Real virtuality, Generation Z on social media - Memoria de proyecto

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20:21 Wednesday, 14 July

Miquel Pulido García

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Real virtuality Generation Z on social media

TFE · Part 1/2 Theoretical framework

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‹ Real virtuality, Generation Z on social media Theoretical framework

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By Miquel Pulido García Student code: 201835289 Barcelona, 14th of july 2021 Tutoring: Anna Prats, Joan Gallifa & Marc Salinas Project director: Sergi Carbonell 2018-2021 Diploma Universitario Diseño Gráfico y Digital LCI Barcelona Typefaces: Roboto by Google Fonts and Segoe UI Emoji by Microsoft

Edited July 14, 2021

For the girls and for the gays♥

Thanks to my mentors in this project for always wanting to get the best of me and keeping pushing forwards. Huge appreciation to my url and irl friends for keeping the spark going and feeding my mind with fresh and exciting ideas. I am grateful for SOPHIE and all the PC Music gang for opening my mind to new frontiers. Finally, thanks to the Internet for raising me and making me who I am today. Get into it.

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009 Abstract

013 Introduction

021 Project objectives and justification

025 Hypothesis

Memes Transmedia storytelling

029 Pop culture in the internet era

045 Gen Z and social media

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General survey Gen Z survey Research techniques based on user analysis

053 Methodology

089 Research conclusions

General survey free text input responses Gen Z survey free text input responses

093 Bibliography

101 Annexes

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Abstract

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It is inevitable to talk about the youngest generation without mentioning the Internet. The Generation Z lives in a real virtuality, already taking the digital spaces for granted and materializing them as an extension of their in-real-life life. How they interact and communicate is a key part to their development in current society, and often outsiders do not fully get the point. bestie wants to solve the lack of understanding and connection that the current digital media outlets have with the Gen Z. A digital content platform of news, trends and entertainment that lives only on social media, decentralizing the content, adapting and taking advantage of the nuances of each platform. Targeting and catering to the Gen Z, centred in their true interests and way of communicating, using their real codes and media.

From this point forward, the structure created for this platform could be replicated, morphed and expanded. It is a toolbox to provide other media outlets the right devices to connect with the youngest generations without being perceived as an intruder.

Abstract

☞ Keywords #Generation Z #social media #transmedia #brand identity #digital content platform

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Introduction

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The clash between generations is what keeps the world moving. Always failing to fully understand one another, fighting for progress and making a better world than the one the ones before left us.

Nowadays, this battle is fiercer than ever, partly because of an enormous and high-speed societal development that displays this generational gap. We live in an ever-changing world where new technology is slowly stepping into our lives, bit by bit, algorithm by algorithm. The youngest generations are growing up in this hyper-connected and hypersensible society and have changed the paradigm of how we consume, think, communicate and interact with ourselves and the environment.

I belong to this new generation. Our virtual life is as important as our tactile one. We learn new things, meet new people, debate with others, entertain ourselves and much more through the internet. It is not a new tool, but it has gone to a whole next level. New types of content appear every day, creating new ways of consuming and interacting with it. Now catching up with a friend is playing an MMORPG while chatting via video call; keeping up with news is watching a video podcast on YouTube; and even we can go to a concert of our favourite pop star without going out of our room through a livestream.

This newest formed generation has been named Generation Z. The true first digital natives, born well into the establishment and normalization of technologies like WI-FI or smartphones. We interact with the world like no generation before us, living in our own new digital bubble, idealizing

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Introduction

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what surrounds us and distancing from what was established before us as well. This leads to a greater generational breach due to older generations being unable to truly connect with us. They not only have to adapt to this new world that has changed so much for them in so little time, but also have to keep up with our new ways of viewing life, ideas, relationships and everything that surrounds us. This is only magnified when brands and organizations led by these generations try to step into our own spheres on social media, using outdated resources and strategies to try to appeal to us, resulting in ineffective, invasive and cringe-worthy content and interactions. Now all of these issues are shaped as much by the decisions made by teenagers in their bedrooms as it is by the decisions made in the senior official boardroom. [17]

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Demographers and researchers are on an ongoing study about Generation Z, mapping out their habits, evolution and characteristics, recollecting data to truly outline what defines and differentiates this generation from previous ones.

Generation Z are estimated to make up 23.7% of the world's population.

And by 2025 will make up a quarter of the population. The rise of Gen Z is predictably to have a dramatic impact as one of the most key consumer segments of our near future, reshaping the future retail landscape with their growing spending power and voices. Compared to previous generations, members of Generation Z in some developed nations tend to be well-behaved, abstemious, and risk-averse. Nearly a third of Gen Zers spend 6 hours or more a day on their phones, a higher share than Millennials (22%) and Gen Xers (10%). Gen Z has the shortest attention spans with an average of just over 8 seconds (according to a 2017 study by Forbes) [13] “But more than likely the historical, technological, behavioural and attitudinal data will show more of a continuum across generations than a threshold. As has been the case in the past, this means that the differences within generations can be just as great as the differences across generations, and the youngest and oldest within a commonly defined cohort may feel more in common

Introduction

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with bordering generations than the one to which they are assigned. This is a reminder that generations themselves are inherently diverse and complex groups, not simple caricatures.” [14] At heart, this is a project about finding good representation and a platform to preach about it.

It all started with the online show “Veneno”, a biopic about the life and works of Cristina Ortiz “La Veneno”, a famous trans woman that shook spanish TV and pop culture. The thing that surprised the public the most was the respect and accuracy of representation of the cast being mostly trans women. Transgender women are one of the most oppressed in real life and misrepresented in media, so for it to be a fairly small production, with such an amazing cast and talking about important matters was truly trailblazing.

There has been literally nothing like this made before. And the worst part is that no one was seeing it. Although being critically acclaimed since episode one, it was an online series and only a very niche population was able to get to such important messages that this show conveyed. All of this

Promotional poster of the show Veneno by Atresplayer Premium.

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situation sparked in me an urge to find a way to show the world what they were missing about this show and probably about a lot of other important subjects that were not getting enough spotlight.

As part of my research I benefited from classes and teachers, although they did not fully get my views. I discussed via email with Andrés Hispano, teacher of critical thought and design, about pop culture nowadays and how it gets to us through new media. I also applied some methods from Ariadna Casasus and Anna Busquets from their class of research techniques based on user analysis and developed a survey to get to know my target audience better and define some aspects of the project. In digital marketing with Nelson Dieguez I got the basis of how social media functions and all the work that goes behind posting anything. The class of new trends with Ada Fontecilla and Álex López was really eye-opening and was really useful to debate about different approaches to our relationship with design and new technologies. Also, the branding project with Oliver Montiel really taught me how to create the foundations of a good brand. As well as the rest of classes I attended during my degree has somewhat helped to shape this project.

On my part, I dived far from the shallow of the internet depth to get the information I wanted.

Obviously academic papers and established sources, like the Pew Research Center and the Digital Business Lab, were the primal sources of information. But sometimes I had to dig deeper and ended up on random blogs, alternative counterculture collectives, hour-long webinars or scanned and reuploaded essays. And of course, just living the project, being part of the target audience and being in the centre of the case study helped to truly embody all of it. These alternative

Introduction

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sources are the ones that truly gave key insights to the process. With this melting-pot of information and a lot of reflecting and disruptive thinking, allowed me to look at the subject from different perspectives, observing its nuances and possible pathways to take and elaborate my final cause.

This report is divided into two parts. Here, in the first part, you will find the theoretical framework of the project. Starting with the justification of objectives and hypotheses that will outline the project. Following with the exposition of the research about pop culture, the internet, transmedia storytelling, Generation Z and social media.

Then, the methodology comprising two surveys and the result of the research techniques based on user analysis, mapping the pros and cons of the project. This first part ends with the conclusions of the research, a brief recollection of the main ideas exposed before that will be useful in the next part.

The second part consists of the practical framework of the project. Opening with a practical Gen Z glossary and a look and feel study to set the foundation for the final brand, that will be developed straight away. Lastly, you will find the final results and general conclusions of the project.

Project objectives and justification

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Truly understand and connect with the Generation Z and make them feel understood.

Project objectives and justification

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👉Explore and outline Gen Z behaviour,

language, codes and media on social media.

👉Take a deep dive into social media and get to know how it works and how to make profit out of it. 👉Create a cohesive brand with a bold

and solid visual identity and an appropriate tone of voice to the true spirit of Gen Z.

👉Build a structure that can be replicated and

morphed in the future to expand the brand model.

In the social aspect, this project wants to achieve the decrease of the generational gap through the study and definition of the youngest generation.

Outlining behaviours, trends, aesthetics, language and other patterns of Generation Z will enable a better communication and understanding of their role in society. Furthermore, this results in a practical “guide” that can be used by brands or organizations to appeal to their youngest audience.

Hypothesis

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Can we connect with Generation Z on social media without feeling fake and invasive?

Hypothesis

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The main subject addressed in this project is social media and current content creation.

Centred in how mainstream brands and organizations aimed at Generation Z interacts with them, often failing, resulting in an invasive, disconnected and artificial exchange.

There already are other brands that are attempting to reach out to Generation Z but are lacking in a lot of aspects and presenting a rather precarious product that has to be refined and updated.

The way they approach young people is through stereotypes and generalizations that are reductive and harmful. The majority of teens follow these trends and traits because these mainstream platforms are the only thing available to them. Media is shaping the people and not the other way around, and that's problematic.

This project wants to give Gen Z a platform that understands them and is truly relatable to them, understanding and appealing to them in a non-invasive manner. Furthermore, current digital content production in general could be improved and elevated, using each platform’s perks in our advantage to create and distribute content efficiently.

Pop culture in the Internet era Memes Transmedia storytelling

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“Pop culture is everywhere. You know it when you come to the Internet, listen to music, watch television, app-gaming or go to a movie, concert, or stage show. You know the artists, the actors and actresses, sports personalities and the games they play. Today, anything with a buzz is deemed pop culture. The book definition says pop culture is a collection of thoughts, ideas, attitudes, perspectives, images (you name it) preferred by the mainstream population, which is a sort of common denominator.” [39] What we understand as popular culture nowadays started around the 19th century in Britain, as the result of an increase in literacy rates due to the Industrial Revolution. It was a way to discern between the “official culture” of the upper classes and the customs from the poor education and the lower classes. In the 20th century popular culture began to be connected with those of mass culture, consumer culture, media culture, image culture, and culture for mass consumption, terms that are still being used and sometimes even exchanged between them.

The definition for popular culture is still debated up to this day, since it is a malleable concept that changes and evolves over time and could be interpreted in different ways depending on the point of view in which it is observed. A key characteristic of popular culture is its accessibility to the masses. In quite broad strokes we could say that it obviously is the “culture of the people”, meaning anything that is relevant enough for any reason to a major part of the society and is assimilated and

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referenced in their daily life. It is determined by the actions and interactions of people in everyday activities: the way they dress, the way they express themselves speaking, social rituals and even the foods that they are consuming. “Ray Browne in his essay "Folklore to Populore" offers a similar definition: “Popular culture consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society.

