The rise of incognito media

When it comes to social media, not everyone defines “social” in the same way. That seems to be especially true when factoring in age. If you look at the numbers, it becomes even clearer. While more than 70 percent of Gen X says Facebook is their favorite social networks, only 11 percent of those born after 2000 says the same.

Incognito social networks, ones like Snap and Whisper, which are fleeting and sometimes anonymous, are gaining ground with younger audiences, and doing so quickly.

But why is that? I’d like to suggest three key factors that may impact the use of social media based on age.

1. Mass vs. niche

When you think about some of the most popular social networks, part of the appeal to Gen X and the Boomers may be that they attract a mass number of people.

This is certainly true of Facebook, which has almost 2 billion members. Growing up with three big TV networks, mass media is something that older generations are comfortable with. So the experience of a social network like Facebook, where it feels like “everybody” is there in mass, may feel more comfortable to them. After all, these are generations that remember watching the finale of TV series like Friends, at the same time and the same night. There was a shared experience of media, and one in which everyone you knew participated.

But for younger generations, who find their own niche networks on YouTube and Instagram, they may feel more comfortable connecting with a smaller and/or more focused network of people.

2. Permanent vs. non-permanent

Just as younger people are more comfortable with subscription-based services, such as Spotify and Netflix, over purchasing physical copies of music and movies, this comfort with the fleeting may be carrying over into social networks.

In social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, your timeline is permanent, but social networks like Snap are based on this type of impermanent experience. Older generations, who grew up saving photos and collecting books and records, don’t quite get this type of experience.

Interestingly, this type of impermanent media takes on a format more akin to a live conversation than a documented scrapbook. Marshall McLuhan might have even suggested that this approach surpasses writing and returns us to a more tribal way of interacting.

3. Openness vs. secrecy

Gen Z is especially savvy when it comes to their privacy and feels a need to control their identity and data in the digital sphere. Of course, most teenagers want their privacy, but Gen Z takes this to the social space through networks like Whisper.

Even on large social networks like Instagram, teens are known to have private “finstra” or “fake Instagram” accounts. And on the big networks like Facebook, they have secret codes to denote things like relationship status.

Why it matters

If you work in digital strategy, understanding these factors are vital because they influence the strategies you’ll develop to connect with your audience. As always, starting with your audience, and understanding their needs and motivations, is a good first step to developing experiences that resonate with them.