This thesis examines the social media habits and preferences of female representatives of older Generation Z. The study aims to explore how individuals of this fraction of Gen Z choose social media platforms and content, interact with them and how social media is connected to their offline lives to understand female representatives of older Gen Z as a media audience. Using semi-structured interviews and observations data were gathered to be analyzed through the prism of a constructed theoretical framework uniting lifeworld theory, media repertoires theory, and worthwhileness theory to contextualize participants' experiences and motivations. The findings reveal that regardless of similar needs older Gen Z women seek to satisfy on social media, they distribute functions between platforms differently and need no fewer than 3 platforms in their social media repertoires to meet their varied needs. The selection of these platforms is influenced by factors such as the capacity for public connection, normative pressures, technological aspects, situational fit, and content format offered. Emotional engagement, authenticity, and relatability were found to be key drivers of content consumption and interaction, with a preference for visual and short- form video content. The study also highlights the reciprocal relationship between online and offline experiences, showing how social media shapes and is shaped by participants' real-life contexts, which contextualizes criteria they measure social media platforms and content against in their offline lives and makes this study relevant beyond the digital sphere. The findings contribute to understanding Gen Z as a social media audience and inform marketing strategies and audience engagement efforts, but also contribute to the understanding of digital anthropology, cultural transmission, and identity formation in the digital age. It underscores the evolving dynamics of social interaction, the need for data security awareness, and the potential to predict social trends.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-68446 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Gerasimova, Anna |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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