Popular culture is, in the historic use of the term, the culture of the people.” Popular culture allows large heterogeneous masses of people to identify collectively. So popular culture appeals to people because it provides opportunities for both individual happiness and communal bonding.” [10] When a group of people come together with a common idea, that's how popular culture is formed, creating a universal language. The understanding of this series of specific codes creates a collective euphoria that gives us a sense of belonging, of connecting across racial, political and social divides down to our fabric as human beings.

This “language” does not have to be conformed by actual words, but rather by images, music, aesthetics or other codes that carry an inherent message in themselves. In the global world we live in today, anything is part of pop culture, even

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pop culture itself. We constantly see, hear, talk and breathe references of this common imagination that we use as a means for communicating.

“Deconstructing these images and messages is an essential step in addressing inequity and oppression based on race, class, gender, etc.

(Kellner & Share, 2005; Morrell, 2002). There is a growing body of literature that suggests aspects of popular culture, specifically mass media, have the potential to shape individuals’ attitudes regarding issues such as race (Graves, 1999; Joanou & Griffin, 2010; Kellner & Share, 2005). Given the potential impact of popular culture to affect and shape how individuals develop ethnic and cultural stereotypes, researchers have suggested using examples from popular culture as an effective pedagogical tool in classroom settings. Using global examples offers individuals, who might be otherwise resistant to acknowledging the presence of negative stereotypes, a “safe” place as an outsider to engage in meaningful discourse without feeling a sense shame or guilt” [24]

Billie Eilish and Rosalía are a good example of the reality of current pop culture.

Pop culture in the Internet era

→Pop culture in the Internet era Memes

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Times change and so it is expected that something that is bound to social evolution also changes.

We are currently living all the way in the golden era of the internet. There has not been anything quite like this, ever. And with new means of communication comes new ways of communicating and understanding the world. A new literacy.

Here is where memes step in to take a fundamental role in our day-to-day life, the way we communicate and understand each other.

The term “meme” was originally coined by biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 in his book “The Selfish Gene”. He defines a meme as a cultural unit of transmission, typically of behaviors or ideas, that, like genes, will be passed from person to person. The etymology of the word “meme” takes the Greek root mim-, which refers to mimes and mimicry. Fittingly, memes are characteristically spread and mimicked across populations. These “contagious patterns of ‘cultural information" get passed from mind to mind and directly generate and shape the mindsets and significant forms of behavior and actions of a social group” [18] In the age of the Internet, the term “meme” has taken on a new definition. Memes are described as cultural units, most often photos with captioned text on the top and bottom, that are usually created with awareness of each other and circulated, imitated, and transformed by users all over the Internet A good meme is aware of its time and place. If a meme includes outdated or irrelevant content, users will be repelled. A good meme will also cross-reference a host of popular events, movies,

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and artifacts in order to tap into an affinity space of its ingroup. When the meme includes pop culture references and current events that are interesting and relevant to people, they will be more inclined to interact with it and enjoy it [29].

The popularity of such memes is tied to the audiences and communities it is created and spread.

Only a few of the thousands of memes existing go really viral, reaching even the feat of traditional media. A few more become more popular within communities or networks of communities (like a particular social media platform), while others remain niche, unknown and irrelevant.

Examples of memes with different levels of popularity.

From top to bottom: Troll face, Doge and Jasmine Master’s “And I Oop”.

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However, not all memes that are made are destined to go viral. What do all successful memes have in common? Even though they are all unique, popular memes tend to follow similar patterns in the characteristics they possess and the effects that they have on their audiences. In order for a meme to have the potential to go viral, it must include at least a few of the traits of spreadable media, which may include humor, simplicity, and understandability. If successful, a meme will also have some functionality, whether it be to make a joke, serve as a coping mechanism, provide social commentary, spread awareness, advocate a cause, or communicate a sentiment.[29] Popular memes often become pop culture references that are considered common knowledge in everyday speech. Memes aren’t the only thing influencing our language, English itself has changed, thanks to the way we speak to each other online. Idiosyncrasies in the use of language. The way we communicate on the internet has allowed us to recognize unique ideas in ways that are hard to do in person. Languages are meant to change and evolve as people find new ways to express ideas. They reflect the people who used them, and the internet allows new forms of written language to show the same. [34] Memes are a technology capable of changing the reality that sourround us. They are not only the fundamental unit of cultural network exchange, but also an essential form of network images which have redefined the properties of photography in a relation to pictures from their origins.

As innocent and humorous lol cats to the hateful right-wing symbols of pepe the frog memes have played an increasingly important role as a new form of visual communication. The creation, use and sharing of memes have brought forward

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novel forms of political expression and tools of propaganda, manipulating emotions, reinforcing ideologies, affecting election results etc. [9] As interdisciplinary collective Clusterduck note in their transmedia project #MEMEMANIFESTO, memes are more than mere “funny viral images”.

In fact, memes are the latest iteration of the one true power that defines us as a species: the faculty to understand, interpret and alter our reality through linguistic and symbolic patterns of meaning. To understand this power means to hold the keys to control the uncertain grounds on which our common social world is constructed.

They have served as constituent elements of new, online-based subcultures; they have been employed as tools to establish new rituals; they have inspired a new aesthetic, and have become the founding stone of a new kind of language – one capable of sustaining the immensely accelerated information metabolism of the digital age.

Further explanation about memes in this report is doomed to failure since it is too broad of a field and so particular at the same time that it would take too much elaboration. After all, it is like telling a joke and trying to explain what is so funny about it. No one would laugh. Reflecting in all of these definitions and arguments, the final statement is that internet memes have become an essential part of contemporary pop culture, intertwined in the collective imagination and being part of our day-to-day conversations and references.

Memes are a powerful new cultural technology that should be respected and treated as such.

Pop culture in the Internet era

Different iterations of the "Pepe the frog" meme.

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→Pop culture in the Internet era Transmedia storytelling

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Good stories become part of our lives and our culture. Consumers are looking for new, deeper and more participatory experiences. Expressions like multiplatform, crossmedia or transmedia are often used to talk about narratives where you can access its content through different platforms, with the content adapted to the form and language to each of them. These narrative structures have revolutionized communication through new design and mediums that supplement conventional means of distribution and consumption. This also results in a new type of consumer: the “prosumer”. This audience does not act in an individual manner but connect among them through the Internet and social media, creating new communities around these themes.

Costa y Piñeiro defined multimedia storytelling as “distribution of contents through various platforms”. Also multiplatform storytelling can be understood as the narration of the same story on different mediums, adapting to the language of each of them. Furthermore, we have crossmedia storytelling, meaning a story told through different mediums and enriched with the properties of each one. Every part of it constitutes a unique contribution to the whole narrative. In a crossmedia format the user has to experience the whole story to get each and every different part of it.

Transmedia storytelling is a process where the integral elements of a story are systematically dispersed through multiple channels, with the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience, where each

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Fanmade Content

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medium actually makes its own contribution to the development of the main storyline. [17] Transmedia storytelling is a concept attributed to Henry Jenkins, first used in 2003 in a paper published in Technology Review where this was said: “A transmedia story unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a specific and valuable contribution to the whole.

In the ideal form of transmedia storytelling, each medium does what it does best […]. Each entry to the franchise must be independent, so that it is not necessary to have seen the movie to enjoy the video game and vice versa. Any given product is an access point to the franchise as a whole. The journey through different media sustains a depth of experience that stimulates consumption. Redundancy destroys fan interest and causes franchise failure. The offer of new levels of knowledge and experience refreshes the franchise and maintains consumer loyalty.” We get two key points out of it. The first one that the story must be transmitted through different mediums and platforms. The second one is that the user feels the need to take part into the storytelling lore, acting as a pillar to its own expansion.

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This is the reality of the target audience, and its way of processing information. A liquid content, adaptable, to distribute by all available mediums. Different levels of depth in the story, made for different levels of user involvement. A coherent message as a whole (world) where each piece enriches the story and continuously feeds the conversation with the audience.

Another aspect worth highlighting in transmedia storytelling is content timing. Transmedia content creators must have thought ahead of time how, when and where each entry to the story is going to be effective so they answer the purpose for which they were designed. This implies a time organization for audience experience: simultaneous, consecutive, parallel, non-linear, etc. Likewise, it is also necessary to consider what the audience's experience will be for each of these platforms and the degree of implication they will be able to experience on them.

Interaction with the consumer is a key part of transmedia storytelling.

This can be through recognized contributions or influential interactions. The first one occurs in narrative moments that anticipate and provide a planned occasion for users to make a contribution and be recognized for it, but their intervention does not alter or influence the plot. Influential interactions, on the other hand, can determine

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changes, such as interactive endings of some fictional products. From this interactivity we are talking about, the level of interest of the audience to participate in the story increases, in such a way that it even becomes a content generator. [32] “We are seeing that in the digital age the public begins to take media in its own hands to assert its right to retell those stories, taking media without the permission of copyright holders and innovating, experimenting, recontextualizing and responding to those images in new ways. Convergence culture is when every story, sound, brand, image or relationship plays itself out across the maximum number of media channels. It is shaped as much by the decisions made by teenagers in their bedrooms as it is by the decisions made in the senior official boardroom. An online discussion on Twitter or Wikipedia page function according to collective intelligence, where the group as a whole can put together knowledge in a more complex way than any individual member is capable of doing When average people develop the ability to tell their stories, we start seeing different perspectives emerging, different groups gain representation and challenge the dominant media. The challenge for those of us caring about social justice issues is to make sure that these tools get in the hands of those people who have been the most oppressed and most dispossessed to get their stories out and circulating.” [17]

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News

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"The Simpsons" franchise is a great example of a traditional transmedia experience, comprised of a TV series, movies, books, games, toys, merchandise, theme parks...

Gen Z and social media

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Zoomers, Centennials, Homelanders, iGeneration or Post-Millenials are some of the “unofficial” names for Generation Z, since it is far outpacing these names in people’s searches for information. While there is no scientific process for deciding when a name has stuck, the momentum is clearly behind Gen Z. They are the teens and young adults of current society. ”In order to keep the Millennial generation analytically meaningful, and to begin looking at what might be unique about the next cohort, Pew Research Center decided a year ago to use 1996 as the last birth year for Millennials for our future work. Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward is part of a new generation.”

[14] Studies differ slightly off from each other, but on behalf of this project I will be following this criteria from the Pew Research Center to normalize future actions and results on this project.

