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THE FUTURE OF w

SOCIAL MEDIA
1
 INTRODUCTION
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TRANSFORMED YOUTH CULTURE. ITS IMPACT & INFLUENCE ARE TREMENDOUS.  

WE’RE NOW AT A TURNING POINT. A NEW FOUND CONSCIOUSNESS IS EMERGING.

THE EVER-INCREASING DIGITISATION OF OUR LIVES IS RAISING QUESTIONS: WHO IS IN CONTROL OF

OUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION? HOW MUCH DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT ITS IMPACT ON OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND
WELLBEING?

THIS REPORT IS AN EXPLORATION OF HOW SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS HAVE EVOLVED AND WHERE THEY’RE
HEADED.

OUR NEXT REPORT WILL EXPLORE THE FUTURE OF YOUTH CULTURE, INCLUDING CREATORS AND THEIR ROLE
IN CULTURE.

“It’s seemingly as hard to give up on social media as it

was to give up smoking en masse… Quitting that habit took
decades of regulatory intervention, public-relations
campaigning, social shaming, and aesthetic shifts. At a
cultural level, we didn’t stop smoking just because the
habit was unpleasant or uncool or even because it might
kill us. We did so slowly and over time, by forcing
social life to suffocate the practice. That process must
now begin in earnest for social media.”

22
n Bogust, T 20
Ia he Atlantic,

 TODAY

> Why social med

ia? Why now?

> Back to basics

> How are al media now?

youn g soci
g people usin

> What’s next?

s?
> Wh and
at d br
oes this mean for

4
METHODOLOGY 5
 Methodology
SURVEY
L OB AL
600 G N TS AGED
S PO ND E
R E
4 
AUDIEN
18 -2 CE VOI
INTE
CES
RVIEW
✔ ✔ ✔
7x GL S WIT
Chris Black Alexandria Williams OBAL H
Founder of Done
Gabrielle Kaegler 
Brand Consultant
Creative Strategy DAZED GEN Z
to Death Projects Director Beauty at READE
Global Tech Company RS

VOICES
EXPERT
- DE PTH
5 IN TATIONS
UL
W
E
I
R
T
T
H
S
DESK RESEARCH
CONS L OF EXP BROAD CONTEXTUAL
N E
A PA AND INSIGHTS
DRIVEN RESEARCH
✔ ✔
Hatti Rex ESEA Sisters
East and South East
Head of Social
Dazed Media Asian women, trans, non- (SEE BIBLIOGRAPHY)
binary and genderqueer
community
6

 Methodology AUDIEN
CE
VOICES

EDDIE BEN KESSLER MAZIE ZIA MALIA KATE

24 i 18 i 23 i 16 i 24 i 17 i 18 i

 MEDIA ?
SOCIAL
WHY
WHY
NOW
? 8
SOCIAL MEDIA IS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FORCES WITHIN YOUTH CULTURE

9
 e reportedly using ev
Z ar e
en ry
G soc
ial
med
ia a
pp less
In the last few years, young people’s mindset and
behaviours have shifted, changing the overall
exce
pt f
social media landscape. People are becoming more
aware and critical of how large social platforms
are exploiting them. or Tiktok.
Data published by Pew Research Center shows that
users between 18 and 25 years old are the only age
group to see a decrease in social media use since
2019, while a recent consumer survey by Piper
Sandler showed that Generation Z reported less use
of every social app, except for TikTok.

10

 THE GOLDEN AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS OVER

2. Big Tech in
Trouble
1. N ew
Yo ut h
r i ties
Prio
3.
Politi
Instab cal
ULTURAL DR ility
C IVE
RS
11

 1. Youth are prioritising personal wellbeing

and real, intimate connections

Close relationships Physical Health 11%
74%

Spending time in 9%
Creative Interests
Since at least 2021, 49% Nature

Dazed's Gen Z audience Living more sustainably 9%

has been telling us that
Mental Health
46%

they are prioritising The communities I’m

part of
9%

their physical and Career 25%

emotional health. Getting involved w/
politics
1%
Currently Rethinking
What’s important 22%
Dazed Media Research Other 1%
2021-2023 Studies 19%
Spending time in virtual 1%
worlds
Making money 13%
None of the above 1%

12

x
2. They
are questioning the value &
integrity of social media
“Apple avoided layoffs because the CEO Big Tech companies have axed “I used to post stories a lot but
took a 50 million dollar pay cut, the at least 250K jobs in the now I think, ‘What is this for?
rest of these companies are laying off last 12 months, 85K in Why am I doing this?’ I think
thousands of people because the January (Forbes, 2023) Mark people are questioning the reason
Metaverse and all that s*** isn't Zuckerberg is pivoting away why they need validation. People
real. They hire all these people, they from the Metaverse and onto are posting for other people and
did all this s***. It didn't work. And his next big thing: AI not themselves.”
no one can admit that. Obviously (Bloomberg, 2023)
they're gonna make excuses and, you - Kessler, 23
know, Covid this, recession that, it’s
all this b*******.”

- Chris Black, Founder of Done to

Death Projects

13

 3. As are political powers

U.S HOUSE PANEL APPROVES BILL U.S HOUSE PANEL APPROVES B

GIVING BIDEN POWER TO BAN TIKTOK GIVING BIDEN POWER TO BAN
U.S HOUSE PANEL APPROVES BILL
U.S HOUSE PANEL APPROVES BILL GIVING
PANEL APPROVES BILL
EN POWER TO BAN TIKTOK GIVING BIDEN POWER TO BAN TIKTOK
U.S HOUSE PANEL APPROVES BILL
BIDEN POWER TO APPROVES
U.S HOUSE PANEL BAN TIKTOK
BILL GIVING BIDEN POWER TO BAN TIKT
GIVING
PANEL APPROVES BILL BIDEN POWER TO BAN TIKTOK
DEN POWER TO BAN TIKTOK
BBC advises staff to delete IS IT TIME TO DELETE TIKTOK?
TikTok from work phones

14
 “Nearly 20 years on, social media just
hasn’t lived up to the promises it made
us. They told us it was about friendship
and connection, discovery and latterly
entertainment. But people are more lonely,
more disconnected and the algorithms mean
we’re stuck in echo chambers of content.”

