In 2022, Gen Z will seek out a highly tailored news diet — and more — from media organizations.
While focusing on Gen Z content strategy over the past couple years, I learned that it’s a generation willing to demand more from any entity, including media.
Many companies, both inside and outside news, are trying to determine what Gen Z wants. After all, these digital natives, who have spent their lives on the internet, have significant spending power and “are on track to be the most well-educated generation yet.”
Gen Z values authenticity. They crave reality after growing up among scores of Photoshopped advertisements; they believe strongly in ethical consumption and value high-quality experiences. I believe they’ll demand these things of the news industry, and that it will lead to a call for radical transparency.
Journalists who’ve found success with young audiences show their personality outside of the newsroom, revealing what it’s like behind the scenes, and having fun while doing it. Gen Z will also ask to see more primary sources and more disclosure of the stock holdings and political affiliations of journalists. Pulling back the curtain can be a win-win: Our job is to shed light on the truth.
While Gen Z isn’t a monolith, one commonality it shares is preferring different formats of news than older generations — think less traditional, more mobile, and more accessible. That’s OK: A nontraditional format makes information no less valuable, nor does it mean journalists should deviate from nuanced, fact-based reporting. We’ve already survived the decline of print newspapers and the migration from social platforms like Facebook to highly visual ones like TikTok. Even if a 15-second video doesn’t cover every detail of a story, it can be a gateway to reading that 2,000-word article.
It’s not that journalists aren’t delivering relevant information; young people turned out to vote in huge numbers in 2020. It’s that journalists must work to harness the power of the algorithms that work to fulfill viewers’ desires from the moment they create an account. Digital natives have trained these algorithms to give them exactly what they want, often content that reaffirms their existing beliefs. And Gen Z especially expects a “flawless” online experience.
For a generation that’s been inundated by information online, every piece of content can feel disposable. Smaller, more niche pieces of content allow journalists to capture this audience’s attention and time. Sure, not every TikTok will go viral (nor should we only aspire to that). But when Gen Z is intrigued, when they find that bite-sized piece of news they’re interested in, they will devour it.
Short-form content is the foundation of a viewer’s relationship with a journalist. One video is all it takes to start building trust with a viewer, who will recognize an engaging, personable journalist in future pieces of content. Even if that next post is outside of a viewer’s usual interests, they’ll be more likely to listen.
When consuming news on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, those under 35 pay the most attention to internet personalities, according to a Reuters Institute for Journalism study. That leaves room for bad actors to spread misinformation. But there’s a lot of space for journalists to come in and deliver personalized news to young audiences, building trust with them along the way. Many young people form parasocial relationships with celebrities and influencers on social media, and they’ll want to feel that same sort of connection with journalists. Having a large online presence, however, comes with its difficulties — for instance, falling prey to the accidental amplification of vanity over the importance of the facts.
It’s time to redefine success when it comes to reaching young audiences. Strong reporting, subscriptions, and influence are still important. But in 2022, we must embrace innovation and take Gen Z seriously as news consumers.
Julia Munslow is a senior platform editor for the visual storytelling team at The Wall Street Journal.
In 2022, Gen Z will seek out a highly tailored news diet — and more — from media organizations.
While focusing on Gen Z content strategy over the past couple years, I learned that it’s a generation willing to demand more from any entity, including media.
Many companies, both inside and outside news, are trying to determine what Gen Z wants. After all, these digital natives, who have spent their lives on the internet, have significant spending power and “are on track to be the most well-educated generation yet.”
Gen Z values authenticity. They crave reality after growing up among scores of Photoshopped advertisements; they believe strongly in ethical consumption and value high-quality experiences. I believe they’ll demand these things of the news industry, and that it will lead to a call for radical transparency.
Journalists who’ve found success with young audiences show their personality outside of the newsroom, revealing what it’s like behind the scenes, and having fun while doing it. Gen Z will also ask to see more primary sources and more disclosure of the stock holdings and political affiliations of journalists. Pulling back the curtain can be a win-win: Our job is to shed light on the truth.