Classification of generations according to the Pew Research Center. [13]

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“We believe 1996 is a meaningful cutoff between Millennials and Gen Z for a number of reasons, including key political, economic and social factors. Most Millennials were between the ages of 5 and 20 when the 9/11 terrorist attacks shook the nation, and many were old enough to comprehend the historical significance of that moment, while most members of Gen Z have little or no memory of the event. And most Millennials were between 12 and 27 during the 2008 election, where the force of the youth vote became part of the political conversation and helped elect the first black president. Added to that is the fact that Millennials are the most racially and ethnically diverse adult generation in the nation’s history. Yet the next generation – Generation Z – is even more diverse.

Technology is another generation-shaping consideration. Baby Boomers grew up as television expanded dramatically, Generation X grew up as the computer revolution was taking hold, and Millennials came of age during the internet explosion. In this progression, what is unique for Generation Z is that all of the above have been part of their lives from the start. By the time they were in their teens, the primary means by which young Americans connected with the web was through mobile devices, WiFi and high-bandwidth cellular service. Social media, constant connectivity and on-demand entertainment and communication are innovations Millennials adapted to as they came of age. For those born after 1996, these are largely assumed. The implications of growing up in an “always on” technological environment are only now coming into focus. Recent research has shown dramatic shifts in youth behaviors, attitudes and lifestyles – both positive and concerning – for those who came of age in this era.”

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The paradigm of how we communicate and interact with each other has completely shifted forever.

We cannot understand Generation Z without a smartphone, the internet or social media and the effects this has on our behaviour with our surroundings and our interpersonal relationships. We live in a liquid society, where nothing lasts forever.

And this results in a constant state of hyper exposure to fleeting information. Dell Technologies surveyed 12.000 students that belonged to the Gen Z and they noted that they have a deep comprehension of how new technologies can change the way we live and work. 80% strive to work with state-of-the-art technologies and think that new technology and automation will create a much fair work environment. [37] However, Gen Z is growing up in one of the most precarious moments to date, from an educational, laboral and socioeconomic point of view. Because of this they are considered a generation of great nonconformists, activists and politically involved to change this uncertain moment they have to experience and that threats to be permanent if not be worse. [7] According to Digital Business Lab’s 2021 study, “Generation Z social media users are undeniably more active and more vocal than other age groups.

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They would love to express their comments and feedback about a brand, service, or product that they have used.” [13] They listed TikTok (Douyin in China), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as the top social media sites used by Gen Z. Other studies may differ in this ranking, changing the order or introducing other platforms like Twitter, Snapchat or Whatsapp, since it has been observed that many are also moving away from platforms like Facebook in favor of multimedia-heavy sites such as YouTube and Instagram. Overall, Gen Z actively use the platforms to “socialize and express themselves, learn & become more knowledgeable about something and interact with celebrities, influencers, brands, friends, and family.”

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We are consumers and also producers of information. Before, in the information era, the medium was the message. Now, in the internet era, users themselves are the message the moment they take part in digital communication. We are our own marketing interns. Traditional media is not our primary source to be informed anymore, and their influence is deflating. This bilateral communication that is happening in social media spurs the creation of a critical public opinion, in a positive and negative manner, that otherwise would not occur under traditional media. Society no longer accepts particular baby-boomer sentiments (and interests) as the legitimate consensus.

Users now are part of the dialog that occurs on the internet, building a collective intelligence that forms a real virtuality where what happens online ends being assimilated as a part of reality.

In this real virtuality users can be informed and inform, socially interact, make economic transactions, work, and take part in culture and politics.

Everything happening in a hypervisual nature that is already established as the norm. Presumably any media platform that existed before the internet and will not adapt to the new media, will disappear.

[23] The beauty and depth of social media is that they call for a new understanding of classic dichotomies such as commercial/political, private/ public, users/producers, artistic/standardised, original/copy, democratising/ disempowering. [28]

How can the general audience be better informed?

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It is in this new situation where anyone can fabricate and spread opinions and news that we are still uncertain with how to navigate it. “An effort at such translation is Cathy O’Neil’s Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, in which she describes how “ill-conceived mathematical models now micromanage the economy, from advertising to prisons.”These mathematical models are not neutral tools. However, in everyday life we increasingly experience ranking as destiny.

Look at Donald Trump’s tweets, an ultimate form of media literacy and a perverse flood of self-expression. His personal tweets have become indistinguishable from policy, state propaganda, and info warfare. What is atheism in the information context? The multiplicity of points of view, once celebrated as a “diversity of opinion,” has now reach a point in which the choice of possible meanings can either lead to critical insights, or implode into a pool of indifference (possibly resulting in the disappearance of networks such as Twitter, which thrive on individual expressions, judgements, and preferences).” [22] Yes, as Generation Z we might have been born with a smartphone already in our pockets, but just like anyone else we are still learning how to navigate this world as we grow in it. All of these themes are dichotomies that we face everyday, either consciously or unconsciously. We still don't fully know the power of this new paradigm and how it will really affect us differently than other generations, as day to day we get to see new inventions and new algorithms That will impact our society and our way to live in it.

Methodology General survey Gen Z survey Research techniques based on user analysis

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General Survey

Theoretical framework

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The survey was carried out on the 14th of November through an anonymous online survey, distributed via various digital outlets like Twitter and Whatsapp. It received 89 submissions, entirely from all over Spain due to its limited diffusion. Therefore, note that some of the answers may be a bit biased because of the nature of the population.

The goal of this survey is to outline the relationship that people have with technology and the internet and how it defines their collective imagination and pop culture knowledge. It is not intended to grade answers or make a concluding statement about the topics, but rather to map a potential persona for the project and observe what is the general knowledge about the field.

In the following pages every question will be developed, explaining punctual subjects that may be needed to comprehend the results and getting to a conclusion based on the answers.

55%

Methodology

How old are you?

22

21 23 24

20

25 26

27 28 16

18

19

31

years old

Free text input question. The average age of the surveyees is 22 years old. The standard deviation of the answers is 2,3, revealing a spectrum of age from 20 to 24 years old. This shows that said age range is ideal to use as a potential target for the project.

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

Where were you born?

Where do you live currently?

Free text input questions. This question was made to see how the background and environment someone lives in can potentially affect their referents and collective experience.

It got inputs from all over the spanish state, and even a few from overseas. The concluding point we can make is that most of the surveyees were born and live in a big city like Barcelona or Madrid, or they moved to currently live in one.

Methodology

57%

Do you consider yourself:

Millennial 49.4% Generation Z 48.3% Boomer 1.1% Generation X 1.1% Fixed answers, only one choice. The question gave the participant the option to choose between “Boomer”, “Generation X”, “Millenial” and “Generation Z”.

49.4% of the surveyees consider themselves Millennials. Getting into each particular case this may be true in some, but taking into account the average age of the participants and the generational study this project is based on, we will consider the average participant a Gen Z. This also shows the misinformation and miscommunication we are exposed to.

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Theoretical framework

Rate according to your daily use of this media.

Phone 4,7 Computer 3,8 Streaming 3,6 Press and books 2,4 Traditional TV 1,6 Radio 1,3 Rating concepts. Surveyees were asked to rate out of 5 according to the daily use they gave to “Phone”, “Computer”, “Traditional tv”, “Streaming shows and movies”, “Radio” and “Press, magazines and books”.

The phone is the most used device every day, with 4.7 points out of 5, followed by the computer and streaming services with 3.8 and 3.6 points respectively. The radio is the least used media, with 1.3 points.

The results of this question were not surprising. As expected, the newer generations use their phones at all times for everything, and traditional media like TV and radio have almost no impact in their lives. This encourages a project that lives in an online and digital environment, dismissing the traditional and offline media.

Methodology

59%

What social media platforms do you use?

Instagram 94.4% Twitter 92.1% TikTok 41.6% Pinterest 25.8% Linkedin 23.6% Facebook 22.5% Reddit 19.1% Tumblr 15.7% Multiple choice question. Participants had to choose all of the most popular social media platforms they use regularly, between “Facebook”, “Twitter”, “Instagram”, “Linkedin”, “TikTok”, “Reddit”, “Tumblr” and “Pinterest”.

Instagram and Twitter are the clear standouts with 94.4% and 92.1% of use respectively, followed by TikTok with a 41.6%. It is understandable that nowadays the use of fast paced and instant social media platforms prevail over other well established sites like Facebook or Linkedin that are perceived as more formal or old fashioned.

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What do you use them for generally?

Keep up with news 95.5% Leisure 95.5% Connect with friends 87.6% Follow trends 68.5% Learn skills 43.8% Debate 30.3% For work 28.1% Multiple choice question. Participants had to choose from a range of reasons or activities that are the most common when using social media.

Surveyees said that keeping up with the news and having leisure time were the most important factors in their social media usage, with 95.5% of the results, as well as to connect with friends with 87.6%.

This translates to the fully digital life that the newer generations have, that may or may not differ much from their off-line lives, using social media as digital hubs to be in contact with the world in every aspect. It is worthy to point out that they value equally to be informed and educated as well as to have fun and spend their free time.

Methodology

61%

Describe briefly what pop culture is to you.

Free text input. In the final question the surveyee is invited to leave a brief description of their knowledge about the idea of pop culture or their own experience with it.

After reading all the entries the overall idea that people have about pop culture converges in the same key points, although there are some disparities and interesting counter-ideas.

The consensus is that pop culture is everything that differs with the traditional meaning of culture, like fine arts, and is targeted to the average person no matter their socioeconomic background. A common imaginary that creates an archive of references that influences our daily life and how we communicate with each other. It is constantly evolving and changing, some may even say fleeting, although some think that some subjects could stay deeply rooted for generations. It’s how the mainstream media impacts us and then what we do and how it is democratized.

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Theoretical framework

Focus and quickly answer the first thing that comes to mind.

Singer

Actor/actress

Lady Gaga 22; Britney Spears 6; Lana del Rey 5

Penelope Cruz 9; Angelina Jolie, Emma Stone 6; Ana de Armas, Anne Hathaway 3

Politician

Scientist

Pedro Sánchez 27; Pablo Iglesias 11; Mariano Rajoy 10

Marie Curie 39; Albert Einstein 25; Stephen Hawking 6

Artist

Athlete

Salvador Dalí, Van Gogh 9; Pablo Picasso 7; Andy Warhol 5

Rafa Nadal 29; Leo Messi 16; Serena Williams 7

Magician

Animal

El mago pop 22; Harry Potter 9; Jorge Blas 8

Cat 24; Dog 21; Elephant 4

Methodology

Brand

Celebrity

Nike 31; Adidas 17; Apple 7

Kim Kardashian 25; Paris Hilton 12; La Veneno 4

63%

Free text input. Surveyees were asked to answer impulsively the first thing that came to mind related to different topics. Here is shown the top three of each category, ranked by the number of times they were mentioned.

