How Gen Z Consumes Content

In our September blog, 2026 Marketing Trends: What’s Next and How to Stay Ahead, we explored the major forces shaping the marketing landscape for the coming year—including key statistics on Gen Z, today’s most influential consumer group.

Now, we’re taking a closer look at how this generation’s choices are reshaping brands, industries, and culture worldwide—and what it takes for marketers to connect with them through authenticity, relevance, and experiences that resonate.

Gen Z, Redefining Content and Culture
Gen Z is emerging as the largest and most diverse consumer group ever, with an estimated $360 billion in purchasing power. Growing up amid rapid technological advancements and significant global events, this generation’s values and behaviors are reshaping how brands connect with their audiences. Understanding what drives them is key to unlocking their influence and spending power.¹

As digital natives, they effortlessly navigate platforms and devices, using technology for connection, education, creativity, and activism. Their comfort with tech has influenced how the world produces and consumes content, as companies and organizations cater to their preferences and values.

Shaped by experiences like 9/11, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic, this generation values authenticity, social consciousness, flexibility, and transparency—qualities they expect from the brands they support.²

How Gen Z Consumes Content
The younger consumer’s content habits are shaped by their short attention spans, device preferences, and value-driven choices. With an average attention span of just 8 seconds, they favor short-form videos—often 15 to 60 seconds—over longer content.³ While technology continues to evolve with a range of devices, mobile-first platforms dominate their media, gaming, and social experiences. Above all, they engage with content that aligns with their values, such as authenticity and transparency. They prefer content that they trust.

Key Habits of Gen Z

• 81% spend at least one hour per day on social platforms; over half exceed three hours. Their preferences lean strongly toward short-form videos, comedy/memes (67%), educational content (44%), and personal vlogs (40%).
• 72.9% spend over an hour daily on paid streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu.
• They favor streaming audio platforms (35%) and YouTube (24%), while traditional AM/FM radio trails at around 15%.⁴
• More than 55% of Gen Z dislike AI-generated models, citing inauthenticity or job displacement as reasons.
• They are highly multitasking, often switching between apps, platforms, and content types within a single session. They actively follow influencers and enjoy a diverse range of media types, including gaming, music, and DIY.⁵

Gen Z Trends to Watch
Gen Z’s media preferences are reshaping how brands present themselves across social media, in search, and through storytelling. Here are the top trends influencing their content consumption:

• Authenticity is everything. This generation gravitates toward content that feels real and unfiltered rather than polished or overly curated. Behind-the-scenes footage, unedited product reviews, and casual storytelling often resonate more than traditional marketing tactics.
• Social platforms are the new search engines. Instead of Googling, they turn to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to find information, tutorials, and product testimonials. They trust creators and peer-generated content far more than brand websites or ads.
• Gen Z defines itself through food, fashion, and wellness. They expect shareworthy dining experiences (despite 59% negative sentiment around food and travel), dominate retail conversations with a shoe obsession (159k mentions), and are driving wellness trends like fasting and mindful eating, balancing self-care with the pressures of online culture.⁶

The Right Agency to Reach the Next Generation
Rizco is a brand-led, research-driven agency with strong expertise spanning creative, digital, and social strategy, specifically tailored for today’s fast-moving, values-driven audience. As Rizco Junior Project Manager, Delia Latini shares, “As part of Gen Z, I bring a perspective that helps our team build campaigns that feel genuine and relevant. I love contributing insights into what resonates with my generation so the brands we work with can connect in meaningful ways.”

As we shared in our October blog, Budget Smarter, Not Bigger: Maximizing Your Marketing Spend for 2026, success comes from making every marketing dollar work harder through strategy over scale. Our approach applies the same principle here—helping you connect with younger generations effectively, where they scroll, converse, and make purchases.

• Authenticity Through Brand‑Led Storytelling – Gen Z values unfiltered, honest content over polished marketing. Rizco’s research-driven, brand-led approach delivers messaging that is transparent, people-centered, and authentic—such as employee spotlights, behind-the-scenes footage, and founder story series.
• Social Search & Testimonial Integration – Rizco helps clients appear in these feeds through engaging social content, influencer partnerships, and user testimonial videos, leveraging social media platforms as powerful search and e-commerce tools.
• Content Stacking Strategy – The younger generation multitasks across content—scrolling, streaming, and chatting. Rizco’s full-funnel digital programs deliver cohesive messages across channels, from PPC and social media to email and the web, keeping your brand visible wherever they engage.
• User‑Generated Content (UGC) Leadership – UGC drives their decisions. Rizco helps clients collect and share authentic content from fans, employees, and influencers, coaching brands to build communities where customers become storytellers.

Ready to activate your brand for this generation? Schedule a discovery call to learn how our team can help elevate your marketing and amplify your impact.

¹ https://buywithprime.amazon.com/blog/engage-gen-z-shoppers
² https://www.optixsolutions.co.uk/blog/the-importance-of-gen-z-marketing
³ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7664855/
⁴ https://www.mediaculture.com/insights/gen-z-media-habits
⁵ https://www.ctam.com/industry-resources/media-behaviors-and-industry-trends/the-state-of-gen-z
⁶ https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/gen-z-trends-food-travel-retail/