- Gabrielle Kaegler, Brand Consultant

BACK
GOING
TO BASICS 15

 SOCIAL MEDIA IS BECOMING HARDER TO DEFINE

Oxford Dictionary Definition: websites and

applications that enable users to create and share
content or to participate in social networking.

PAST PRESENT FUTURE?

SOCIAL SOCIAL SOCIAL

NETWORKS MEDIA CONNECTION

1996 1994
The term ‘social network’ The term “social media”
is introduced to describe (SM) was first used in
“computer-supported social
1994 on a Tokyo online
networks”
media environment,
called Matisse.

16

 YOUTH HAVE MIXED FEELINGS

“I use instagram the most and

I definitely think it
influences me. It influences
my body image, self esteem,
Eddie, 24
different opinions, the music
I listen to and the clothes I
buy in both positive and “The negative definition of social media; A contract
negative ways. you can’t get out of, a chore, a drain on mental
health.
Malia, 17 The positive; Solidarity from people with similar
lived experiences, a place to share work and be
inspired by other creatives,
funny dog videos.”
“Sometimes social media makes
me feel sad, but then I make
sure to disconnect and do
something to reconnect with
myself and nature. Most of the
time it makes me feel happy.” 

Zia, 24 17

 ARE WE GOING BACK FULL CIRCLE?

Mark Zuckerberg was
inspired by the
site Hot or Not in
the creation of his
first platform,
FaceMash.

Social Media Infancy Golden Era Post Social Back to Reality?

SOCIAL MEDIA GRAVEYARD

LATE 90s 2000s 2010s 2020s

18

SOCIAL MEDIA IS BECOMING MORE HOMOGENISED

Platforms are more multipurpose,
constantly adding new features to
keep up with each other. PEER TO PEER DISCOVERY
Slack BeReal
TikTok
Skype Whatsapp Linkedin ChatGPT

Instagram
Telegram Spotify Youtube
Facebook Facebook Roblox
Hinge
Messenger
4Chan Quora
Weibo
Tinder
Snapchat
Thursday Discord Twitter

“The differences between Facebook, Instagram, and

Snapchat became blurred as the apps were homogenised Tumblr
— copying and sharing essentially the same features Live Journal
Spotify’s new design is part
— 24-hour stories, disappearing messages, and fun Flicker
camera filters.” TikTok, part Instagram and part
- Jason Bartz, Substack Patreon Substack YouTube.
(The Verge, 2023)
Jason Bartz
SELF 19

 THE BIG PLAYERS ARE COMPETING TO KEEP CREATORS ON THEIR PLATFORMS

TikTok is launching TikTok Series: a

paywalled content option that will
allow creators to monetise their
videos on its app and sell them as
‘premium content’.

From February this year YouTube

have now let creators monetise
from short-from video content. 

20
HOW ARE YOUNG
PEOPLE USING
SOCIAL MEDIA NOW? 21
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ONLINE MORE THAN ANY
GENERATION BEFORE

54% of Gen Z spend 4 or more

hours a day on social media
out of 8+ hours a day online
. (Morning Consult)
ults
ad
all
Compared w % of
ith 28
22
 THE WHERE Gen Z are spending their time on apps optimised for
video content.

Teenagers using the Facebook app are

Their top three are YouTube, Instagram and This move towards video-first platforms is
projected to drop by 45% in the next
TikTok. Surprised? also prevalent amongst the Generation Alpha.
two years. (inews, 2022)

YOU
TUB
E

TIKT
OK

NOT ON
SOCIAL
VIDEO GAMES

Beano Brain 2023

One to watch; Snapchat. In 2023, Snapchat will have 525.7 million users worldwide, up from 493.9 million users in 2022.
(Insider Intelligence). In our focus group two Gen Z told us it was their favourite platform.
23
 THE WHAT
THE WHAT

ENTERTAINMENT OVER SHORT-FORM VIDEO

COMMUNICATION RULES RIGHT NOW

5 hours 28 minutes spent watching video across devices; The average watch time of Dazed’s social videos
a closer look reveals a move away from traditional is 11 seconds.
(Dazed Media, 2023)
television towards streaming and other forms of video.

2 hours 42 minutes audio including radio, 61% of Gen Z prefer short videos
voice and other devices. under one minute long.
(Statista, 2022)
1 hour 29 minutes communicating via
social media and messaging
platforms.

* GlobalWebIndex, 2023 24

 THE WHY Beyond entertainment, commerce and content, how are

Gen Z using social media now?

l ie f and th
To stay in For re co nnect wi
ir at io n To
the know  insp e rs
o th
so c ia l med ia is
“I use l m e di a
ir a ti on and soc i a ha t
“You want to b for insp “To me ,
pl a tf or m t
the know. You
e in for a laugh an on li ne
a ci l it ie s t o
major fomo whe
get To make so metime s .”
prov id es f
i th o t he r
n you – Jethro, 23 t w
connec globally.” 
do take mental money As a visual
health breaks people 18
social. You ge
from
diary – Kate,
t
sucked into th
e “A lot of my friends
platforms and
then are on the hustle on
you’re not sur
e what social media. They “TikTok becomes a
you got from i
t.” want to get sent the sort of visual diary
– Kessler, 23
free stuff from for me. I record my
brands.”  different outfits.”
– Percy, 25 – Rae, 22

Source: Dazed Focus Group 25

 There are significant behavioural differences between Gen Z and Millennials

Younger generations behave differently online. Forced to share social spaces with older groups, they’ve created a new visual
language, aural prompts and lexicon for themselves. Overall: not trying is cool, thumbs up emojis are a no and (almost) nothing
is off limits when it comes to memeification and abbreviation.