The different categories ranged from subjects typically linked with pop culture like singers, actresses or brands to more random topics like a scientist or a magician. It was a very interesting exercise to see how the collective imagination references trigger in the participant’s minds.

The results are quite interesting for two main reasons. The first and most evident is how in some cases, like in the scientist, brand or politician, almost half of the participants managed to choose the same names. This shows how deeply some names or concepts are rooted in our collective imagination and are the first thing to pop up into mind with no apparent reason. The other relevant part is to point out how there are almost no trendy or brand-new names on the top results, the most recent being well-known from at least a couple of years. With this we could conclude that popular personalities may peak in mass media but it will take some time and/ or continued relevance for it to adhere to our collective imagination and become part of pop culture, although it may disappear eventually.

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Theoretical framework

What’s the first viral video you remember seeing?

(2007) Charlie bit my finger 34.8%

(2011) Rebecca Black - Friday 30.3%

(2011) Nyan Cat 27.0%

(2012) PSY - Gangnam Style 6.7%

(2013) Ylvis - The Fox 1.1%

(2012) Kony 2012 0.0%

(2018) Yanny vs Laurel 0.0%

(2019) Kombucha girl 0.0%

Fixed answers, only one choice. In this question the surveyees were presented with the most viral videos from the past decade to choose the first one they saw. All of the options are from Youtube, since it coincides with the beginning

Methodology

65%

of the truly democratizacion of the internet and when it started to be considered mainstream.

“Charlie bit my finger - again!” [14] had 34.8% of the results. Uploaded on the 22nd of May 2007, it is one of the first viral videos, and as of November 2020 has received over 877 million views. It is a homemade recording that features two brothers from the United Kingdom. The two are seen sitting in a chair when Harry puts his finger into Charlie's mouth and gets bitten. "Charlie bit me," he observes and puts his finger back into Charlie's mouth, which gets it bitten harder.

Harry, says "Ouch" repeatedly and his brother begins to giggle. Afterwards, Harry smiles and repeats "Charlie bit me. And that really hurt."

Closely followed by “Rebecca Black - Friday” [15] with 30.3%. This music video was uploaded on February 10, 2011 and as of November 2020 has received 147 million views. On March 11 2011, some blogs drew attention to the music video turning it into a viral hit. Criticism of the song's lyrics, the use of Auto-Tune, as well as the content of the video also caused it to become viral. By June 15, 2011, the video had more than 166 million views, and 3.2 million dislikes from YouTube users against just 454,000 likes. It also peaked in the top 20 most watched YouTube videos of all time.

Both could be considered “cult” viral videos, since they were amongst the first handful of truly popular videos in the beginnings of Youtube. They both became viral but the first was because of a positive and relatable response and the second one was the result of a massive evil trolling campaign against it. This shows how polarizing the Internet can be and how literally anything can become viral and get stuck into the collective imagination for years, for better or for worse.

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Select everything you consider a meme.

93.3%

82.0%

78.7%

69.7%

60.7%

41.6%

18.0%

16.9%

11.2%

5.6%

Multiple choice question. Here, we wanted to test what people understand as a meme and how they identify it. The options ranged from very basic and old images to newer and more niche memes.

Methodology

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This question could lead to ambiguous results since any image when decontextualized can become a meme. Even those that are wrongly labeled as a meme could be a “meta-meme”.

The top three choices in this section were the “Swole Doge vs. Cheems” [19] with 93.3%, refers to a comparison format in which representatives of the same group from two historical eras are compared to each other. The format gained popularity on Reddit and Facebook starting in mid-May 2020. Followed by “Glitter girl Vine” with 82.0%, is a short video of a kid with smothered glittery makeup all over her face as she looks through a car window and smiles. It was uploaded in 2015 and gained popularity for its wholesomeness and relatability. Finally Kermit the frog “that’s none of my business” with 78.7%. It was popularized through an image featuring Kermit the Frog from The Muppets and punchlines poking fun at a wide range of faux-pas and questionable behaviors in everyday social situations.

Surprisingly, these results are very dissimilar in relation where they come from and to whom are catered. The first one is one of the most niche and newer memes, consisting of different layers of meaning and parts of older memes that result in a newer image. The second one could be considered a reaction or funny video, in this case a Vine, that because of its popularity became a meme, even though it lacks a symbolism behind it. The third option, being one of the most well known, is the closest to a traditional meme, being because of its widespread usage or the recognizable protagonist.

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Select everything you consider related to pop culture.

Gaga’s meat dress 92.1%

RuPaul 91.0%

Cristina "La Veneno" 87.6%

Kim Kardashian 77.5%

Warhol’s Campbell cans 64.0%

Marge Simpson 62.9%

Mario 56.2%

Michelangelo’s David 25.8%

Methodology

Charli D'Amelio 21.3%

Supreme 20.2%

Leo Messi 20.2%

The Pope 13.5%

69%

Multiple choice question. This is the most direct question about pop culture, to see how it functions and impregnates our collective memory.

The top three most selected subjects were Lady Gaga’s meat dress with 92.1%. The iconic moment when american artist Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV VMA’s red carpet a full outfit made of raw meat. A shocking and controversial moment that shifted how modern pop stars could express themselves and were viewed by the public eye.

It is followed by RuPaul with 91.0%. The “most famous drag queen of the world”, known for being the creator and host of RuPaul’s Drag Race, an internationally acclaimed tv show about drag queens that truly put drag queens on the map of mainstream. And Cristina "La Veneno" with 87.6%, the infamous transgender spanish celebrity that although was very famous in her debut years, recently her memory was revived by the critically acclaimed tv series about her life.

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The results show as well as in the quick answers section that pop culture icons and moments are most rooted in us the more time passes, and current trends and well-known people are rather fleeting. It is true that because of the almost vernacular nature of the survey’s population the results tend to shift towards queer references but, after all, those are the most impactful in contemporary pop culture.

Conclusions In conclusion this survey has served its purpose of mapping the target and the objectives of the project, as well as to shed some light on what is our relationship with pop culture.

We can determine that our potential target is someone from Generation Z, with an age range of 20 to 24 years old. They live in a big city and consume everything digitally through their phones and computers, leaving traditional media obsolete. They use social media as a mirror or even an extension of their offline life, using the internet as digital hubs to be in contact with the world in every aspect. They use the democratization of the internet as a means to create their own codes and languages. They know and shape at the same time the mainstream media, creating this common imagination that serves as an archive of references that they use to navigate their daily life.

Methodology

→Methodology Gen Z Survey

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now

This survey was carried out from the 11th to the 13th of March 2021 through an anonymous online survey, distributed via Twitter, Instagram and personal contacts. It received 195 submissions, entirely from all over Spain as well as the previous general survey.

Now that we outlined the general field with the first survey, this one aims to dig deeper into the relationship of Generation Z with social media and fine tune behaviour patterns, interests and struggles. This survey was formulated based on the data analysed from the previous survey to try not to be reiterative. It is worth mentioning that the survey was aimed only for people from 13 years old upwards (born in 2008), since this is the legal age to enter any social media site.

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

What year were you born?

1998 1997 2000

1999 2001

2002 2004 2007 2008 2005

2006

2003

Years comprised from 1997 to 2008. 25.1% of the answers were from people from 1998, 23.6% from people from 1997 and 13.8% from people from 2000 and the rest was divided evenly for the resting years. This shows a bias to focus towards the older people on Generation Z.

Methodology

73%

What city do you live in currently?

With the same intention as the question in the general survey, this shows that most of the surveyees live in a big spanish city, mainly Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Vigo or Palma de Mallorca.

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Theoretical framework

In what language you consume the majority of online content?

Spanish 79% English 73.8% Others 6.1% Catalan 2.6% Galician 2.1% Euskera 0.5% 79% of the answers correspond to Spanish and 73.8% to English. It is worth noting that 53% of those answered that they used both Spanish and English, and 16% that only used English.

What English level do you think you have?

Proficient 40% High 35.9% Average 11.8% Native 9.7% Low 2.6% Zero 0% 40% of the surveyees consider they have a proficient English level, and 35.9% a high English level. These answers together with the feedback from the previous question determines that consuming content in English is not a problem for the average Gen Z.

Methodology

75%

Rate these social media platforms according to your usage. What do you look for in each of them?

Twitter 7/10 Average rating

55.4% of surveyees use twitter all of the time or very often, only against 18.5% that hardly ever or directly never use the app. Twitter users look for, yet again, humour/ memes and miscellaneous leisure time but also are very interested in news and connect with friends.

Instagram 5/10 Average rating

31.8% stated that they use the app all of the time or very often, against an equally 32.7% that doesn’t use the app or hardly ever do. A pretty average response.

Users on Instagram mainly look for connecting with friends and leisure time that include various activities including uploading content or looking for creative inspiration. They are also interested in gossip and following celebrities.

Youtube 5/10 Average rating

36.4% stated that they don’t use the app or hardly ever do, while 27.2% use it all of the time or very often. A very average result, understandably taking into account that people have a very passive relationship with youtube.

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Theoretical framework

Surveyees mainly look for leisure time, especially listening to music, and also learning and tutorials.

TikTok 3/10 Average rating

58% stated that they don't use or hardly ever use TikTok, against only a 19.5% that uses it all of the time or very often. This is a shocking result since TikTok has allegedly been on the rise lately amongst young people, although it still has a lot of room for growing still. The most wanted content on TikTok according to our surveyees is humour/memes and miscellaneous leisure time, followed by learning content.

Twitch 1/10 Average rating

Average rating 1/10. 82% of the surveyed stated that they don’t use or hardly ever do use Twitch, against an insignificant 10.7% that often use it. This result clearly shows that Twitch is a very overlooked platform and is not yet widely used. The small portion of surveyees that do use Twitch mainly look for miscellaneous leisure time.

77%

Methodology

Humor Which of these topics are relevant for you?

TV, movies and shows Music

Mental health Gender & sexuality Creativity Social justice Videogames Politics Science

Fashion Celebrities

Cooking History

Ecology

Trends Sports

Humour is again the front runner with 79% of surveyees choosing it. Followed by TV, movies and shows and music with also around 76% of selections. More than 65% also chose mental health, gender expression and sexuality, social justice and creativity as a relevant topic for them. In general they have pretty universal yet diverse interests, but are also starting to be more sensitive and conscious about their surroundings.

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What kind of memes do you like the most?

Animals 59%

Pop culture 56.4%

Reactions/Viral 49.2%

Fried/Surreal memes 35.9%

Template memes 31.3%

Niche memes 11.3%

59% of surveyees chose animals as their favourite type of memes, closely followed by pop culture and reactions/viral memes. The result shows that the most relatable and universal images, like a picture of a hamster or the current hottest show, are the most appealing and welcomed amongst Gen Z.

Methodology

79%

Choose the aesthetic that you like the most.

