How Will "Time-Per-Action" Change Content? Considering Future Creativity Based on Gen Z's Reality (Part 1)

Generation Z grew up amidst an ever-exploding volume of information exceeding human processing capacity. What values guide their selection of information? Centered on the Gen Z keyword "Taipa (Time Performance)," we spoke with Masaya Yomaru of Dentsu Inc.'s Sustainability Consulting Office/Future Creative Center, who also works with Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department, about Gen Z's values and consumption behavior. This interview is presented in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

Content Consumption in the "Time Performance" Era: Engaging All Five Senses

Q. First, could you tell us about your work and areas of expertise?

Yomaru: We use creativity as our weapon to provide all kinds of support to enhance our clients' corporate value. Right now, the mission that both I personally and my department are pursuing is "Sustainability for New Growth." Now that not only financial statements but also non-financial statements are being scrutinized, and stakeholders are diversifying, we want to help companies discover new growth potential and visualize and accumulate it as value. For example, last year, we worked with TBS to develop "Green CM," a carbon-neutral commercial slot that offsets the CO2 emissions generated by broadcasting TV commercials using J-Credits (*). This has prompted us to explore how we can create carbon-neutral advertising in other media as well.

In addition, we are also active as the Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department. The Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department is a planning and creative unit that investigates the actual conditions of young people in their teens and twenties and explores hints for building better relationships between young people and society.

Q. Through the activities of the Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department, you often interact with Generation Z. Among Generation Z, watching movies at double speed and watching videos while working are becoming commonplace, and trend words like "time performance" (time efficiency) have emerged. How do you analyze the background behind "time performance" gaining so much attention?

Yomaru: Until about ten years ago, the basic approach to information was "searching for desired information and actively seeking it out." Recently, however, information has shifted to being something "selected and discarded." The advent of smartphones caused the volume of information in the world to explode. Today's Generation Z was born and raised in this environment, so they've come to prioritize how to efficiently process the vast content in front of them and obtain information effectively. This is where the concept of "TPA" was born. Dentsu Inc.'s Youth Research Department has also been focusing on this concept for about six years now.

We're seeing more fast-paced content like short videos lasting just tens of seconds to a minute, and commercials, especially online, are shifting toward very short formats of just a few seconds.

Furthermore, multitasking—using smartphones or tablets while watching TV—is now commonplace. This, too, reflects the consumption patterns characteristic of the TIPA era. Moreover, to efficiently obtain information, people fully utilize all five senses. Even if their eyes and hands are occupied, if their ears are free, they listen to audio. This is likely why audio streaming services that allow "listening while doing other things" are growing. As TIPA awareness increases, the "audio market" – content that can be listened to while doing chores or other tasks – is also expanding.

Q. Gen Z seems to find even 20-30 minute YouTube videos too long, right?

Yomaru: That's right. While it's an extreme example, I found it interesting when a university student said, "I don't watch movies in theaters because it's inconvenient without a time display bar." Indeed, when watching video content on smartphones, a progress bar showing elapsed time appears at the bottom, but theaters lack this. Movie lovers might get upset hearing this, but for him, not being able to switch to the exact point he wants to see is stressful. If you consider movies just one piece of the vast amount of information available, this perspective makes sense.

Nowadays, movies have become an incredibly rich experience. They've turned into something with a high barrier to entry, requiring you to dedicate 2-3 hours to a single piece of content. With web videos, not only do they often have a progress bar, but some even feature functions that highlight particularly popular scenes – essentially the "climax" of the content. The idea of "just watching this part" is a value unique to the era of time efficiency.

Why do intuitive-type content hit big?

Q. Beyond movies and videos, what shifts in values do you perceive in other content?

Yomaru: Music composition also evolves with the times. In recent years, songs starting directly with the chorus, skipping the intro, have increased. This is also thought to be driven by the rise in people listening while multitasking. When listening while doing something else, music that intuitively slips into your ears feels more comfortable, doesn't it?

Recently, songs that become hits among young people, often sparked by platforms like TikTok, tend to be more addictive. They rely less on relatable or message-driven lyrics and more on catchy, rhythmic phrases that make you involuntarily listen. Achieving a hit with a sound and rhythm strong enough to stand out amidst content overload might be the hallmark of the "time-efficient" era.

What's truly impressive about TikTok is that videos start playing the moment you open the app. Previous media required some action, like selecting videos you wanted to watch. The system where videos just keep streaming from the moment you launch it was revolutionary. In terms of efficiently displaying information, it perfectly matches the time-poor era.

Q. Have there been changes in how people select information?

Yomaru: Previously, we called the act of searching for information yourself "Googling." But a few years ago, it shifted to "tagging." This refers to gathering information using hashtag searches on social media. For example, when looking for a good restaurant in Shibuya, you'd search "#ShibuyaGourmet" on visual-based apps.

Following that shift, we're now transitioning into the era of "algorating." This is my own coined term, combining "algorithm" with the suffix "-rate." Essentially, it means not even making decisions yourself, but leaving it entirely to the algorithm. Popular video platforms use algorithms to suggest "recommendations" based on the content you've viewed, right? You could say a situation has emerged where letting AI understand your preferences and then leaving it to them makes it easier to quickly find the information you seek.

"Taipa" emerged from the desire to process information as efficiently as possible within limited time, born in this era of information overload. This shift in values among younger generations is influencing various aspects of life and business, starting with content like movies and music. In the second part, we'll delve deeper into the creativity and business approaches required in the Taipa era.

※ J-Credit: A national system certifying CO2 emission reductions or absorption as "credits." Companies can sell the value of CO2 reductions achieved through measures like installing energy-saving equipment or using renewable energy as "credits."