Millennial Gen Z

Self-promotion, perfect selfies  ‘Ugly’ selfies & self-deprecating videos

Personal profile + separate work profile Multiple anonymous accounts

Social profile reflective of

Irony and humour underscores everything 
IRL identity 

Hustler mindset: social as a Not caring is cool 

career-builder
 👍 = got it!, good job,  👍 = sarcastic or passive-
understood, well done  aggressive “good job” 
26
 Youth are fatigued by social advertising

> “In the future, it could mean brands will soon be looking back through the more
> traditional routes of marketing and figuring out how to best use these
> techniques in the digital age.”
> Hatti Rex, Head of Social - Dazed Media

> “Anything I see to do with money and advertising on social media... You’re not
> influencing me. Nothing feels authentic anymore.”
> Kessler, 23

> “We get bored of things so quickly now; everyone’s trying to blow up… trying to
> connect. We can’t stick to anything. TikTok will at some point die: it will
> get overpopulated with sh**, become a shopping platform and people will get
> bored of it. There are also so many ads now that it’s already annoying.“
> Kessler, 23 

27

 They’re influenced to shop but don’t usually shop directly on platform

>“I don’t really shop via social media. Potentially if i see clothes i like but
very rarely.”
> Ben, 18

> “Trends on social media do influence me, seeing certain trends and styles i like
but i don’t usually buy them off social media platforms. Usually from shops that
people link the items to.”
> Mazie, 16

> “Instagram and TikTok makes me want to get stuff I see and it helps me find a
lot of things I like. Instagram more for shopping,"
> Malia, 17 

28

 POST PEAK INFLUENCER

de-influencing
THE INFLUENCER HAS Anti-influencer anger has been
BECOME A MASCOT bubbling under the surface…It has even
FOR CAPITALISM given rise to a new demand: We don’t
want full-time influencers anymore,
the crowd chants. We want influencers
with day jobs.”

- Kate Lindsay, Internet Journalist

“I follow people very

TWO-THIRDS of consumers describe intentionally so my social
their level of trust in celebrity media consumption doesn't make
influencers, particularly when it me feel inadequate or insecure”
comes to health and beauty products
as “low.” Kate, 18

(Trustpilot, 2022)

29



 THEY’RE FINDING WAYS TO HACK TO SYSTEM

A NE
W #WRON
SOCI AL ME DI A LANG
UAGE GFYP
EA RC H
#WRO #WRONGFYP P
AS S
NGFY NGFY
O
Enter Algospeak.
The use of social
P #W R
media amongst a

R
M ONG FY P
# TW
H
study conducted
ALGORI
TikTok really is
“

becoming Gen Z’s

with the Acehnese
Gen Z has prompted THE
Google” (Morning some variations in
Consult, 2023) their language
uses, communication #wrongfyp
styles, and TikTok users have started to clock the app’s
identity shifts. algorithm and find workarounds, showing a
(Communication desire for more serendipity. Some are ‘hacking’
today, Syiah Kuala the algorithm to show their content up on feeds
University Press) where it doesn’t quite fit. There are currently
110 million #wrongfyp on content playing into
the idea that users have accidentally landed on
the wrong fyp.
30

 And are shaping youth culture through their own creativity

NIHILISM ANTI- EDUCATING MEME- ANTI-

REJECTING SOCIAL
SHARING BEING STYLE
MOVEMENTS &
AI
& IRONY CONTENT EACH OTHER FICATION CONSTRUCTS COMFORT REAL SUBCULTURES
IDENTITIES

#SeshTok Dabloons: TikTok’s #storytimes #FashionToks

Franz Kafka Anti-fat
As
latest roleplaying
#ComfortCon AI Selfies
“He captures in an
currency. 
Shaming Creators share Frazzled
extraordinarily
#corecore
politicians tent their English Woman
“Maybe we’re all
accessible way the continue to collectively relatable, #cottagecore  “We are fully
way in which many
fail to Backlash everyday etc. etc. are aware that we
people feel about
our latest
yearning for a
Satisfying
modern life, where protect drug cute little against (sometimes “a conversion have no way to
attempt to
adventure, where ASMR, cringe, of fashion
authorities have
users, the money we fat-shaming control how
their own
romanticise TikTok users acquire can be relaxing sometimes into a content
our likeness
incomprehensible videos has crying) vertical,
and arbitrary
this are
spent on things
cooking, stories, rather than an is used, so
rules and the
that actually warm triggered a
reality spreading and nourish us – chill music encouraging embodied why not at
individual is
like blankets and new body more realness product that
excluded, life-saving hot stew – instead made to least have fun
alienated,
information positive and showing people might
while being
isolated, alone”
of skyrocketing
soothe they’re just wear in
- Dr Dan Hall online
rents and student movement on like us. everyday surveilled?”
loans we’ll never
actually repay.” the app life.” 

Source: Dazed Digital, 2022-2023 31

PAUSING FOR A SEC 32

It is important that we face the facts
surrounding the effects of social media. In an
article last year, The Guardian said ‘it’s
“embarrassing” how little we know about the
effects of TikTok with many teens using it
“almost constantly.”’ (Guardian, 2022) 

WARNING!
PROCEED
WITH CAUTION 33
 What do we know about the negative effects of social media?

