Gen Z prefer watching influencers on social media to film and TV, study shows

Gen Z prefer watching influencers and creator-driven on social media over big-budget entertainment such as film and TV, a new survey shows.

According to the survey, 56% of Gen Zs and 43% of millennials find social media content “more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies”, with half saying they feel a stronger personal connection to social media personalities over actors in film and TV.

The digital media trends survey, conducted by Deloitte, asked consumers about their media consumption habits. It also assesses how much time they spend consuming different forms of media, and found Gen Z spend 54% more time—or about 50 minutes more—than the average consumer per day on social platforms. This generation also spends 26% less time—or about 44 minutes less per day—than the average person watching TV and movies.

China Widener, vice chair of Deloitte LLP, told The Hollywood Reporter: “Think about the war for people’s attention and time that exists today, between traditional media and social media. So when you just think about it in the context of where they’re spending their time, are they using both service types? Yes. But they are spending more time in the social media platforms than they are on the traditional platforms.”

Another pull factor towards social media personality-driven content being so popular is because of the “personal connection” Gen Z feel with them – according to the Deloitte survey. Fans of certain creators may form parasocial relationships with them, which in turn keeps engagement high.

Last year a study found that smartphones are now the “most used screen” for watching new video content, ahead of television.

A special report from Variety, using data analysed by Hub Entertainment Research, shows that mobile phone screens are becoming the first-choice screen to watch video, one percentage point ahead of connected TV.

The average number of hours per day that TikTok users watch video content, for example, has increased from 2.12 in 2022 to 2.48 in 2024, while similar increases have been demonstrated for Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

The 2024 Variety report highlights that television shows and movies now account for 32% of screen time for 13-24 year-olds, in comparison with 59% for viewers over the age of 35.

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