Gen Z Finds Their Friends

A conversation between Mixing Board members and Gen Zs working at Day One Agency

In late May, Mixing Board members held a mini-conference in New York that was graciously hosted by our friends at the Day One Agency (D1A). Since D1A has been known for its expertise in reaching Gen Z audiences well before TikTok came on the scene, I figured it was a great chance to learn from the Gen Zs who work at D1A. These practitioners range from those right out of school to the ripe old age of 26. (Gen Z can now rent an RV). We got their perspective on tech/media habits and work. 

We were able to ask the Zs questions in advance of our gathering via D1A’s very cool askgenz.com site where anyone can also ask questions and get responses. And then we dug deeper in person on a panel with three Zs from the agency (Sinead Chang, Alexandra Hardwick, and Eli Williams) and one out-of-touch Gen Xer (me).  

And, we also turned the tables and our 20 members in the room provided career advice to the D1A reps.

Following is a combined compilation of the live conversation and what we learned from askgenz.com. 

[For more from Day One Agency on Gen Z trends, the firm came out with this study today in partnership with the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations.]

D1A Advice → Mixing Board

How do you get your news?

• Mostly newsletters and Twitter! And it really depends. I usually save long reads for the weekend, when I can sit down with a cup of coffee and read uninterrupted. Throughout the week, I’ll usually just skim, pluck out certain pieces that are interesting, or might be used for an insight/idea later on.

• Twitter is basically what I use as the daily newspaper, but I also love a good article on something that catches my eye

• I really like the Apple News app. I got a free trial and then have been paying for it as one of my few news subscriptions but I feel like it’s worth the money? Gives me a pretty wide overview on a day-to-day of what to keep up with and I bookmark some of the longer articles for when I have a longer time to read on the train or something like that. And kind of serves as a good catalog when I’m looking for links in the future.

• I get my news from Twitter (journalists I follow)

• After the news got overwhelming, I needed one source of truth, so now I only read the NY Times

• It’s getting harder to filter for misinformation and I will go to legacy outlets to read what’s actually true

• My primary source of news is via newsletter

[We had a funny back and forth about what has replaced Foursquare for knowing what friends are doing. But, first, we had to explain what Foursquare is.] What do you use to see where your people are at?

• Everyone on the panel said that they used the Find My app on iPhones to see where close friends are. (The Mixing Board members in the room were largely blown away by this willing act of sharing your exact location).

• Panelists said that they understood how much of a privacy leap it was but insisted that they were very selective in who they provided access to their location.

• A lot of Gen Zers view location sharing as just a natural progression of following each other on IG/Snap, etc. And when most of the feed is now dominated with ads/strangers' videos as driven by the algo, having a more "intimate" connection with your friends is appealing. Obviously, there are surveillance q's (and FOMO) elements, but definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward. 

• It was noted that women, especially, also use the app for safety reasons

• For more on this trend, see this very recent Vox piece: “Should we know where our friends are at all times?”

What does Gen Z really think about the theoretical and actual TikTok bans?

• Personally I think my life would go on lol but I do think it would be a massive shift in terms of the social/entertainment landscape. There’s also some kind of iffy implications of a TikTok ban in terms of the lack of legislation in terms of privacy/mental health impacts caused by **other** online platforms but a story for another day!

• I feel like there’s going to be some way around them (maybe a little too optimistic about that) but if there’s not, Reels will likely become more of a go-to spot for creators. We’ve gotten so used to that style of content I don’t think it’s realistic to think it will just go away.

• I would be sad because I feel like TikTok really does nurture an online community in a positive way - it’s so unfiltered and the majority of what I see on the platform is really positive. Everyone would just move over to instagram reels i think but it’s just not the same. 

• One less app for me to be on. I think if it happens, it’ll be fine and people will adapt to whatever new platform arises/move to IG, etc.

• I’m no shill for TikTok, but I feel like they’re being used as a scapegoat. All of the issues that Congress has outlined — addictive feeds, mysterious algorithms, digital surveillance — all pre-date the platform

• Very little chance it will get banned

What are your thoughts on Twitter today? 

• There is no better alternative to Twitter right now.

• While I think the platform has undeniably decayed under El*n, I still go to it regularly to stay up on news, find articles, and tap into what other cursed discourse is happening.

• I’ve loved Twitter more and more over the past year or so (not directly related to their leadership) but i find the quality of memes/pop culture to be better than instagram since it moves faster

• I tried to join it in high school, but never got into it.

• Only time I check is for large pop culture events i.e. Grammys, Superbowl, Met Gala, etc. Images are posted there faster than IG usually.

• Yes, I love Twitter, although I’ve noticed a drop in the quality of my feed recently, which has made me go on the app less.

• Twitter will always be my #1 favorite app with a bullet. Yeah Elon is stupid but no social media will ever make me laugh and keep me up to date the way twitter can

What are your thoughts on online privacy & security?

