How Generation Z is Changing Television

As each generation enters adulthood, it begins to shape pop culture to fit new sensibilities. These shifts in thinking are often portrayed through television – an evergreen space for wide cultural conversations. By studying how each generation changed television, it’s easy to trace a line of progress. Baby Boomers ushered in the era of the single working woman on screen. Gen X broadcast challenging conversations on race, sex, and substance use. Millennials began to increase representation for LGBT characters and started streaming their shows online. And now Generation Z is beginning to change everything we know about what “TV” can be.

First things first, let’s figure out what Generation Z even is. (Hint: They’re not Millennials 2.0.)

A problem: no one really knows what the generation after Millennials are yet. Generations are messy and exist almost exclusively so companies know who to spend marketing dollars on. But it is true that in a fast-paced world, people born 20 years apart will have wildly different cultural touchstones, attitudes toward institutions, and purchasing powers. Thus, marketing geniuses invented Millennials, the generation that came of age around the year 2000. They also inadvertently gave birth to the millions of articles written about Millennials. Luckily, for the sake of our collective sanity, we probably won’t have to talk as much about the next generation as we had to with Millennials. There seems to be a pattern to the modern American generation: one is loud, and the next doesn’t make as much noise. The ~*~Greatest Generation~*~ (narcissistic much?) was followed by the hardworking Silent Generation. “Revolutionary” (their word, not mine) Baby Boomers were followed by the glossed-over Generation X. And now self-obsessed Millennials are being followed up by Generation Z (this name could change, as Millennials were formerly known as Gen Y), a young group of Americans who can’t remember a time that there wasn’t a war on terror and a smartphone in every pocket.

According to The Huffington Post, members of Gen Z were probably born between 1995 and 2010. Other reports cast a slightly different net. Just as there’s no definitive date that separates Generation X and Millennials, the split between Y and Z is based on shared experiences. So, a more depressing way to find out if you’re a Millennial or a Gen Z is to ask, “Were you old enough to remember 9/11?” If the answer is no, welcome to Generation Z.

Since the youngest members of Gen Z are entering elementary school and the oldest are just reaching legal drinking age, it will be a bit before some definitive generational traits appear. So far, it appears that Gen Z is more realistic, pragmatic, anxious, and private than Millennials. These kids were raised in a recession. The first presidential election any member of Gen Z could vote in was… well, the Trump one. None of these experiences really cultivate optimism and security.

Who cares! What does this have to do with the future of TV? ask all those impatient Millennials.

Even though Millennials were the ones to popularize streaming television, Gen Z grew up on it. Most don’t remember a time without it. According to a study performed by Hulu and Tremor Video, 70 percent of Gen Z says the phrase “watching television” means streaming something online. For these younger viewers there is no distinction between live television, premium cable, streaming services, YouTube channels, and pirated documentaries. Whatever it is and whichever device you watch it on, it’s just TV.

This means, in a near Gen Z future, a production or distribution company’s pedigree will mean much less. An hour-long drama isn’t higher quality because it’s on HBO instead of Freeform. Homemade documentaries shared on YouTube are just as riveting as those on PBS. And your favorite vlogger is probably more entertaining than any network comedy. In 2017, these lines in the sand have already begun to dissolve. Imagine what the landscape will look like in 10 years time.

Not only will the definition of television change once Gen Z grows into its full viewing power, how TV is honored will also drastically change. The next generation cares much less about how many Emmys a show has or how many weekly viewers it pulls in; they care about whether or not the people they follow are tweeting about it. According to the same study from Hulu, the main reasons that Gen Z watches a show are:

1. “Just to talk about it with peers”
2. “To impress others”
3. “To look smart”

What this means to us: The future of television is social. Half of Gen Z says they “always” watch television while multitasking. A lot of the time, multitasking can mean searching for fellow fans of the show online. In a Gen Z world, if no one is talking about your show, no one is watching.

Television in 2027: Some extremely accurate guesses about what’s to come

1. Appointment television is finally dead, and it’s about time. Gen Z isn’t about to sit down and turn on the TV at 8:30 eastern.
2. Individual episodes aren’t important anymore. When Gen Z watches a series, they watch it from beginning to end — without watching episodes from other shows in between, interestingly enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s one six-hour episode or 15 five-minute episodes. Viewers will watch a series like they read a novel: piecing it out as they see fit.
3. You do not have our undivided attention. Audiences will almost always be doing something else while they watch your show. Hopefully, that something else is posting about your show.
4. In addition to full length episodes, shows will also release an edited 5 minute “viewer’s digest” version of new episodes. These can be easily shared and allow those who haven’t committed to watching an entire series to be a part of the online conversation. (Like those “previously on” segments before a new episode, but more complete.)
5. A bunch of like, social media influencers are going to win Emmys for short and long-form creative projects and everyone’s going to be upset.
6. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and the next big social media platform are going to have some really good original series. Terrifying, I know.
7. Live streaming and VR are going to become their own television categories, with some really creative stuff happening!
8. Video is going vertical. You can already spot this in places like Instagram Live and Snapchat’s shows page. But by 2027, expect an Oscar-nominated film to fit an upright iPhone’s screen.

So, yes, Generation Z is going to change television, just like every generation before it. Is it for the better? I think so, but I’m one of them. And no matter what changes occur, let’s all hope that Gen Z will be less annoying about them than Millennials were.