Media Habits: Gen Z Shifting Away From Blogs, Publisher Sites

Millennials say they are spending more time with video and social, but they are not necessarily cutting back their time with other media.

But according to eMarketer, younger internet users, those ages 13 to 17, are shifting away from text-based online content—and a bit from TV—while spending more time with video and social.

The data comes from a March 2017 survey by streaming solutions and content provider Fullscreen and market research agency Leflein Associates, which polled 1,173 US internet users ages 13 to 34.

Both the younger and older groups were considerably more likely to say they were spending more time streaming full-length TV shows and movies, and similar percentages said they were spending more time with short online video.

But the amplified video viewing didn’t necessarily mean they were watching less TV. Among the younger group, 40% said they were watching the same amount of TV as last year, while 35% said they were watching at least a bit less and 25% were watching at least a bit more. The older users (ages 18 to 34) were more likely to say they were watching more TV.

The study found that younger internet users are shifting away from text-based types like blogs and publisher sites.

For example, 22% of the younger respondents said they’re spending less time with blogs compared with a year ago. And 11% said they’re spending less time with publisher sites or apps.

According to Nielsen data for Q4 2016, US teens ages 12 to 17 spent 13 hours 54 minutes per week watching TV.