Productivity
Depression Addiction Polarisation
issues 

Social media has a direct A quarter of US teens who Social media has been found
Academics have been raising use Snapchat or TikTok use to fuel polarisation, its
correlation with the
the alarm on information them “almost constantly” impact varies across
decline in Gen Z’s mental
overload for years. In with 54% of them saying platforms. (NPR, 2022)
health. Internal Instagram
2009, the Harvard Business giving up social media
data made public by Frances
Review wrote: “The surging would be “very hard.”
Haugen showed the app’s
volume of available (Pew Research Center, 2022)
drastic impact on teen “With the deregulation of
information – and its
users (Guardian, 2021). We Twitter and the rise of
interruption of people’s
still don’t know what decentralized platforms
work – can adversely affect
effect platforms like like Telegram and Mastodon,
not only personal well-
TikTok will have on younger there is growing concern
being but also decision
generations. around the use of social to
making, innovation, and
radicalize youth through
productivity.” 
psyops grassroots and
state-backed.”
Today, TikTok users are 10%
How this plays (Office of Applied
more likely to say the
Strategy, 2023)
amount of content on social out in culture.
is overwhelming.
(GWI, 2022) How Teens Recovered
from TikTok Tics /
New York Times, 2023

34

 IT’S CAUSING AN ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA MOVEMENT

How this plays out
in culture.

“There’s an entire subculture of ‘Luddite’ teens who are

swearing off social entirely and adopting flip phones to
communicate.” (Office of Applied Strategy, 2023) The Light Phone 2
A second attempt at the
minimalist phone aimed at
reducing tech use. After
initial failure, the
founders have added
features that give people
Gen Z is the most concerned about time spent on social “tools not feeds’”. Will it
media. (Global Web Index, 2023) catch on?

“I don’t want another form of social media. We’re past

the point of that. No matter what we make someone will
try to monetise it and no-one wants that.”
- Kessler, 23 Luddite Club Brooklyn
A New York High School club
that promotes liberation
from social media.
The Log Off Movement (New York Times, 2023)

35

 AND A NEW WAVE OF ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

“Mass social networks lack the quality of Outside of mainstream public consciousness there’s already a host of
desirable social connections.” niche, often decentralised social media platforms attracting people to
- Ana Anjelic, The Sociology of business them because of shared identities, values and privacy.

PRIVATE POV / BLOG ENTERTAINMENT

SOCIAL
CULTURE &
COMMUNITY
PERSONALISATION

SPECIALIST
PEERS DATING NEWS & DISCOVERY 36

There are new priorities

for youth when it comes
AN CONNECTION
to social media  HUM

OWNERS
HIP
PARTICIPA
TION & CR
EATOR EMP
OWERMENT

SIVITY 
IN SUMMA SAFETY & INCLU

RY 37
 01 Decentralised 02 The Finsta 03 The closed 04 Tune into the
futures era network clique now

06 Tech powered 08 Nothing beats

05 In search of creativity t ion the real thing 09 Power in
at te n
authenticity  07 The y Fandom
n re me d
spa

WHAT IS NEXT?
38

“Instead of sharing more, we may well go back to a more

“Myspace” way of managing our online presences… The
desire for private spaces will mean that most of us will
share to a small audience in more secure networks, rather
than for public consumption. Meanwhile, our “public”
accounts – the ones that are tied to our lives as
citizens and economic actors, will be cleaner, highly
managed and as neutral and inoffensive as possible.”

Wired, 2021
- Hussein Kesvani,

39
“The real reason Twitter lies in ruins is because it was an
abomination before God. It was a Tower of Babel. People are
fleeing the tower by the millions, or at least shopping the real
estate elsewhere – Discord, TikTok, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram,
WeChat, Weibo, Moj. And some are finding their tribes in the
Fediverse, the set of decentralized web apps that includes
Mastodon.” 

– Paul Ford, Wired, 2023

ENTER THE FEDIVERSE

01 SED
ALI
NTR
ECE FUTURES
D 40

 Decentralised futures
Elonsucks.org (powered by
ENTER THE FEDIVERSE
01. Mastadon) is one of many
Fediverse instances
catering to niche
interests and bringing
Deeper understanding of social like-minded people
media means decentralised systems together. From gaming,
are becoming more attractive. Last poetry and K-pop stans to
year’s metaverse hype promised a coders and anti-
How this plays
capitalists, there’s
utopian online future. The vision: out in culture something for everyone. 
a space powered by Web 3.0

This next iteration of the internet

02.
is about returning power to the
people through decentralised
applications; peer-to-peer ChatGPT’s ability to understand human inputs and respond
interactions and transactions; similarly offers a more seamless experience than
intelligent AI-driven search; use traditional search engines. Its popularity saw Microsoft
of blockchain; control over content announce the incorporation of ChatGPT tech into its Bing
and who can access or profit from search engine, followed by the likes of Google and Baidu. 
personal data. While that dream is Elsewhere, The Fediverse – a network of independent yet
far from being realised, we are interconnected servers which let anyone power their own
seeing the first inklings of what a social networking space or ‘instance’ – is growing its
decentralised web could look like. users base. Servers like Mastodon are the best-known,
showing how servers setting their own rules – e.g. blocking
hate speech or porn – can benefit people.
41

 Gaming social networks How this plays

out in culture

The “Gucci Garden” Roblox experience was

a pop-up styled as a series of themed-
rooms where the users’ avatars transform
In our 2022 survey around the Metaverse we according to a room’s colours, patterns,
discovered that the main reason why young and special effects. Users could interact
with others and purchase limited-edition
people were using digital spaces was to virtual Gucci items for their avatars.
connect with other people (Dazed Metaverse The bee-embroidered Dionysus Bag, sold
survey 2022). for (350,000 Robux) $4,115 more than the
price of the physical bag in the virtual
Recent attention and growth in gaming has second-hand market where bids on the bag
skyrocketed.
prompted some brands to experiment with in-
game commerce. The approach is still in its
infancy, however, and gaming audiences are
less accustomed to heavy advertising in
American Eagle supported its “Members
these spaces. The gaming industry itself was
Always” spring campaign with Roblox’s
worth more than music, movies and television Livetopia, launching a curated mansion-
in 2021 (Marketwatch), yet it accounts for like space with various activities and
less than 6% of total ad spend (Marketing virtual try-on versions of the
Dive, 2022) - highlighting an untapped retailer’s seasonal apparel. More than
5 million people dressed their Roblox
opportunity. The challenge for brands is avatars in the products, with the
integrating themselves into gaming worlds activation drawing over 7.5 million
without disrupting the user experience. unique users - 50% higher than what
American Eagle anticipated (Marketing
Dive, 2022)

