It’s no secret that the coming generations are, and will continue to be, more and more tech savvy than those previous. According to Business of Fashion, “92 percent of US teens go online daily, and 24 percent are online ‘almost constantly’”. That is more than any generation to date. With the increase of digital presence, past marketing strategies no longer work. The younger generations’ technological practices and perspectives have led to change in the way content and products are viewed and whether they are accepted.

According to Facts Coexist, “Gen Z has adapted to quickly sorting through and assessing enormous amounts of information. They rely heavily on trending pages within apps to collect the most popular recent content.” Gen Z’s technological habits act as a market force in an age where content is traded as a commodity. Furthermore, even Gen Z’s older siblings, Millennials, are more focused on mobile applications as nearly 55% of their digital interaction is through smartphones.

Which is why, we have put together this list of top apps that the younger generations are putting to work for both personal and business use.

Snapchat

According to Social Times, “63 percent of [Snapchat’s] more than 100,00 daily active users, are between ages of 13-to-34 and a driving force behind the mobile revolution”. With data like that, there’s nearly no argument that user-generated content is driving the younger generations communications and self-branding. With its Live Stories feature, and more to come, it has also become a new marketing content platform. Allowing live interaction with brands and consumers.

Snapchat is such a powerhouse app that it struck a deal with the Olympic for this year’s RIO games in hopes to boost ratings. It is too early to tell, but it will be intersting to see the final numbers.

Facebook

There has been some debate as to whether or not Gen Z is moving away from social platform like Facebook. Facebook has proven itself with its widespread use with the Millennials, but according to Shireen Jiwan in Forbes, Gen Z is twice more likely to use YouTube than Millennials and “a lot less likely to use Facebook”. However, this does not mean that Gen Z does not see value in Facebook. As digital natives they are more than aware of Facebook and use it. Perhaps partially contributing to the disparity of use between Gen Z and Millennials is the fact that Gen Z is more likely to respond to push messages, rather than email.

Instagram

A perfect example of content sharing opportunities is Instagram. A Gen Z shares why they use Instagram: “Photos and videos on Snapchat are no longer than 10 seconds, and it’s this short, ephemeral, close-to-real-life sharing that really sparks my interest, and quite frankly, a lot of my time.” This experience speak directly to the Gen Z mentality. With 8 second attention spans, communication must be fast and succinct. With so many users sharing this perspective, it is no wonder apps like Instagram overshadow their sibling, Facebook.

Clear and dynamic content will continue to revolutionize our digital spaces, and the younger generations will help shape the content and platforms of the future.

Should you have any questions, comments, or would like to learn more about trendsetting apps, please reach out.