TikTok serves up the ideal recipe to woo Gen Z

The recent news from the United States that TikTok has outstripped Youtube in terms of average watch time is a watershed moment for the digital content world.

A decade earlier in the US, an app similar to TikTok, called Vine, provided much the same concept, and was briefly extremely popular. Alas, Vine was ahead of its time, and faded into the background as Instagram took hold, which has now, in turn, given way to TikTok for Gen Z.

The habits of today's younger generation in how they consume digital online media has cemented TikTok's position as king of the apps. According to Bloomberg, by the end of 2019, Gen Z outnumbered millennials, constituting as much as 32 percent of the entire world's population. Their habits are key to anyone looking to step into the world's most active and influential digital demographic.

Gen Z, typically classified as those aged between 14 and 24, is the first generation born into the truly digital age. The way that they use technology, therefore, is of interest to analysts, and their habits can make or break any budding app.

Gen Z typically watch much less television than older generations, with many teenagers happy with not owning one at all, less still one with an outdated satellite dish connection, popular in the late 90s and early noughties. Social media use is frequent, however, and the likes of Facebook and Twitter are overlooked in favor of visual-heavy apps, such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. Those in this generation are far less likely to share personal information with such apps, and their tech savviness means that they are inclined to use ad-blocking software.

Gen Z requires instant gratification from its apps. Providing video content on demand, via bit-sized content that is less than 15 seconds long, allows the opportunity for an endless variety of content to be on display. Often unexpected and unpredictable, the apps offer a sense of spontaneity where users can come across interesting and unique content by chance. This is an idea many streaming services are also turning to, with longer-form digital media apps, such as Netflix, launching features that "shuffle "programs and play something at random for the viewer.

Ironically, this is not a new feature, and is something which terrestrial television has offered for over half a century. Viewers randomly tuned into whatever program was on live broadcast at the time for much of the 20th century. The difference is the concise length of content.

Another big difference is that now random streams of content can be tailored to suit your general interests, based on sophisticated algorithms. Apps such as TikTok have taken all the effort out of user responsibility, and there is little need to actively seek out one's own interest and preferences.

It is also worth noting that members of Gen Z are in a developmental period of their lives, where they are still finding themselves and establishing their identities. TikTok makes it easy for creators to get their points across and nurture their creativity in 15 second pieces of content. All the tools required to make these are available on a smartphone, and the combined multimedia functions of integrated music and visual effects are a pull for younger audiences.

The success of TikTok and the app's huge audience means that a large influencer industry has emerged to ensure its commercial viability. Suspicious of traditional advertising, especially that seen on television, brands looking to reach this demographic can connect through using influencers in a more personal way. Cold marketing tactics are doomed to fail with younger people, and apps like TikTok provide a fresh way to integrate products directly into the content users tune in to enjoy.

Many apps have tried to copy TikTok's short content model. Initiatives such as Youtube's Youtube Shorts or Instagram Reels are plentiful, but only time will tell if they can take a share in the most digitalized generation the world has ever seen.

Barry He is a London-based columnist for China Daily.