through the 5 apps you must know about to keep up with Gen Z.
If you haven’t heard about BeReal by now, that’s okay. You’re in the right place. BeReal is a charming social sharing app made to combat one of Gen Z’s biggest gripes with Instagram: its inauthenticity. In the era of highly curated but seemingly effortless photo dumps, BeReal is an attempt to hack spontaneity back into our digital lives. The app’s premise is simple, once a day users receive a push notification that it’s ⚠️ Time to BeReal ⚠️. From there, users have 2 minutes to take a photo within the app (aka an unfiltered, in-the-moment candid). While users are allowed to retake it and post late, the app will note this on their posts (exposing them for not being real). Another notable aspect of the app is that the platform takes its photos using both front and back-facing cameras so that users capture both their face and their environment.
Pinterest may be among the more established apps, but it’s seriously playing for Gen Z through creativity. The latest offering is an app called Shuffles that allows users to create digital collages. After logging in with their Pinterest account, users are able to access their pins and use the app's features (similar to Instagram Stories) to create beautiful collages. Not only that, users can follow and see others’ “Shuffles” and “remix” them, aka take the already collaged elements and customize them as they see fit. The app aligns with Gen Z’s love of mixing and matching and meme-ing, as well as with how people use the platform: to collect inspiration and create a cohesive vision for themselves.
Speaking of collages, one of the most recent TikTok trends is highly edited stylistic videos featuring collage-like transitions between images. While video content is currently exploding, it is a relatively new medium for the average user. But Gen Z is no average user. While TikTok’s editing tools are still advanced by leaps and bounds beyond its competitors, Gen Z is craving even more. Enter CapCut, ByteDance’s editing app that helps creators make even more intricate edits.
Kiwi is an app that seems to be the BeReal of music listening. Like BeReal, Kiwi sends users a notification at a random time of day that prompts them to share music with friends. Upon opening up the app, users are presented with a tinder-style stack of songs to rate thumbs up or down. It’s a fun way to discover new music and will likely be popular among music lovers looking for more digital social interactions.
4 LEARNINGS TO ATTRACT GEN Zs:
They love video: Overall, Gen Z is prioritizing video and apps that help them create high-quality video content like CapCut. Even apps like Shuffles which prioritize beautiful photography, offer dynamic features to add motion to the users’ creations.
They want to keep it casual: The flattening effect of online communication means Gen Z expects the internet, and the brands with who they’re interacting on it, to be “chill.”
They want to embrace creativity: A generation who most likely got their first Snapchat account at the same time they got their first smartphone, they’re no strangers to creating content. Apps like TikTok, CapCut, and Shuffles have features like Instagram stories that emphasize creation and have made video content easier to create than ever.
They’re craving more social music sharing: Spotify recently had its annual spotlight moment with its Wrapped campaign where users share their year’s worth of listening data. Kiwi, while lesser known is tapping into the desire for more ways of getting social around music sharing.
Megan Collins is a Gen Z expert and Cultural Insights Analyst and a regular contributor to the M.T. Deco Blog.