42

“With this growing distrust against

creators, we’re likely to see a shift
towards platforms where you aren’t required
to be the face of your content but this
seems unlikely on TikTok at present.”
- Hatti Rex, Head of Social at Dazed Media

TH EMB
RAC
EF ING
ANO
NYM
IN ITY
AND
ST PLU
RAL
ITY
AE ONL
INE
02 RA
43

 02.
The Finsta Era
New networks and technologies allowing people to
experiment with alternate identities whilst hiding
their own are taking anonymity a step further. What can
be used to stay private online can also be nefarious –
01. Online oversharing is done. 67% Twitch’s recent spate of deepfake porn incidents
of Gen Z aren’t interested in highlight this. In the future, tech which lets us post
fame (Dazed Survey, 2022) and convincingly as anyone we want – real or not – will
people with lower social media continue to raise serious privacy and safety concerns
use are even seen as more on social media.
attractive (Dazed, 2022). Aswell
as anti-influencer, anti-
individualist sentiment, Gen Z
know that social posts come back How this plays
to haunt you and their data is out in culture “The Athene AI Show is a
being turned into a commodity. Twitch channel that
streams 24-hours a day
Practicing some form of online and features AI
“parodies” of real
anonymity is an everyday
people. Athene is a
occurrence via Finstas, private Belgian streamer, real
stories and close friends name Bachir Boumaaza, and
groups. In the future, it’s he now has a channel that
likely we’ll see platforms where is cycling through
users don’t have to be the different AI versions of
public face of their own content real people “talking” to
AI Athene Show on Twitch each other.” Garbage Day
becoming popular.
Substack, 2023

44

 “People are looking for — and finding — trust and bonds within self-governing
and altruistic groups on platforms like Reddit, or through authentic
recommendations from relatable micro-creators on TikTok. Niche networks can be
more intimate, developing trust through direct access to real, like-minded
people and taste connoisseurs (‘just DM me’) instead of automated customer
chatbots operated by brands.” 
(Trendwatching, 2022)

03
THE CLOSED BACK TO ‘SOCIAL’ MEDIA

NETWORK CLIQUE 45

 The Closed
How this plays
out in culture NICHE
This point couldn’t be more
Web3-based social
Network Clique relevant today. As Gen Z
search for increasingly
platform focuses on
user-owned
meaningful connections, communities

01. 02. they’re realising that the

huge online groups they
operate within won’t
The late Mark Fisher said deliver. Instead, more
on K-punk that, “We should forum-style, closed network
use [social media] as a community spaces optimised LETTERBOXD 
“One of my favourite social
means of dissemination, for interacting with peers media accounts is Letterboxd.
communication and are becoming more popular. It is a platform where you can
distribution – but not live follow your friend's profiles
inside it. The problem is These networks  –  like and see what people are
that this goes against the watching. I like the way that
Discord channels and
it’s creative/inspiring and
tendencies of handhelds. Fediverse instances – not focused on your life.
prioritise shared interests Eddie, 24
We all recognise the by now and privacy to create safe,
cliched image of a train welcoming spaces where
carriage full of people people can connect on a
pecking at their tiny deeper level. In fact, 65%
screens, but have we really of Gen Z say they feel more
registered how miserable confident online if they’re
this really is, and how using community-focused
much it suits capital for apps over feed-based
these pockets of platforms like Instagram SOMEWHERE GOOD
socialisation to be closed (The Move Community, 2022). Somewhere Good is a voice note-
based social app for intimate
down?” community conversations.  46

 ESEA Sisters Discord Group CASE STUDY

Contributors: Frances,
Rowan, Frankie,
What it is: A space for East and South East Asian women, trans, non- Saorsa, Isabella, Mai,
binary and genderqueer folk to share joy and resistance. Shell, Rosanna
Members: 600+
Date Started: 2020 In the Pandemic

Why It Started: It’s a safe space for our community to interact with
each other, a breath of fresh air to be able to share opinions, news,
advice, and events and even photos of pets without fear of being
trolled.

Why We Use It: ESEA Sisters has helped us all to deal with that trauma “I like discord as a platform for
in different ways: we campaign for better media treatment of the ESEA the community. The way you can go
community. You don’t need to explain yourself, you’re instantly into different channels/topics is
accepted and the community is so caring. Everyone is there for a nice and means that people can have
similar reason so it creates a wonderful atmosphere where everyone has wider conversations about various
things. ESEA sisters host IRL
a say. I’ve made many friends who are so important to me through ESEA meetups taking it off the platform,
Sisters.  so there's a sense of IRL and
online; it's been a nice way of
How do you use it: We create platforms for our members and the wider meeting other ESEA people in the
world.”
ESEA community to express our art and joy; we try to build a new way
Lils (Community Member)
of working together in a non-hierarchical way and we try to be
inclusive with a hybrid of online and in person activities and events.

47



“On platforms like TikTok, you get
five seconds to get to know someone
or the products they’re talking
about. On YouTube, you get more
[time] but the only interactions are
in the comments.”
- @prettierthan, Newness Content Creator

OF LIVE SOCIAL VIDEO 

THE RISE

NOW
04
NE

TH
E
TU

INTO 48

 Tune into the now THE RISE OF LIVE SOCIAL VIDEO 

01.
How this plays
out in culture
Live video boomed during the pandemic as the next
best thing to IRL. Now? Gen Z are seeking live
videos with interactive features and 53% of them
allow them to connect and chat with friends or
other viewers during the stream (Agora, 2022).