• I care, but it’s not top of mind

• I think we all surrendered to the internet.

  • We are all on the internet and if someone is not, it’s suspicious! 

• I have a public IG account, but I won’t post things like my house / where I live

• I am reading a book called “The 90s”. There was a book called yellow pages that everyone had where all of the private information lived (phone numbers, addresses ,etc). [Editor’s Note:  I mentioned that said book was called the White Pages].

How do you feel about AI?

• I don’t think we’re able to fully comprehend what’s next with AI, it’s evolved and advanced so quickly. I’m concerned from a misinformation and homogenizing standpoint more than anything.

• Equal parts concerned about misinformation and annoyed with the inundation not just of AI content, but of the ~discourse~ around it

What’s the last app you used? 

• Lemonade

• BlueSky

• Revel

• AXS

• Artifact

• Delta

• NTS radio 

What are your most used apps?

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Twitter

• Apple music 

• Spotify

How should companies and brands use communications to effectively engage with Gen Z?

• Keep it short and simple. Synthesize the key details. Press releases don’t work, they’re an outdated method of communication. FWIW, I think that this is relevant for every generation!

• Be true and transparent about your values. Gen Z has good B.S. detectors.

What do you think is different between Gen Z and millennials in the workforce? 

• Communications style may be different (Gen Z lingo has made it in the professional world)

• Casualness in the workplace 

• Anti-hierarchical, flexible, collaborative 

• We have to get something from work that’s for our real life / for personal satisfaction

  • Life has to be so much more than just work

• How can the company help us with things that are additional to our work (i.e. side gigs)

• We are a generation that can’t afford things that our parents could afford

What are some existing old-school paradigms, that you face working in an office, that

you want to break down and/or recreate?

• We’ve definitely seen the paradigm shifting over the last few years but will always push for the abolishment of office dress codes lol

• A casual-ization of work in general I think. A lot’s been written about Gen Z’s rejection of hustle culture but I think the sort of “performance of work” that undergirds that is also something (I at least) am looking to avoid.

• Being able to actually slam my laptop shut at 6pm and not work past that on weeknights so I can devote some time to my hobbies

What do you think will be different when your generation are CEOs?

• On a more macro scale, probably the way that people approach work. “Quiet Quitting” was more or less a fake “trend” drummed up by headlines after one TikTok went viral, but I do think that our generation has a fundamentally different relationship with work—and the office—than generations before, and that will certainly be more visible in years to come.

• There’s a piece in Harper’s about a work “legitimation crisis” that I think really captures it well: essentially, when a lot of small conflicts and grievances (like quiet quitting, RTO, etc) create an overarching feeling of disillusionment. I think our generation has a pretty pragmatic view when it comes to work as a vehicle for either exploring things that matter to you or giving you the flexibility and/or money to do those things in your free time. For Gen Z CEOs in the future—and CEOs now for that matter—I think that will be an important component of the value proposition of your company or brand as a workplace.

How do Gen Z see the future?

• Not great!

• What’s the opposite of rose-colored glasses? That. But I’m also in my heart of hearts an idealist, and I like to think (or hope) that things can be turned around for the better. You have to be realistic about the odds and what you’re going up against though. That’s the kinda the smog on my rose-colored glasses so to speak lol.

• I am hopeful that there will be a lot of positive advancements in medicine. I am scared of the power AI has and think that will cause a lot of issues in the future.

• I am legitimately terrified of the climate crisis

Mixing Board Advice → D1A

What advice would you give to a Gen Z entering the workforce?

• It’s all about the people 

• Careers are not linear

  • Pay attention to people that surround you

  • These are the days when you build the relationships/connections for a long time

  • You will always be able to say that this is my ‘Day One agency” crew

• This is the time for the best learning experience and in the end, could be your career

• Don’t worry about having a plan and don’t put too much pressure on yourself

• Take advantage of traveling and working at other places than your home base/office

• This is the time to experiment and take risks

How do you know if this job is the “it job”?

• You have a feeling that you are moving into a direction that feels right

• Jobs are about people – is the environment you are in inspiring? Are these people you can learn from? Are they doing interesting things? 

• Build a personal board of directors that can provide a perspective and signal throughout your career

• It’s a journey and comes with practice – how do you know if the art is good?

• Have a manager that gives you an opportunity to stretch yourself / microsteps

  • Asking yourself the question of “how did it go?” and open yourself up for feedback

• Don’t take a temperature check every day, otherwise you’ll drive yourself crazy

• Important to ask yourself “what did I learn this month?”

  • If not learning, ask yourself - what should I be doing? 

• When you feel energized and in the flow – write it down!

  • And look back at the notes once a quarter

  • This helps understand your internal drivers

  • Gives you sense of what you want to do 

  • This also helps you say no to things

  • This also helps you see what’s checking the boxes

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