Soft Pastel 32.3%

Conceptual 20.5%

Cyberpunk 17.9%

Y2K 12.3%

Brutalism 9.2%

Dank hyperreality 9.2%

The most liked aesthetic with 32.3% is the soft pastel aesthetic, a very popular trend on the rising, unique by the use of washes and gradients of pastel colours, creating a soft, warm and inviting haze that delight our sight. It was followed by a 20.5% of a conceptual and minimalist aesthetic and a 17.9% for the Cyberpunk aesthetic.

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Theoretical framework

What singer / band / artists are you listening to the most currently?

C. Tangana

Bad Bunny

Taylor Swift

Dua Lipa

Kali Uchis

Bad Gyal

Ariana Grande

Ashnikko

Harry Styles

Miley Cyrus

Yungblud

In this question we can get a peek into the musical taste of the Gen Z. Taking into account the demographic is not surprising that C. Tangana is the most repeated name on the recount, followed by Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift. Other names show up frequently like Dua Lipa, Kali Uchis and Bad Gyal, as well as some sprinkles of Ariana Grande, Ashnikko, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, and Yungblud.

A pretty diverse selection of international artists that stir mainly to pop music, as well as trap and reguetón and pop rock. Again, it is worth mentioning still the impact of spanish speaking artists.

81%

Methodology

Someone who you look up to and everyone should know?

Samantha Hudson

Harry Styles

Taylor Swift

Lili Reinhart

Lizzo

Answers for this question could be even broader than for the previous one. Even though, most of the feedback was about singers or musicians. So it is surprising that the most mentioned name by far is Samanta Hudson, the spanish performer, activist and influencer, and then followed by names like Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, already mentioned previously, and Lili Reinhart and Lizzo.

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Theoretical framework

Conclusions In conclusion the survey has served to better understand the behaviour of Gen Z on social media and what are their interests.

We can determine that the optimal target audience is still the older part of the Gen Z, born from 1997 to 2000. They are fluent if not pretty skilled with english since they consume most of their content in this language. Instagram, Twitter and Youtube are the most used social media sites, surprisingly followed by TikTok and finally Twitch, which would not be substantial to invert time and effort on it. On average, they look on social media for humour, miscellaneous leisure time, learning and connecting with friends. Gen Z have universal interests like humour, tv and movies, but are also starting to be more sensitive and conscious about their surroundings with interests in topics like mental health or social injustice. They also like universal and relatable humour and memes involving animals or pop culture references. Gen Z is more appealed by current trends like the soft pastel gradients aesthetic. Finally, they mainly look for local or approachable role models, apart from the current main global pop superstars.

Methodology

→Methodology

Research techniques based on user analysis

83%

now

In this section I will present the methods of investigation subject results, including the SWOT (strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats) and CAME analysis, that allows me to outline what characteristics are optimal to develop my brand based on them and their pros and cons. As a result of these and the previous research already exposed, I will elaborate a buyer persona model, as in the ideal target of my product, that will help me shape the direction of the project and take decisions around it.

SWOT

🏋 Strenghts

• It can be associated with virtually any aspect of the consumer society we live in.

• Using a universal language thanks to globalisation and the internet.

• It is a very fluid medium that allows great innovation and content development.

😩 Weaknessess

• It is a very broad matter that can be confusing for the mainstream.

• Misreading of concepts and references from the mainstream media.

• A global look or a concrete look to the subject?

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Theoretical framework

👍 Opportunities

• Show representation of current struggles.

• Extensive selection of subcultures to pull content and references from.

• Content democratization.

⚠Threats

• Internet trolls.

• Misrepresentation.

• Hypersensitivity of the masses and cancel culture.

• Fading of mass media or "fast food media".

• Ignorance from the mainstream of certain references.

Methodology

85%

CAME

✍ Correct

It is a very broad matter that can be confusing for the mainstream.

Define and fine-tune the definition of the concepts, the brand values and the direction that will be treated in the project.

Misreading of concepts and references from the mainstream media.

Make a cleanse and revise current referents.

A global look or a concrete look to the subject?

Reference universal concepts that will be understood by the mainstream, avoiding being generic, basic or clichés.

📢 Adress

Internet trolls.

Having an emergency plan and knowing how to act accordingly to the situation.

Fading of mass media or "fast food media" Using these resources and benefit from them.

Ignorance from the mainstream of certain references.

Study what basic knowledge has the mainstream public and educate by showing references they can understand.

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Theoretical framework

↗ Maintain

It can be associated with virtually any aspect of the consumer society we live in.

Choose the hottest topics.

Using a universal language thanks to globalisation and the internet.

Connecting those related dots and using them in our favour.

It is a very fluid medium that allows great innovation and content development Experiment, be innovative and update what is already done to give a better experience.

🎆Exploit

Show representation of current struggles.

Give voice and a platform to minorities and struggling collectives.

Extensive selection of subcultures to pull content and references from.

Choosing the most relevant, the ones that can be attractive to the mainstream.

Content democratization.

Figure out what type of content and who is the most interesting to show.

Methodology

87%

BUYER PERSONA

30 Following 560 Followers

Lola @lolaro 22 // Hot trends, Partying, Ecology, Aesthetics and fashion, Friends, Activism Lola @lolaro Proactive, empathic, determined, introverted and easy going. She loves her friends, making up plans and constantly connected with them through social media.

now

Lola @lolaro now She wants to discover and learn new things.She loves video games, looking up very specific things on the internet and playing with her dog.

Lola @lolaro now practically lives on the internet, hyperconnected and hypersensitive to everything that happens. She uses memes and the same slang her friend uses on their online communities. Most of her referents are average people that do stuff she likes and with whom she can interact and get in touch with. She is worried about the current state of the world but is also apathetic about the society around her.

Research conclusions

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Theoretical framework

To close the research phase of the project, I will expose the main points we can take out of it for further use in the project and a final conclusion.

Pop culture, or the culture of the people, is everywhere. It is everything that allows the masses to identify as a collective. It's the universal language that appeals to the people, making them feel a sense of belonging and understanding of their environment. Now that we live in the internet era the means of communication have changed and that is why memes are a key part in today's pop culture. They are cultural units in visual form that are spreaded, imitated and transformed simultaneously. Already ingrained in our language, they make it easier to express complex ideas. Memes are more than mere “funny viral images” The creation, use and sharing of memes have brought forward novel forms of political expression and tools of propaganda, manipulating emotions, reinforcing ideologies, affecting election results…

Memes are a powerful new cultural technology that should be respected and treated as such.

Now, the media is shaped as much by the decisions made by teenagers in their bedrooms as it is by the decisions made in the senior official boardroom. Transmedia storytelling is a process where the elements of a story are dispersed through multiple channels, with the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience, where each medium actually makes its own contribution to the development of the main storyline. A liquid content, adaptable, to distribute by all available

Research

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mediums. Different levels of depth in the story, made for different levels of user involvement.

People born from 1997 onwards are known as Generation Z. The youngest formed generation, born well into the proliferation of the internet and smartphones. They have to live in one of the most precarious realities up to date and are considered non-conformists for wanting to change that.

In this new digital era we are consumers and producers of the information. Traditional media does not have the same power as it did before and now a critical opinion is what rules social media. Gen Z can connect among themselves very efficiently through memes and internet slang, generating an extremely prolific and complex post-internet vocabulary. Intersectionality in social media communities is its own means of evolution.

Gen Z, especially the older range (born from 1997 to the 2000) use social media as a mirror or even an extension of their offline life, using the internet as digital hubs to be in contact with the world in every aspect. They know and shape at the same time the mainstream media, creating this common imagination that serves as an archive of references that they use to navigate their daily life.

They are fluent if not pretty skilled with english since they consume most of their content in this language. Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are the most used social media sites. Gen Z have universal interests like humour, tv and movies, but are also starting to be more sensitive and conscious about their surroundings with interests in topics like mental health or social injustice.

Bibliography

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[1] Atresplayer Premium. 2020. Serie Veneno | Estreno En Atresplayer Premium. [online] Available at: <https://premium.atresplayer.com/ veneno/> [Accessed 13 December 2020].

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[3] Brady Shearer, 2021. 27 Ways Gen Z Uses Social Media [NEW Research]. [online] Youtube.

Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Z74HbFr9LQk&t=489s&ab_channel=BradyShearer> [Accessed 9 March 2021].

[4] BRAMMER, J., 2019. The Decade In LGBTQ: Pop Culture Visibility But Stalled Political Progress. [online] NBC News. Available at: <https://www.nbcnews.com/think/ opinion/decade-lgbtq-pop-culture-visibility-stalled-political-progress-ncna1108786> [Accessed 22 November 2020].

[5] BRETCHA, F., 2020. THE READING BRAIN IN A DIGITAL CULTURE | ADG-FAD. [online] ADG-FAD. Available at: <https://www.adg-fad. org/es/laus/proyecto/reading-brain-digital-culture> [Accessed 2 December 2020].

[6] BuzzFeedOz, 2021. Gen Z Discuss How They Use Social Media. [online] Youtube.

Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Z9_tfWNVeSk&ab_channel=BuzzFeedOz> [Accessed 9 March 2021].

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[7] Catalunya Ràdio, 2018. Generació Z: De La Incertesa A L'inconformisme. [podcast] CATALUNYA MIGDIA (CAP DE SETMANA).

Available at: <https://www.ccma.cat/catradio/ alacarta/catalunya-migdia-cap-de-setmana/ generacio-z-de-la-incertesa-a-linconformisme/ audio/998021/> [Accessed 7 December 2020].

[8] CCMA TV3. 2020. Mood Z. [online] Available at: <https://www.ccma.cat/tv3/ mood-z/> [Accessed 29 November 2020].

[9] CLUSTERDUCK, 2021. Screen Walk with Clusterduck. [online] Youtube.

Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ZQlM_wb-2jI&ab_channel=ScreenWalks> [Accessed 3 February 2021] [10] DELANEY, T., 2007. Pop Culture: An Overview | Issue 64 | Philosophy Now. [online] Philosophynow.org. Available at: <https://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_ Overview> [Accessed 8 November 2020].

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[14] DIMOCK, M., 2019. Defining Generations: Where Millennials End And Generation Z Begins. [online] Pew Research Center. Available at: <https://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

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[17] FCB&FiRe Spain, 2021. Transmedia Storytelling. [online] Youtube. Available at: <https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IFnSp2ilcQ> [Accessed 4 March 2021].

[18] Jenkins, H., 2021. Henry Jenkins on Transmedia - November 2008. [online] Vimeo. Available at: <https://vimeo. com/4672634> [Accessed 4 March 2021].

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Doctor. Universitat de les Illes Balears.

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[27] MIRA. 2020. MIRA Digital Arts Festival. [online] Available at: <https://mirafestival. com/> [Accessed 7 December 2020].