NEWNESS, the live-

streaming platform for

02. Live video is especially big in East Asia. 80%

the beauty community,
uses authenticity and
of China’s $5 billion live streaming market positivity to combat
comes from ‘real life’ streamers who cover
everything from luxury fashion to just chatting
03. online hate and trolling.
It raised $3.5 million in
investment last year.
about their everyday in return for cash gifts
(Dazed, 2022)
from fans (Marketing To China, 2022). While live video ostensibly
creates more connection
17 Media, a global live social entertainment between creators and fans,
platform founded in Taiwan produces over 10,000 as more people live their
hours of content daily. In its first 250 days lives online, they’re also
operating, it saw over 10m downloads – more getting lonelier.
than either Instagram or Facebook. (National Geographic, 2019)

49

 Live social shopping CONTENT. COMMERCE. ENTERTAINMENT 

Shopping has become a favourite user activity How this plays

01. on any platform which offers live. In China,
live commerce is huge with 44.9% of all Chinese
out in culture
Netizens having purchased via live (Influencer
Marketing Hub, 2022). 

In the US, live shopping is worth $400bn and

makes up almost half of all ecommerce spending
(Census, 2022).

02. 83% of Gen Z already shops on social media (Inside

Intelligence, 2022). This group will be important for
fuelling the rise in social shopping technology; they Famous for celebrities live-selling merch,
already account for 47% of live stream purchases in the US Ecommerce streaming site Talkshoplive is
reportedly partnering with TikTok to help
(Influencer Marketing Factory, 2022). boost the app’s live sales performance.

Other new technologies like AR and VR are also transforming

social shopping, bringing it closer to the novelty of
bricks and mortar experiences. 22% of Snapchat users say
they’re interested in using AR to make shopping more fun
(Shopify, 2022). As the technology develops, brands like
Cartier are moving away from AR as a toy and utilising it
as a storytelling tool (Business of Fashion, 2023).
50

 New Paths to Purchase

> What influences purchases?

> “Parasocial relationships between consumers and influencers have become a key
driver of purchase intention. Influencers commit to putting their followers first
and to cultivating communities of consumers with shared passions and interests. In
turn, consumers look to influencers for credible recommendations and honest
product reviews.” (Sprout Social 2022)

> Early adopters are prepared to spend more when using AR and VR. More than eight
in 10 (85%) consumers currently using AR and VR have already started social
shopping.

> Mobile and app use has risen by 9% since 2020 with the exception of gaming
apps which saw a 5% decline in downloads in 2022 (Data.AI). As use continues to
grow, retailers are set to focus on app development, in-app purchases and
shopping events. (LSN Global, 2023)

51

In 2023, Social media will change, with young

users increasingly pushing for more meaningful
online interactions. The dominant “legacy”
players, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter,
will give way to platforms that prioritize
simplicity and authenticity.” 
(Wired, 2023)

SEEKING AUTHENTICITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

05 IN SEARCH OF
AUTHENTICITY 52

 In search of authenticity
What does it mean to be authentic on social How this plays
media? It’s the question on every marketer’s out in culture
01. mind. Chris Black, Founder of Done to Death
Projects, describes it as a “rejection of
perfection”, a more “brash approach” to self-
presentation, low-fi content that shows
humanity, warts ’n all. The problem with social
media authenticity is that trying to be
authentic is inauthentic. 

02. Poparazzi paints a less biased picture of

its users by having their friends create
Deinfluencing, the latest 03. their profiles. Now the app’s creators are
launching a spin off called Made With
anti-influencer trend, has
Friends which allows users to discover
replaced a glossy sheen of s p e r h ap s
Authent i c i t y i more about themselves based on prompts
perfection for negativity a s n u a n ce d answered by their inner circle.
best ref r a m e d
masked as authenticity. g o od , b ad (TechCrunch, 2022)
expressio n s o f
“Balanced reviews get the e a l so
and u gl y , w h i l
least engagement, which is why a t T h e Feed
rememb er i n g t h
you see people move to l e ct i o n of
is stil l a co l
extremes,” according to beauty n f l ue n c er s
what bra nd s , i
TikToker Charlotte Palermino v e c re a t ed
and frien ds h a
(Dazed, 2023). u s t o s e e.
explicitly f o r
53

In search of authenticity TRENDING

Cringe culture

photo dumps

ugly selfies

54
“I mainly use social media for
reasons related to my creative
practice. It helps me keep up to
date with artists I like and
what people/brands are creating.
It's a really useful inspiration
resource for references and
archival research.”
- Lils, 26

TECH OPENING ACCESS TO NEW

CREATIVE MEDIUMS

POWERED
CREATIVTY
06

55

 “There’s a return to blogging and earlier social media

formats. We see that with Substacks, more intimate blogs.
People are yearning for this early social media format,
centred on some long form content and an awareness of how
bad short form content is for them.”
- Biz Sherbert, Culture Editor at DigiFairy

THE RE-APPRECIATION OF LONG FORM

ATTENTION
07 SPAN REMEDY 56

 The attention span remedy RE-APPRECIATION OF LONG FORM

How this plays

01. Gen Z are seeking slower, more mindful engagement with
information which the endless onslaught from short-form feeds out in culture
fails to deliver. Higher-quality content that’s worth spending
time with is gaining ground with this group, prompting formats
like blogs and video essays to become more popular again.

Short-form platforms are taking heed. Douyin, China’s short-video

platform has already opened the app up to content of 30 minutes
or more and TikTok looks set to follow. Expect other major
platforms to adopt long-form as interest continues to grow.

