Gen Z feels alienated from media coverage

[shishir.seoexpert1]

The majority of adolescents and young adults consider journalism as relevant, to inform themselves and to form their opinion
It would be a mistake to think that Gen Z is completely insensitive to professional journalism. The study, conducted in Germany, shows that in addition to finding journalistic content relevant, these young people consume it mainly through the digital offering of well-known media, but also through more traditional channels such as radio, television and the written press . Adolescents and young adults would ultimately consume only little journalistic content on social media.

As these are part of their daily lives, they obviously gambling data poland represent a source of information, but mainly through non-journalistic channels such as publications from friends, family, stars and influencers and not through official media accounts.

On social media, journalistic content coexists with a multitude of other messages. To attract young audiences, it is essential for media to adapt to the native content of the networks on which they publish. The German TV news program Tagesschau sets an example with its presence on TikTok . Present since November 2019 on the application, the editorial team explains that the objective is to succeed in interpreting Tagesschau for the platform through entertainment, self-mockery – and of course through its reliability and verified information .



This is a finding that has been repeated many times: adolescents and young adults do not find a link between journalistic content and their own lives. They often do not understand the hierarchy of the media and do not find arguments to explain why a particular news story is important. Also, many young people deplore the omnipresence of certain subjects in the media.

More generally, Gen Z says it is rarely interested in political news and “hard news”. However, 18-24 year-olds are more interested in international, local and environmental topics than 14-17 year-olds. These two groups are united by a common interest in unusual and entertaining information .

The study also found that young people expect journalism to provide them with factual information, rather than personal opinions .

Here, the presence of tagesschau on TikTok once again serves as an example. The head of the department, Andreas Lützkendorf, claims that “news and politics can work on TikTok” . He explains that this is in particular thanks to their explanatory videos, which are short and refer to everyday life. Finally, he also points out that the most shared videos, and therefore those likely to attract a new audience, are videos with a humorous character .



Young people seek information to integrate into their social environment
Regardless of their attitudes and information habits, young people agree on one thing: if they get information, it is mainly to be able to participate in conversations with their social circle . More specifically, adolescents mention being able to take part in debates in their classrooms, while young adults cite the desire to assume their role as “good citizens” and to be able to “contribute to democratic society” .

To meet this need, it is necessary to provide young people with understandable information that will give them the keys to forming their own opinions. In June 2020, dpa launched Easy News , a project aimed at making current events intelligible to everyone, especially those who cannot read and understand German well . The articles are written in a factual , chronological and concise manner , and technical terms are systematically explained.

Similarly, “decryption” formats work rather well with young audiences . In April 2021, NDR launched the YouTube channel Clip & Clear , aimed at millennials – people aged 25 to 35. The aim: to explain the context of certain current issues in an “ entertaining and intelligent ” way. The videos posted use codes well-known to the target audience, using funny staging, GIFs, memes and other graphics. “ This allows the target audience to apply seemingly boring topics to their own lives, to participate in discussions and to rediscover a taste for current affairs ,” says the project manager.



Not all young people behave the same online
It is important to understand that a majority of young users are passive on social networks. They often do not find it interesting to participate in discussions and interactions on digital platforms. However, those most likely to take part in online debates are those who are better informed, as well as those who are not very oriented towards journalistic sources . This minority, active on social networks, will thus shape the external image of Gen Z, which is nevertheless not representative of its entirety.

The media should not be too tempted to exclusively correspond to this visible minority and the opinions it conveys . Rather, it is important to take into consideration the demands of adolescents who are not visible and to address different types of information orientation.

The solution to addressing the widest possible audience: give them a voice. When Tagesschau wanted to develop a version 3.0 of its application, it let tens of thousands of users access its beta version in pre-production. Thanks to the feedback provided, Tagesschau was able to launch, a few months later, an app that met the expectations of its audience and was therefore much better received than version 2.0 .