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[31] O. PHILIPPE, A., 2013. Why Pop Culture?: Alexandre O. Philippe At Tedxmilehigh. [online] Youtube. Available at: <https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=u_3UYncNwz4&t=1s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks> [Accessed 10 November 2020].

[32] Robledo Dioses, K., Atarama Rojas, T. and Palomino Moreno, H., 2017. De la comunicación multimedia a la comunicación transmedia: una revisión teórica sobre las actuales narrativas periodísticas. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico. Universidad de Piura.

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Annexes General survey free text input responses Gen Z survey free text input responses

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Theoretical framework

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now

How old are you?

22, 21, 23, 26, 20, 25, 22, 23, 21, 23, 28, 22, 24, 22, 25, 22, 20, 19, 27, 22, 21, 22, 18, 23, 21, 22, 20, 21, 21, 20, 24, 20, 31, 25, 16, 22, 24, 22, 20, 23, 26, 20, 23, 21, 22, 24, 26, 21, 23, 22, 22, 24, 21, 24, 23, 22, 25, 26, 20, 23, 22, 25, 22, 24, 23, 23, 25, 26, 28, 21, 21, 23, 22, 24, 24, 21, 25, 23, 21, 24, 21, 27, 22, 21, 22, 69, 23, 23, 24

Where were you born?

Barcelona, Badalona, Barcelona, Badalona, Illes Balears, Barcelona, Sevilla, Sevilla, Jaén, Santander, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Sevilla, Fuerteventura, España, Barcelona, Sevilla, Castellón, Barcelona, Murcia, Vigo (Pontevedra), Barcelona, sevilla, España, Andorra, Cáceres, Pobra do Caramiñal, A Coruña, Sevilla, A Coruña, A Coruña, A Coruña, Logroño, Barcelona, Badalona, Girona, Barcelona, Montevideo, Manresa (Bages, Cataluña), Barcelona, Figueres, Galicia, A Coruña, Valencia, Cornellà, Almeria, Ordes, València, Bcn, Llinars del Vallès, Barcelona, terrassa, Móstoles, Argentina, Argentina, sevilla, Sallent, Sabadell, Cádiz, Asturias, Vic, Barcelona, Manresa, Tarragona, Lima, Perú, Barcelona, Lugo, Madrid, Manresa, Barcelona, Barcelona, Almería, Mairena del Alcor, Sevilla, Vigo, Barcelona, Barcelona, Venezuela, Galicia, Madrid, Huelva, Barcelona, España, València, Murcia, Barcelona, Pamplona, Barcelona, Sevilla, En el coño de mi madre, Barcelona, La Rioja

Where do you live currently?

Santa Coloma, Badalona, Barcelona, Barcelona, Illes Balears, Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Barcelona, Sevilla, Córdoba, Santander, Bilbao, Sevilla, Tener-

Annexes

103%

ife, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Terrassa, Castellón, Barcelona, Madrid, Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña), Barcelona, sevilla, España, Barcelona, Salamanca, Sevilla, Pobra do Caramiñal, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Barcelona, Barcelona, Badalona, Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Barcelona, Sallent (Bages, Cataluña), Barcelona, Barcelona, A Corunha, Barcelona, Valencia, Cornellà, Sevilla, Ordes, València, Bcn, Llinars del Vallès, Badalona, ripollet, Móstoles, España, Madrid, Manresa, barcelona, Sabadell, Barcelona, León, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona, Barcelona, Sevilla, Barcelona, Lugo, Barcelona, Sallent, Barcelona, Barcelona, Almería, Mairena del Alcor, Sevilla, Vigo, Barcelona, Castellón, Barcelona, Galicia, Madrid, Castellón, Barcelona, España, València, Reino Unido, Barcelona, Madrid, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, En una chabola, Sevilla, Madrid, La Rioja

Focus and quickly answer the first thing that comes to mind.

Singer

Harry Styles, nicki minaj, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Chaka Khan, Rosalía, Shakira, Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Lana del Rey, Britney Spears, billie eilish, ayesha erotica, Keaton Henson, Lady Gaga, Björk, Frank ocean, Taylor swift, Rocío jurado, Lady Gaga, Noah Cyrus, shakira, Lana Del Rey, Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, Adore Delano, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Aitana, C.tangana, katy perry, Britney Spears, Rosalía, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Louis Tomlinson, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Shakira, Lady Gaga, katy perry, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Lady gaga, Zeta, rihanna, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, MIKA, Adele, Beyoncé, bad gyal, Justin Timberlake, Blackpink, Rosalía, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga, joji, L'entourloop, Rihanna, Aitana, Lady Gaga, Lana del Rey, Maria Carey, Britney Spears,

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

Lady gaga, Chenoa, Aitana, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga, Lana del Rey, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Ylenia, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, sen senra

Actor/actress

Johnny Depp, angelina jolie, Angelina Jolie, Penélope Cruz, Ana de Armas, Octavi pujades, Penelope Cruz, Ana de Armas, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Stone, Olivia Coleman, emma stone, amy adams, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Díaz, Scarlett Johansson, emma stone, Saoirse ronan, Mila jovovich, Penélope Cruz, Zendaya, penelope cruz, Julia Roberts, Penélope Cruz, Emma Stone, Ana de Armas, Johnny Depp, Cate Blachett, Demi Moore, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus, amanda seifred, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Najwa Nimri, Matthew Daddario, Penelope Cruz, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Tatiana Maslany, orlando bloom, Benicio del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Paco Leon, jennifer lawrence, Orlando Bloom, Angelina Jolie, Verónica Forqué, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, emma stone, Angelina Jolie, Robert Pattison, Antonio Banderas, Emma Watson, Amy Adams, Sean Connery, Robert de Niro, Dani Rovira, Miguel Angel Silvestre, Olivia Colman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Roberts, Johnny Depp, Zendaya, Mads Mikkelsen, Jude Law, Jennifer Lawrence, Sarah Paulson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Leonardo Dicaprio, Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Lopez, Henry Cavill, Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Anne Hatthaway (? el apellido está mal MEMEO, Ryan Gosling, Daniela Santiago, Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Timothée Chalamet (se escribe así?), Tom Cruise, Sonia Monroy, Angelina Jolie, Angelina Jolie, Robert pattinson

Annexes

105%

Politician Trump, pedro sanchez, Rajoy, Inés Arrimadas, Albert Rivera, Rajoy, Ines Arrimadas, Pedro Sánchez, Rajoy, Mariano Rajoy, Pablo Iglesias, albert rivera, irene montero, María Jesús Montero, Mariano Rajoy, Íñigo Errejón, trump, Pedro sanchez, Julio Anguita, Alfredo Rubalcaba, Pedro Sanchez, albert rivera, José María Aznar, Pedro Sánchez, Pedro Sánchez, Pedro Sánchez, Donald Trump, Pedro Sánchez, Ana Ponton, Pablo Iglesias, Inés Arrimadas, ada colau, Zapatero, Trump, Rajoy, Irene Montero, Pablo Iglesias, Pablo Iglesias, Pedro Sánchez, Pedro Sánchez, Albert Rivera, pedro sanchez, Pedro Sánchez, Pedro Sánchez,, Pablo Iglesias, Sanchez, pablo iglesias, Pedro Sánchez, Mariano Rajoy, Carla Antonelli, Irene Montero, El coletas, bernie sanders, Obama, Pedro Sanchez, Errejon, Albert Rivera, Ada Colau, Pedro Sanchez, Rufián, Pablo Iglesias, Pedro Sanchez, Ana Pontón, Abascal, Pablo Iglesias, Pedro Sánchez, Pablo Iglesias, M punto Rajoy, Pedro Sánchez, Pedro Sánchez, Irene Montero, Rajoy, Pedro Sánchez, Pedro Sánchez, Puigdemont, Pedro Sanchez, Irene Montero, Irene Montero, Pedro Sanchez, Carmena, Eduardo Rubiño, Pablo Iglesias, Pablo Iglesias, Pedro Sánchez, Albert Rivera, Cristina Cifuentes, Mariano Rajoy, Pedro Sánchez, pdro Sánchez

Scientist

Marie Curie, marie curie, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, El de la vacuna del covid, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, Flippy, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, marie curie, marie curie, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, No recuerdo el nombre, pero el astronauta al que nombraron ministro, Ramon y Cajal, Marie curie, Marie curie, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, einstein, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, Popper, albert einstein, Einstein, Darwin, Marie Curie, einstein, Marie Curie, Lynn Margulis, Marie

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

Curie, Albert Einstein, Eduardo Punset, Stephen Howkings, Ramón y Cajal, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, el del gobierno del covid kjhjsks, Marie Curie, Eintein, Einstein, marie curie, Einstein, Marie Curie, Einstein, Marie Curie, Marie Curie, Marie curie, marie curie...., Stephen Hawking, Marie Curie, Einstein, Marie Curie, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Enstein, Albert einstein, Einstein, Margarita del Val, Punset, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Lucía Rodríguez, Marie Curie, Einstein, Margarita del Val, Stephen Hawking, Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Marie y Pierre Curie, Einstein, Margarita Salas, Marie Curie, Margarita Salas, Marie Curie, Punset, Albert Einstein, Clotet, Marie Curie

Artist

Pollock, miró, Marina Abramovic, Kandinsky, Banksy, Yo :), Dalí, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, van gogh, goya, Bob Ross, Zurbarán, @racheldemetz en instagram, pollynoir, Monet, Basquait, Vincent Van Gogh, Dalí, vanGogh, Kylie Minogue, Matisse, Van Gogh, Lady Gaga, Chillida, Adore Delano, Marina Abramovic, Miro, Aitana, van gogh, Picasso, Joan Miró, Lama del rey, Ariana Grande, Gaudí, Van Gogh, Ana Mendieta, Isabel Muñoz, louis tomlinson, René Magritte, Picasso, Marina Abramović, Chaeli XCX, dali, Banksy, Banski, Waterhouse, Francisco Herrera el Mozo, Kandinsky, Warhol, tracey emin, Chester Bennington, Picasso, Nan Goldin, La Veneno, NekroXIII, David Bowie, Basquiat, Toulouse Lautrec, Rosalia, Renoir, Dalí, Salvador Dalí, Goya, Samantha Hudson, Andy Warhol, Picasso, Picasso, matieresfecales, Van Gogh, Dalí, Warhol, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Pat McGrath, Leonardo Da Vinci, Pollock, Odilon Redon, Keith Haring, Warhol, Dalí, rubyetc, Pollock, Belen Esteban, Picasso, Dalí, Samantha hudson