02.
Long-form in numbers
y,
•80% of users on blogging platform Wattpad are Gen Z (Gloss LEX
A dating app based on
2022) the "Personals"
of Gen Z watch longer versions of videos that they dis cover Instagram account and
is entirely
•59% text-based, inspired b
on short-form video apps (Think with Google, 2022). newspaper personals."
y "old school
for video essays have doubled since 2019 (Think wit h
•Searches
Google, 2022)
bIndex,
•71% of podcast listeners are Gen Z/millennials (GlobalWe
2022)

57

 “I want to go to dinner, I want to go to shows, I want to

travel, that's also what the young people I know actually want
to do. I don't think that we're really at this point where we're
gonna start f****** robots. I don't think we're there yet.”
- Chris Black, Founder of Done to Death Projects 

FACE TO FACE…THE BEST

0 8INTERFACE

BEATS
TH ING
NO
THIN
THE REAL G 58

 Face to face…the best

Nothing beats the real thing interface

01.
How this plays out in
With there bein culture
g little or no
distinction bet
ween online and
offline for Gen
Z (New Consumer
2022), social m ,
edia could also
extended in the be
real world. 
Brand consultan
t Gabrielle
Kaegler echoes
this thought,
saying that, “B
rands could thi
about showing u nk
p in unexpected
places IRL, giv
ing back to the
community throu
gh giving the
opportunity to
connect.”

DAZED CLUB
Dazed’s membership pro
grammes physical
events as a core part
of the offering.
We’ve discovered that
one of the
member’s (average age
19) main reason
for joining was to con
nect with
others.

59

 “People are monetizing their passions and the

economic significance of fandoms will grow in scale.
Fandoms have become political and social movements
in their own right, and brands are increasingly
learning how to lean into their communities to
harness them.

- 2023 Social Media Futures Forecast, The Office of

FAN COMMUNITIES ARE THE Applied Strategy

09 NEW INFLUENCERS

WER IN
PO
FANDOM 60
 Fan communities are the new
Fandom Power influencers

01. Fandoms have hi

t the mainstrea
m,
“If a property
actually good e
is
How this plays out in
culture
changing the sp nough to
here of influen spin up a fando
What distinguis ce. m on its
hes them is the own, the parado
labour of love x is that
they put in to that fandom wil
creating conten l then in
t (art, fiction turn be entirel
archives) aroun , y resistant
d a specific to the idea of
interest. These joining up
highly engaged what it perceiv
communities hav es as its
e, unsurprising own leisure wit
peaked the inte ly, h the
rest of brands, financializatio
many of whom no n inherent
w offer rewards in a token sche
for fan-creator me.”
s in the hopes (Garbage Day Su
building their of bstack,
own brand fando 2023)
But what they’r ms.
e failing to
realise is that
paid-for conten
is frowned upon t
in these worlds
Dedication is a .
s important as “In web3 creati
creation. Comme ve
rcial ‘fandoms’ projects, under
like Bored Ape, lying
who’s value fel ownership of to
by 98% in 2022 l kens gives
(Dailycoin) are fans a built-in
proving unfit f business
or long-term br model and incen
building. Inste and tivizes Nike’s latest ca
ad, brands shou derivative crea mpaign with K-Po
look to integra ld tion.” New Jeans combin p group
te themselves i - Li Jin, found es Nike products
with
existing worlds n er of apparel from Sou
th Korean brands
of fandom rathe Atelier Venture favoured by the
than trying to r s group members.
manufacture the
own. ir
61

 WHAT DOE
S ALL

HIS MEAN
OF T
FOR BRANDS? 62
 s b ec o mi n g a
to b ra n ds i
b i gg e st r is k e p l at f or m s.
“T h e r i th m an d t h
t o t h e a l go is
sl a v e l e d b y w h at t
an be r ea l l y r f or m in g . B u
Yo u c at i s n ot p e
r mi n g a n d w h a n d n ot
p e r fo n g b a ck w ar d s
y o u’ r e l o ok i e a bi g
th e n c ou l d b e co m
r d s a n d t h at
f or w a
risk.”
e Kaegler, Brand
iell Co
br nsu
Ga lt
an
t 63
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

MEET THE
PRIORITISE HUMAN
RELINQUISH AUDIENCE WHERE STORY FIRST, QUESTION THE
CONTROL TO CREATIVITY OVER THEY ARE; DON’T PLATFORM SECOND
VIRALITY HYPE
CREATORS PUT YOUR EGGS IN
ONE BASKET

Allow creators to AI tools will soon People still want Over-reliance on Don’t get caught up
produce content and replace high-reach IRL. People still platforms has put in the hype. Be
conversation that influencers in talk about cool brands and the strategic and
is authentic to creating viral, events, and parties creators at the question the value
their interests – product-pushing they've been to. No mercy of their of what you’re
rather than your social posts. one remembers an IG updates. Focus on making. 
brand’s – to engage Prioritise creators ad which made them the quality of
and entertain their who can actually buy another pair of storytelling, what
audiences.  create. trainers they don't the audience can
need. take away or what
you’re contributing
to a conversation.
Then figure out the
formats and
platforms best
suited to it.
64

 THE METRICS NEED TO CHANGE

Forget vanity metrics, emotional resonance creates memorability

Shares, likes,
retweets, comments, ENGAGEMENT
replies, clicks,
dwell time, vtr

Currently, many boards get su

bjected
to a gauntlet of meaningless
metrics, whether impressions,
likes,
SENTIMENT Comment sentiment, retweets or other engagement
brand uplift surveys, measures, that don’t tell them
social listening anything about the number that
matters: conversion rates and
sales.
Our research shows that 76% of
CEOs
are disinterested in retweets
, while
likes and impressions fare li
ttle
better in their eyes.
(Forbes, 2021)
Views, impressions REACH

65

 BIG PICTURE THINKING

SOCIAL MEDIA AS PART OF A WIDER
TAPESTRY OF BRAND TOUCH POINTS
WITH A NEW FOUND WEIGHT.

