Getting to the heart of the younger generation's "media outlook"!

Generational Differences in Media Behavior Also Create Differences in "Awareness"

Coinciding with the publication of the 'Information Media White Paper 2020 ' (Diamond Inc.) by Dentsu Inc. Media Innovation Lab, this series has been reporting on the latest trends in how consumers engage with information media.

Regarding generational differences, Part 1 showed how media consumption patterns vary significantly by generation, driven by the proliferation of digital media and the widespread adoption of social networking services (SNS). Part 3 highlighted that even with smartphones now common across all age groups, the specific apps used differ greatly by generation.

So, do these pronounced "generational differences" in media engagement we've observed so far merely reflect differences in observable behaviors and phenomena?

Recently, even among older generations, various media phenomena that attract younger generations—such as "Instagrammable" content and "influencers"—have become somewhat understandable. However, what remains unclear (even to older generations, including the author) is the underlying "mindset" of the younger generation.

In the United States, significant attention has recently focused on shifts in "mindset" driven by changes in the media environment and contact behaviors within it. It is said that differences in values based on social attributes are amplified by disparities in the extent of digital media exposure, leading to problems like polarization and division in public opinion.

In Japan, however, similar changes are thought to have quietly amplified a hidden "inability to understand each other" between generations, rather than manifesting as overt polarization or division.

The 'Information Media White Paper 2020' attempted a unique survey from the perspective of the older generation. It sought to understand the younger generation's (※) "media outlook" and the "social outlook" shaped through media exposure, aiming to find a common language that bridges the generational gap. We will present some of the results in a three-part series starting this time.

※In this article, the younger generation is defined as ages 15-49, and the older generation as ages 50 and above. However, those in their 40s are included as a "bridge generation" between the younger and older generations. This aims to make the survey results easier to interpret clearly from the older generation's perspective.

What "Benefits" Do Younger Generations Perceive from Their Daily Media Exposure?

To better understand the younger generation's "media outlook," we surveyed them on the "benefits" of their daily exposure to various media across 27 items. Based on these results, we structured the motivations for media contact among the younger generation (ages 15-49) as shown in Figure 1.

[Figure 1]

In this chart, the 27 "benefits" are arranged on a two-axis graph using a statistical process called correspondence analysis.

First, let's look at the left and right axes. On the left side is
"Reference for shopping and service use"
"Understanding current events"
"Efficiently obtaining necessary information"
"Gaining new insights"
and other benefits related to [World/Society] are plotted.

On the right side
"Shared sense of participation and membership"
"Differentiation from others"
"Stress relief and distraction"
"Spending quality, fulfilling time"
and other benefits corresponding to [Shared/Personal] were listed.

This indicates that the motivation for media engagement among younger generations, as shown by the large arrows in the graph, follows the horizontal axis:
1. Triggered by input from the world and society
2. That input is filtered through sharing and empathy, becoming personal
3. It is chewed over and digested as various experiences
This can be interpreted as representing the "phases" of media experience.

Next, let's examine the vertical axes. On the upper axis,
"Celebrities and public figures"
"Fun and happy moods"
"Sharing excitement and empathy with like-minded people"
"Keeping Boredom at Bay and Passing the Time"
and other [emotional/sensory] media experiences are listed.

Below are
"Accurately understanding social trends"
"Differentiating oneself from others"
"Providing a reason to think about things"
and other [understanding/thinking]-oriented media experiences are positioned.

The vertical axis of younger generations' media engagement motivation represents the "qualitative" aspects of media experiences.

Social media acts as a filter for digesting world events

Since this survey captured media and benefits together, we can similarly plot the position of each media type.

The graph in Figure 2 lists media that respondents considered "reliable." Overall, the graph shows how each medium is "reliable" for the younger generation in different ways.

Observing the placement of each media type clarifies the interpretation of media contact motivation.

[Figure 2]

This chart displays 40 media outlets with high reach (contact rate) from the total 80 media categories surveyed. The positioning of all 80 categories is documented in the 'Information Media White Paper 2020'.

First, let's examine the positions of television, radio, newspapers, and magazines—the most familiar media for older generations. Television (terrestrial and BS satellite) is consistently positioned along the left side of the graph's horizontal axis, meaning it is relied upon as an input source from the 【World/Society】 side.

Radio is positioned on the right side [Sharing/Self], newspapers (general papers) are along the vertical axis at the bottom [Understanding/Thinking], and most magazines are positioned at the top [Sensibility/Emotion]. This makes it easy to understand the conventional, common-sense roles each has traditionally played. The relationship between people's media contact motivations and traditional media is also quite clear among younger generations.

Now, let's examine the position of social media (SNS, video-sharing sites, blogs, etc.), which generates various trends and phenomena among the younger generation. It occupies the area circled in the graph—specifically, the right side along the horizontal axis [Sharing/Self] and the upper part along the vertical axis [Emotion/Sentiment].

In other words, for the younger generation, social media serves as a means to:
- Before directly processing various inputs from the world on their own,
• Filtering information through the values of their peers, connected by emotional bonds,
- making it easier to digest.
This positioning of social media within the graph can be understood as fulfilling the role of:

However, it's important to note that this positioning of social media within the sequence represents an older generation's perspective, viewing the entire graph from above. For many young people themselves—especially the younger age groups, as seen in the first survey's media contact frequency among late teens —social media is first and foremost the most accessible space they visit frequently. It also serves as a direct place through which they sense the world's movements.

For the younger generation, is the "place of purchase" equivalent to the "place of product awareness"?

Another point to note is the internet-based sources of product information, such as "online shops/e-commerce sites," enclosed in the left semicircle of the graph. In this survey, I was most struck by the fact that these media are positioned farthest to the left along the horizontal axis (input from the world).

For older generations, the era where TV campaign ads were the first point of awareness for new products lasted a long time, and that common sense remains unshaken even now. However, reading the graph straightforwardly, it can be interpreted that for younger generations, purchasing venues like e-commerce sites simultaneously serve as places for product awareness.

In terms of the most fundamental theory of the consumer behavior process, "AIDMA," this means a mechanism is increasingly in place where the initial A (Attention) bypasses the intermediate processes and connects directly to the final A (Action).

For someone like me, who has just begun joining the ranks of the older generation, this is a dizzying sight. Yet, having experienced the rapid changes in the media environment over the past decade, the younger generation has naturally positioned e-commerce sites and product information sites as places for product awareness within their motivation structure for media contact.

Simultaneously, this shift in the younger generation's media consciousness is prompting a sharp re-examination of the role of "advertising" for traditional media. I plan to explore this point further in a future installment.

This time, we examined the younger generation's "media perspective" from the viewpoint of motivations for media engagement. Next time, we will touch on how this younger generation's "media perspective" may also connect to a unique "social perspective" cultivated amidst the recent dramatic shifts in the media landscape.