Annexes

107%

Athlete Rafael Nadal, neymar, Messi, Mireia Belmonte, Serena Williams, Cristiano, Nadia Comaneci, Villa, Usain Bolt, Rafa Nadal, Miguel Indurain, serena williams, messi, Pau Gasol, Jesús Navas, La onubense del badmington, que no recuerdo su nombre, serena Williams, Messi, Rafa nadal, Rafa Nadal, nadal, Serena Williams, Rafa Nadal, Rafa Nadal, Rafa Nadal, Usain Bolt, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Rafa Nadal, Mesi, Rafa Nadal, rafa nadal, Rafa Nadal, Rafa Nadal, Mireia Belmonte, Mireia Belmonte, Lionel Messi, Rafa Nadal, Vanesa Rial, Rafa Nadal, gerard piqué, Roger Federer, Iván Raña, Rafa Nadal, Messi, messi, Rafa Nadal, Rafa Nadal, LeBron James, La Peleteiro, Mireia Belmonte, Tom daley, messi, Ronaldinho, Messi, Villa, Who?, Messi, Usain Bolt, Cholo Simeone, Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams, Carolina Marín, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Messi, Rafa nadal, Rafa Nadal, Carolina Marín, rafa nadal, Messi, Rafael Nadal, Rafa Nadal, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Pau Gasol, Adam Rippon, Nadal, Javier Fernández (patinaje artístico), Messi, Mireya Belmonte, Serena Williams, Nadal, Rafa Nadal, Rafael Nadal, Los que estan buenos, Rafa Nadal, Manuel neuer

Magician

El mago pop, el mago pop, Harry Potter, Mag Lari, Hermione Granger, Mago pop listillo, Alex Russo, Jorge Blass, Houdini, Tamariz, Harry Potter, no entiendo, harry potter, Mag Lari, No se, Jorge Blas, Houdini, Mago pop, Idk, Harry Potter, mago pop, Pop, El mago pop, Dynamo, Juan Tamariz, O Mago Teto, Shin Lim, Harry Potter, ???, Jorge Blass, mag lari, Merlin, Mag Lari, Dynamo, El mago pop, el de el hormiguero, Mago Pop, Jorge Blas, Dinamo, el mago pop, Mag Lari, Harry Potter, Pop, Dumbledore??, mago pop, Mag Lari, ., Ni idea, Yunke, El Mago Pop, Harry potter, harry potter, Mago pop?, idk, Jorge Blas, Houdini, El mago pop, Mago Pop,

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

Houdini, Ns nc, Mago Pop, Tamariz, Ni idea, Mag Lari, Jaina, Hermione Granger, Jorge blas, Ni idea, Mago Pop, el mago pop, Jorge Blass, Mago Pop, Mago Pop, David Copperfield, Houdini, Gandalf, Houdini, Ni idea, Jorge Blas, Houdini, ?, El Mago Pop lol, Mickey Mouse, ..., No se quieres conocerlo? ;P, El m,ago Pop, Harry Potter, mago pop

Animal

Tigre, gato, Perro, Oso Panda, Chimpancé, Tigre, Cerdo, Gato, Elefante, Leopardo, Rana, gato, gato, Ornitorrinco, Perro, Crossing, tigre, Cebra, Perro, Delfín, elefante, Lobo, Gato, Perro, Gato, Delfín, Koala, Gato, Koala, Perro, Pájaro, perro, Perro, Canguro, gato, Gato, Perro, Elefante, Gato, Gato, ratolí, Perro, Cerdo, León, Zarigüeya, perro, Gato, Perro salchicha, Gato, Perro, Perro, Vaca, gato, Gato, Leona, Escarabajo, Gato, Gato, Araña, Felino, Perro, Perro, Puma, Gato, Elefante, Perro, gato, Cabra, Perro, León, perro, Chinchilla, Panda, Gato, Gato, Gato, Pavo real, Perro, Perro, Tucán, Gato, Pingüino, Serpiente, Jirafa, Gsto, Mi titanoboa, Perro, Nutria, perro

Brand

Gucci, nike, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Samsung, Ferrari, Desigual, Adidas, Adidas, Adidas, Nike, apple, apple, Nike, Nike, Apple, adidas, Nike, Primark, Mitsubishi, stradivarius, Bershka, Nike, BMW, Adidas, Nike, Gucci, Nyx, Intimmisimi, Nike, Adidas, nike, Nike, Nike, nike, Apple, Nike, Nike, Audi, Fila, nike, Adidas, Nike, Nike, Nike, nike, Adidas, Nike, Nike, Vans, Zara, Prada, burberry, Vans, Adidas, Nike, Nike, Adidas, Nike, Chanel, IPhone, Dickies, Apple, Addidas, Dolce & Gabanna, Adidas, Bandai, Adidas, Pepsi, adidas, Nike, Nike, Donuts, Nike, Adidas, Mac, Balenciaga, Nike, Bershka, Apple, Heura, Apple, Prada, Nike, Nike, Yo q se plasta, Adidas, Adidas, Danone

Annexes

109%

Celebrity Paris Hilton, kim kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Elsa Pataky, Paris Hilton, Las Jenner, Slayyyter, Paris Hilton, Madonna, Belen Esteban, Ylenia, paris hilton, paris hilton, Paris Hilton, Mario Vaquerizo, Kim Kardashian, kim kardashian, Selena gomez, Simona ruder, Kim Kardashian, kim kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Ester Expósito, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Samantha Hudson, La Veneno, Aitana, Belen estaban, kim kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Selena Gómez, beyoncé, Rosé Blackpink, Miley Cyrus otra vez xdon, Shakira, Kim Kardashian, Dulceida, louis tomlinson, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, La veneno, kim kardashian, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Kardashian, Topacio Fresh, Belén Esteban, Maria rispa, la pantoja, Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Isa P, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Cameron Dallas, Emily Ratajkowsky, Kylie Jenner, Kiko Rivera, Georgina, Billie Eilish, Ni idea, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Kim Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Ariana Grande, Gaga, Sarah Paulson, Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Cristina La Veneno, Kim Kardashian, París Hilton, Veneno, Kylie Jenner, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Aitana OT, Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, isabel pantoja, Kim Jisoo, Kim kardashian, Tamara falcó

Describe briefly what pop culture is to you referentes, arte, historia y entretenimiento

Todo aquello que de una manera u otra forma parte del imaginario popular y tiene una difusión mediática que lo extiende hacia el público en gran masa.

Es cualquier cosa que forme parte de lo mainstream y tenga impacto en sus creaciones culturales derivadas. Todo lo referente a popular, cercano, facilmente tangible.

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

Cultura (entendida en oposición a natura) es todo lo creado por el ser humano. Ahora bien, cultura pop podría referirse a aquella cultura alejada de la academia y unos estándares rígidos. Cultura pop es por tanto cualquier manifestación artística que un grupo de gente (incluso 2 amigos que se pasan un meme) crea y comparte.

Acontecimientos que marcan un antes y un después. Forma de vida El lenguaje común para una sociedad La cultura que consume la gente “de a pie” la cultura pop es la cultura de todos una ilusión Conjunto de eventos, personas, canciones, pelis, etc que tienen influencia en nuestra vida diaria y que afectan a nuestra comunicación (expresiones que usamos) los personajes y eventos que han influenciado a los jóvenes de las décadas del 2000 y 2010 la cultura pop es toda la cultura popular de ahora.

Está estrechamente relacionado con las redes.

Todo puede convertirse en cultura pop, incluso cosas antiguas Todo aquello relacionado con la cultura que conocemos actualmente y nos parece relevante saber de ello pero que de aquí a 50 años probablemente no tendrá relevancia alguna Desdela ignorancia terminológica me hace referencia a signos símbolos o elementos culturales populares o cotidianos que se desarrollan o ponen

Annexes

111%

de manifiesto el desenvolvimiento de una sociedad en un momento determinado Teóricamente, toda forma cultural, concreta o abstracta, que prevalece o domina (que es popular) en una sociedad determinada. Personalmente, todo aquello creado (o reapropiado) por la comunidad LGTB+.

Tendencias e hitos culturales que no se considerarían culturales en el sentido clásico de la palabra (arte, música y literatura) La cultura pop es una serie de referentes culturales comunes para una gran parte de de la población Para mi la cultura pop es todo el movimiento cultural que ha dejado la música pop, ya sean obras de arte, trajes extravagantes, música, etc.

Lo mainstream, aquello que llega con mayor facilidad a las masas y que es reconocible por gran parte de la población.

Un movemento estético e ideolóxico sempre innovador, sempre cambiante. Non para todas significa o mesmo, non existe UNHA cultura pop senón varias, dependendo do estrato socio-cultural.

Cualquier forma de arte consumida por las masas de gente, generalmente de clase media/ media-baja.

Conjunto de cultura, manifestaciones artísticas, patrones de comportamiento populares, propios de la sociedad actual

Real virtuality

Theoretical framework

Pues son las cosas que se hacen conocidas o populares a gran escala, aunque lo relaciono más con la música la verdad la cultura que está de moda, o tiene tendencias no sabría describirlo realmente :( pero en general la actualidad, la gente/cosas que han aportado algo a la sociedad ya sea musical o otro tipo Las manifestaciones de arte y cultura que la mayoría de una población consume en un tiempo y calan creando un cierto imaginario colectivo Lady gaga katy perry taylor swift ariana grande Conceptos e ideas que forman parte del ideario colectivo y toman un significado o valor compartido por el conjunto de personas y que no necesariamente tiene relación con su interpretación original La cultura pop es algo que es popular dentro de la cultura y por lo tanto tiene un impacto.

Cultura reconocible por sectores muy diferentes de la sociedad (edad, ingresos...) se identifique o no con ella.

Todo Toda la actualidad, relacionado con lo mainstream. Lo que todo el mundo conoce de la gente más top del momento (cantantes, actores, etc).

Cuando dos personas famosas empiezan a salir, las peleas que tienen entre ellos, etc. Saber todo eso y seguirlo día a día es una profesión y es tener cultura pop. Los memes también.

Lo que disfruta el pueblo

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Una forma divertida de vivir la vida y el arte La cultura moderna influenciada por la cultura LGBT pues un conjunto de personas, eventos y acciones que representan la actualidad de una generación Un fenómeno social que envuelve bastantes décadas y campos como el cine, la moda... no solo musicalmente. Eso hace que evolucione constantemente, por tanto ha marcado muchas generaciones.

La cultura de los medios, puede ser desde memes o personas hasta arte Todo lo que abarque un reconocimiento general por parte de la gente de la cultura de masas Todo lo popular, que van componiendo nuestra forma de hablar, de pensar y un imaginario visual colectivo Para mí la cultura pop podría definirse como un gran abanico de personalidades, obras de arte, programas de TV, etc. que se forjan a través del impacto y la repercusión que tienen en el día a día; en lo mainstream. todo y nada La cultura que nos influye en el día a día Cultura pop para mi es todo eso que marca las generaciones. Tipos de estilo de vida, de ropa, de música, que van cambiando durante los años

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La cultura pop es el conjunto de todas las referencias del mundo contemporáneo que son detectables para las clases populares.