IRL EVENTS

S
ER
PR PARTNERSHIP

TT
TIKTOK UBE

LE
YOUT

WS
OOH CAMPAIGN

NE
66
 How this plays out in culture “Brand communities that are run by
the members rather than the brand
result in higher levels of
participation and commitment”
(Journal of Business Research, 2020)

01. 03.
HILTON HOTELS GO LONG-FORM WITH 10
SSENSE SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE 02. MINUTE TIKTOK ADS
INTERNET GUCCI RETHINK AD FORMATS
“The ad feels like a Hilton-
Reactive and quick to produce Moving away from the gloss centric TikTok FYP. The commercial
Ssense join in on viral memes, of traditional ad formats, splices together commentary-style
like animorphs fitting their Gucci used AW23 fashion show videos, comedy skits, reaction
products into culture in a coverage as TikTok ads. videos and even a remix to cater
genuine, and humorous way. to the short-form video app.”
(Centennial Beauty, 2023)
67

 How this plays out in culture

04.
05. FASHION FAILS RULE WITH HUGO BOSS
SHITPOSTING WORKS WITH LULULEMON
BOSS posted a runway rehearsal 'fail' of
Lululemon jumped on a meme trend Khaby Lame nearly tripping over and
by recommending their products for then video responded to a comment showing
a meme... In this case, recommending how he perfected the walk on the actual
products for capybaras based on the runway. The actual fail video unsurprisingly
internet's obsession with capybaras. It's performed better, but this is a good example
now one of their best performing videos. of follow-up content that continues the
narrative.   68

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM DAZED’S HATTI REX 01.

SOCIAL STRATEGY REGULARLY

x EVOLVE YOUR
r st rate gy to ac comm od at e ne w
“Brands need to be switching thei not ab ou t ge ttin g it
ha pp en. It’s
platform changes as soon as they pr es si ve bu t impo ssib le
woul d be im
right the first time because that ti ng yo ur co nt en t over
m to fa vo ur boos
but more to get the algorith . Ex peri me nt with the
gg in g slig htly
the competitor who might be la
new features as soon as possible , se e wh at wo rks an d th en bu il d from
03.
there. 

TIKTOK VIDEO RULES

LO-FI, SHORT FORM
UTILISE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURES 02. RIGHT NOW
i s s m as h i n g i t th r ough
“The accounts utilising new social “Whilst TikTok G e n Z w ith
t t en t i on o f
media features will always see their capturing the a i c t c om m u ni t y
ei r s t r
engagement boosted across other short form video, th
Hatti Rex features of the platform. The more you guidelines and pri or i t i sa t i on o f
t
s
y
e
l
l
e
f -
o f
ge n i s ed t he s
@hattirex experiment and lean into the changes, shot video has homo , wh i c h ca n
n t h e re
the more the platforms will reward you content that works o t h e t o p ics
a ti v i t y a n d
back. After all, the overlords need to often limit cre w o r k b e s t o n
ds t h a t
push good examples of their latest whim considered. The bran mp i n o n
es t h at j u
being used correctly to coax the rest TikTok are the on i d t o ch u c k
t b e af r a
of the users to play good.” trends early. Don’ k i ng i n f a v our
n ’ t wo r
out anything that is
rying somet hi n g ne w .”
of t
69

 BRANDS QUESTION’S ANSWERED BY HATTI

no w ho w y ou n g have
Do you k ds be
How can you How ca n br an
t o your op o n so c ial ly
How can y ou p ro v e
What role wil
l people sh more regional
s n ot al ways
pp or t m en t al t o ft en th e al m edia
bosses that i
t '
d reach Snapcha t pl ay in the su media? Is i throug h so ci
be so
about the n u mb e r s a n
soc ial
t h th r ou g h direct path t
o and n ot a lw ay s
and be able t
o try futu re o f
heal London centri
c?
that media?
l me d ia ? purchase?
diffe re n t f o rm a ts
so ci a
on 't ne c e ss a rily
d
s  p e rf o r m  w ell?
alway

This needs to be at the

Hard to say as platforms are Not necessarily, Instagram forefront of all the content
Experimenting with new formats constantly changing (see: wtf just got rid of their shop so you produce, when in the
is the key to finding out what is happening with Twitter and For others, being mindful not presumably it wasn’t working concept stages of your project
works and what doesn’t, I Instagram ever) but it will be to be triggering to your or it would still be there. be sure to include voices from
wouldn’t necessarily spend interesting to see their audience, incorporating What I will say though is that outside of London in
time and resources on an idea impact as they’re one of the warnings where possible and algorithms across all everything you work on. The
that I know wouldn’t do well most used social apps by Gen Z being mindful of the type of platforms will prioritise best way to do this is by
but if a topic is especially (and the most used social content you produce, make sure content on-feed if you’re looking for communities within
important to be covered and platform in France) and have you’re not accidentally utilising all features of the these locations and seeing who
it’s important for the brand been consistently growing in perpetuating harmful platform, including the shop, they’re platforming locally,
to be part of the conversation active users each quarter ideologies and if you’re so it’s good to try who their friends are, what
then it’s usually worth it. If since 2019. Right now, reporting on these issues to experimenting with these they’re engaging with, even
I was unsure about how well a Snapchat doesn’t seem to be a provide nuance to the subject features even if they’re not reaching out to them first
new format would work I’d priority for many brands but I and properly fact check.  necessarily bringing in the hand for talent suggestions
trial it for three posts, think we’ll see a lot more big bucks.  where possible. One of the
using key learnings to build business incorporating the most fun parts of working in
into the following episodes. platform into their strategy social media is letting
If it doesn’t work on the because of its huge popularity yourself go down an internet
third try, it’s time to say with younger demographics. rabbit hole to uncover these
goodbye.  However as it’s still key voices.
primarily a social messaging
app, it’s hard to see how this
would be fully executed.

70

For more information about Dazed

Studio Insights please contact
[email protected]

HE END
T
71

APPEND
IX 72
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Bain, M. (2023) How luxury is using augmented reality, The Business of Fashion. The Business of Dazed (2022) Is gamified, livestreamed beauty the next big thing?, Dazed. Available at: https://
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Bartz, J. (2020) Social media and the effects of context collapse, Medium. Medium. Available at: Dazed (2023) Deinfluencing: Is The end nigh for beauty influencers?, Dazed. Available at: https://
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