The role of social media influencers in Gen Z consumer behavior

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Nowadays in the era of Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube, consumer behavior is experiencing a profound shift driven by a generation that has come of age in the digital landscape. Generation Z preferably denoted as Gen Z embodies a demographic group that has always existed in the world with the internet, social media, and smartphones as their constant companions. They are not only active consumers of online content but also dynamic participants in molding digital trends. Thus in today’s world, this significant shift in consumer behavior is the contribution of the dynamic relationship of businesses, marketers, and social media influencers.

The widespread availability of smartphones has made social media accessible anytime and anywhere fostering the creation of online communities, allowing like-minded individuals to come together and exchange ideas, showcase talents, and seize opportunities, democratizing media production, making every one potential content creator and influencer.

According to Generation Z statistics, a solid 95% of teenagers own a smartphone or have access to one (Pew Research). This pervasive usage of smartphones has led to 74% of Gen Z individuals spending their free time online dedicating more than 8 hours a day to screen time, particularly on social media where they discover trends, products, and brands. Social media influencers including celebrities and individual content creators promote their content, brands, products, businesses as well as their talents. This approach helps them to attract opportunities and express themselves as unique identities while emphasizing transparency in marketing and brand communication allowing their targeted audience to communicate and engage with their products, brands, business, and offerings. These heavily influence the purchasing decisions of consumers especially Gen Z and millennials who are comfortable with online shopping, and digital payment and heavily rely on mobile apps, online reviews, and e-commerce platforms to validate their choices.

Thus, in this age of digital advancement, the interaction between technology and consumers has inaugurated a new phase of consumer behavior. Generation Z along with their digital-savvy counterparts have led to a transformative landscape, where the line between content creators, influencers, and consumers is flourishing in the manner in which we interact with brands, products, and their offerings in our intertwined global community.

-Prakriti Ghimire