Generational differences in content consumption on social networks are revealed

VKontakte studied the media habits of four generations of users — alpha, zoomers, millennials, and Generation X — and identified significant differences in the ways content is consumed. As follows from the results of the study, preferences for formats, viewing time, subject matter, and scenarios of interaction with materials differ markedly among different age groups. The survey data was reviewed by Izvestia on February 2.

Two key motivations remain common to all generations — the desire to relax and get the latest news: every second user logs into the social network for this purpose. More than half of the audience saves the content they like, and zoomers and millennials share their findings more often than others.

The alpha generation turned out to be the most dynamic: 48% of representatives of this group prefer short sessions, but they are the ones who most often watch VK Videos for more than two hours in a row. Alphas choose fast formats, such as short retellings of books and movies, and consume content on the go. Popular topics include videos about cleaning and organizing spaces. 74% of the representatives of the generation are interested in music content, most often they listen to it in the background in the evening or before going to bed. Memes and posts about the music industry are also at the top, while the topic of health is of minimal interest.

Zoomers use the social network primarily for entertainment, 47% of respondents said. They are leading the way in interest in memes and gaming content, as well as actively watching the unpacking of goods. This group uses VK Clips, VK Music, and VK Videos more often than others, preferring long horizontal videos. Zoomers most often prefer to watch such videos while eating or in parallel with other activities.

Millennials, in turn, have become the leaders in watching music videos — 76% of the generation's representatives choose this format. They are most active on the social network and go there daily. They are characterized by a combination of entertainment with practical benefits: popular topics include movies, science, life hacks, and personal stories.

Generation X has demonstrated the most structured approach to viewing content. These users are more likely to plan the time they spend on social media and come there to learn something new. Life stories and food blogs are among the most popular topics. Representatives of generation X prefer text formats and posts with photos, while images without captions are less in demand.

On November 14, Anna Polosina, a psychologist and MSPPU specialist, explained the peculiarities of information perception among zoomers. According to her, young people prefer not to store knowledge in memory if it can be found in a second. She stressed that this behavior pattern is related to the structure of the modern digital world.

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