While Gen Z isn’t a monolith, one commonality it shares is preferring different formats of news than older generations — think less traditional, more mobile, and more accessible. That’s OK: A nontraditional format makes information no less valuable, nor does it mean journalists should deviate from nuanced, fact-based reporting. We’ve already survived the decline of print newspapers and the migration from social platforms like Facebook to highly visual ones like TikTok. Even if a 15-second video doesn’t cover every detail of a story, it can be a gateway to reading that 2,000-word article.
It’s not that journalists aren’t delivering relevant information; young people turned out to vote in huge numbers in 2020. It’s that journalists must work to harness the power of the algorithms that work to fulfill viewers’ desires from the moment they create an account. Digital natives have trained these algorithms to give them exactly what they want, often content that reaffirms their existing beliefs. And Gen Z especially expects a “flawless” online experience.
For a generation that’s been inundated by information online, every piece of content can feel disposable. Smaller, more niche pieces of content allow journalists to capture this audience’s attention and time. Sure, not every TikTok will go viral (nor should we only aspire to that). But when Gen Z is intrigued, when they find that bite-sized piece of news they’re interested in, they will devour it.
Short-form content is the foundation of a viewer’s relationship with a journalist. One video is all it takes to start building trust with a viewer, who will recognize an engaging, personable journalist in future pieces of content. Even if that next post is outside of a viewer’s usual interests, they’ll be more likely to listen.
When consuming news on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, those under 35 pay the most attention to internet personalities, according to a Reuters Institute for Journalism study. That leaves room for bad actors to spread misinformation. But there’s a lot of space for journalists to come in and deliver personalized news to young audiences, building trust with them along the way. Many young people form parasocial relationships with celebrities and influencers on social media, and they’ll want to feel that same sort of connection with journalists. Having a large online presence, however, comes with its difficulties — for instance, falling prey to the accidental amplification of vanity over the importance of the facts.
It’s time to redefine success when it comes to reaching young audiences. Strong reporting, subscriptions, and influence are still important. But in 2022, we must embrace innovation and take Gen Z seriously as news consumers.
Julia Munslow is a senior platform editor for the visual storytelling team at The Wall Street Journal.
Victor Pickard
Errin Haines
Kerri Hoffman
Melody Kramer
Laxmi Parthasarathy
Sarah Stonbely
Anita Varma
Kristen Muller
Matt Karolian
Meena Thiruvengadam
Matthew Pressman
Tamar Charney
Chase Davis
Andrew Freedman
Jennifer Coogan
Millie Tran
Daniel Eilemberg
Whitney Phillips
Ståle Grut
Sam Guzik
Eric Nuzum
Stephen Fowler
Ariel Zirulnick
Simon Allison
Joanne McNeil
Amara Aguilar
Mandy Jenkins
Sarah Marshall
Gonzalo del Peon
Doris Truong
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Joni Deutsch
Shalabh Upadhyay
Don Day
Cristina Tardáguila
Matt DeRienzo
Rachel Glickhouse
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Cindy Royal
Mary Walter-Brown
S. Mitra Kalita
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
David Cohn
Alice Antheaume
David Skok
A.J. Bauer
Kristen Jeffers
Jody Brannon
Raney Aronson-Rath
Candace Amos
Julia Munslow
Anthony Nadler
Parker Molloy
Stefanie Murray
Joshua P. Darr
Nikki Usher
Wilson Liévano
Julia Angwin
Chicas Poderosas
Anika Anand
Jessica Clark
Gabe Schneider
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Megan McCarthy
Amy Schmitz Weiss
j. Siguru Wahutu
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
Mike Rispoli
Tony Baranowski
Catalina Albeanu
Juleyka Lantigua
Jim Friedlich
Gordon Crovitz
Paul Cheung
Moreno Cruz Osório
Brian Moritz
Mario García
Christina Shih
Larry Ryckman
Tom Trewinnard
Christoph Mergerson
Richard Tofel
Joy Mayer
Robert Hernandez
Francesco Zaffarano
Joe Amditis
Natalia Viana
Simon Galperin
Michael W. Wagner
Burt Herman
Cherian George
John Davidow
Zizi Papacharissi
AX Mina
James Green
Jesse Holcomb
Izabella Kaminska
Janelle Salanga
Jonas Kaiser
Jennifer Brandel