Todo aquello que tenga un determinado impacto en la sociedad que haga que la gente sepa lo que es, lo reconozca e incluso lo admire.

Conocimiento general de las tendencias y las modas actuales.

Una fuente de inspiración y una cultura por explotar Todos los colectivos que admiren a Lady Gaga Es un punto en el que la cultura que nos rodea común, ajena a la Academia, toma una forma superior y se deshace de prejuicios para convertirse en icono La cultura pop es una tendencia basada en la música de los años 70-80.

Para mi es vivir la fantasía de lo que tr gusta, estar en contacto con tu lado unicornio y vivir de una manera que te representa!

Todo lo que ses minimamente conocido por la gente Es el movimiento siempre cambiante más popular en la actualidad.

Es interesante saber un poco de ella para estar al día y también su contexto Pues lo cotidiano, lo mamarracho pop

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Para mi es, en parte, una cultura llena de gente que se arriesga y que inspira a tantos otros. Llena de creatividad, locura y cambios constantes. La gente que la sigue suele molar mucho Cultura popular Todo.

Movimiento cultural lleno de color y de música alegre, inclusivo Conjunto imágenes, personajes y acontecimientos en la memoria colectiva popular Todo aquello que haya tenido un impacto en la sociedad y siga siendo relevante a lo largo del tiempo Aquello que nos viene a la mente cuando pensamos en diferentes partes de la sociedad.

Lo popular entre la mayor parte de la población Es la democratización de la cultura, que deje de ser elitista y pase a ser una formada por las personas ordinarias, reflejando más los gustos, las modas y los contextos de la sociedad Todo lo que puedo compartir en cuanto a gusto, referentes e historia con mis semejantes Es el conjunto de ideas, conocimientos... de los cuales se rigen la mayoría de personas.

Performance (como el vídeo de Ter) todo lo que esté de moda entre mis amigas

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Una englobación de cosas que definen a una generación. pff una movida muy loca Todo aquello que nos guste a los maricones. cultura popular. lo que triunfa en el sector.

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Gen Z survey free text input responses

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What city do you live in currently?

Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Málaga, Badalona, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Elche, Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Palma, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Málaga, vigo, Alcorcón, Bcn, Cádiz, Gijón, Compostela, Barcelona pueblo: lliça d'amunt, Ordes, A Coruña, Plön, Alemania, Alcalá de Guadaíra (Sevilla), León, Cabrils, Valdepeñas, Mataró, Terrassa, madrid, Vigo, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Rincón de la Victoria, Alcoy, Cadiz, El puerto de santa maría, Cádiz, Villajoyosa, coruña, Irún, Mataro, barcelona, Elche, Alicante., Liçà d'amunt, Palma de Mallorca, Argentona, Santander, Huelva, BCN, Girona, Santiago de Compostela, Marbella, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Terrassa, Getafe, Carcaixent, Córdoba, bcn, Algaida (Illes Balears), León, Felanitx, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, El Puerto de Sta María, Ciudad Real, Toledo, Tiana cerca de Barcelona, Rincón de la Victoria, Castellon de la plana, Lugo, Alicante, Valladolid, Cádiz, Vigo (Pontevedra), Granada, España, santiago, Leganés, Sevilla, Motril, Palma, A Coruña

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What singer / band / artists are you listening to the most currently?

Yaeji, Madison Beer, Zara Larsson, Lana del Rey y Madison Beer, Britney Spears, Centimillimental, Oklou, mujeres, Russ, C. Tangana, ABBA, Franco Battiato, Noel Gallagher y Travis Birds., C Tangana, Harry styles, taylor swift, Bad Gyal, Aitana Lola Índigo Ctangana Gemeliers, Madison Beer, Lana del rey, Zara Larsson, Ashe, The Weekend, C. Tangana, Miley Cyrus, Paramore, Stray kids, Martin garrix, Miley Cyrus, billy idol, Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers y Paramore, Manel, Ninguno en específico, Ninguno, Bely Basarte, C Tangana, Zara Larsson, Guns N roses, Reno Renardo, cosas así, Ariadna grande, Bad bunny, sza, C. Tangana, Bad Gyal, recycled, Bad Bunny, Kaleo, C tangana lo siento, Juancho Marqués, No sabría decir exactamente cual, pues escucho muchos pero en cuanto al genero Kpop., Nathy Peluso, Viva Suecia, Lorde, Pabllo Vittar, Charlie XCX, Gloria Groove, RuPaul, Lola Indigo, Axolotes Mexicanos, Sech, Todo tipo de música, Ashnikko, Amaral, Elvirus, Ninguno en concreto, últimamente escucho canciones de muchos artistas., Babi y Infected Mushroom, Rels B, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rina Sawayama, Shakira, Metric, Xavibo, Dani Martín, Selena Gómez, Sfdk, C tangana, Yungblud, C Tangana, Joji y Sen senra, Dellafuebte, Kina, Mecano, Jason Derulo, Icon for hire, Sayonara Ponytail, Buena vista social club, Bad gyal, one direction, Beach Bunny, Adore Delano, Dua lipa, Bad bunny, Bad bunny y Hens, Charli XCX, Frank Ocean y Lorde, Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés, la la love you, Paramore, The Boyz (kpop), Ic3peak, MCND, ABBA, Dula peep, Música indie, Mother mother, Billie Eillish, Hamilton, sza, Mitski y The Cure, Revo, Machine gun kelly, Loona, Caroline Polachek, Bely Basarte o Little Mix, Stray Kids, Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift, The Boyz, Gorillaz y BSO de juegos, Frank ocean y one direction/ Harry styles, Rojuu, Jade Pluton Arc, Kali Uchis, N.Fly-

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ing, Morat, (G)I-DLE, Brandy, Nada en concreto, música que me recomienden principalmente., Luz Futuro, Madison Beer, Madonna, SOPHIE, Kali Uchis, Underclock, Teto Preto, Bad Gyal, Rigoberta Bandini, Danny L Harle., Billie eilish, Bad Bunny, kpop y taylor swift, All Time Low, reina republicana, fresquito y mango, pomme, Rodrigo Cuevas, Califato 3/4, kali uchis, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, One Direction, La BSO de Outer Wilds, Tyler, The Creator., kali uchis, C Tangana, Marea, Glitchcore en general, Taylor Swift, Måneskin, Moe Shop, Homer el mero mero (rap), Kitten, Florenc & the Machine, Gesaffelstein, Ariana Grande, Lil darkie, Rita Ora, Lil Uzi vert, Yungblud, C Tangana, Zayn, La Casa Azul, Berried Alive, ACDC, Bad bunny, Bad bunny, The Smiths, Mago de Oz, russ y the neighbourhood, Myke towers, Banda sonora de Night in the Woods., Set It off, Silvana Estrada, Paulo Londra, Natos y Waor, C tangana y Nicki Nicole, Cruz Cafuné, Siamès, Alba Reche, Ricky Montgomery, Caravan Palace, Natalia Lacunza, Mitski, Pole., Breaking Benjamin, Ninguno :v, Go roneo, vetusta morla, pole, One Direction, Declan McKenna, partynextdoor, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Nathy Peluso, Dua Lipa, Angele, Ashnikko, Slayyter, Lana Del Rey, The neighborhood!!! Y Lofi en general, Miley Cyrus, Ashnikko e Ataque Escampe, traw, bandas sonoras, Adele, (G)I-DLE, Conan Gray, Harry Styles, Rigoberta Bandini, Colectivo da silva, Paperkites, Wavves, kali uchis, A. G. Cook, SOPHIE, Luna Ki y algunas bandas sonoras de videojuegos (OMORI, Night in the woods) y anime (Madoka Magica), Beret, morat, yungbud , top, lytos , bmth, Ateez, Zahara, Ozuna, Bad bunny, Un poco de todo, pero mucho canciones de buen rollo, Pole.

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Someone who you look up to and everyone should know?

Samanta Hudson, Marcelo Cantu, Britney Spears, Samantha Hudson, Mi madre, Björk, , Andy Samberg, _, Marcelo Criminal, Pepe Rubianes., C Tangana, Harry styles, mitski, no, M, Marcelo Cantu, No sé, Angela Davis, PaulinaCocina, Hayley Williams, Professor Tracy (@scitimewithtracy en tiktok), Nadie, No se, david bowie, Phoebe Bridgers, Manel, @Cintigar, Broncano, no lo admiro pero me hace gracia, Mecano, Dolly Parton, Foxes, Freddy Mercury, Charli Damelio, Bad bunny, mi amiga sara, Elsa Ruiz, Ya le admiran, shawn mendes, Monismurf, One direction, Charli xcx, Bebi Fernandez, Hay demasiadas personas a quien admiro y el mundo debería conocer., Dorian Electra, Taylor Swift, Princesa Diana de Gales, Gloria Groove, Samantha hudson, Will Smith, ¿Mi madre cuenta?, Matt collishaw, Aurora, Samantha Hudson, No, Eliza Ivanova (eleeza), @Decastro_tattoo en insta, Samantha Hudson, No lo sé, No sé, Peter Capaldi, Rita Ora, (Ni idea ahora, la verdad), Alec Benjamin, Lizzo, Paula Usero (actriz), Nathy Peluso, Taylor swift, Samantha hugson, Dad, how do I?, Ibai, Ariel Bloomer, Rex Orange County, Jacob Collier, Bad gyal, dan povenmire, N/A, Adore Delano, Inés Hernand, Lili Reinhart, María Patiño, Samantha Hudson, Lorde, Victoria Martín (cómica), María Xesús Froxan, Kevin Moon, Marry me Bellamy, Odile Monod (en redes sociales), Lady Gaga, -, Diario de una científica, bioaprender...

Son cuentas de divulgación científica en Instagram, Lorraine Hansberry, mi amiga sara, Samantha Hudson, Samantha Hudson, Nicholas Baker, Rihanna, Dr Becky Smethurst, Bely Basarte, Stray Kida también, No se me ocurre nadie, perdón, Mi madre, The Boyz, Tartaglia, HARRY STYLES OBVIAMENTE, Jade Pluton Arc, Kim Jaehyun (N.Flying), Victormame, (G)I-DLE xd, Mi madre, D'Angelo Wallace (youtuber)., Samantha Hudson.,

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Billie eilish, Sara Sálamo, taylor swift, ...no sé., no! kill your idols!, Katya, Lindsay Ellis (youtuber), profe mauro quintana, Taylor Swift, Dianina XL, Simone de Beauvoir, Lizzo, NS/NC pero sigo mucho a Alexelcapo, Djonga, rapero brasileño., , Marea, Nadie, Louis Tomlinson, Ingmar Bergman, J dose, Nicole Dollanganger, Xiran Jay Zhao, Mis amig@s, Blackpink, Crokeyz, Halsey, Kobe Bryant, Lizzo, Keanu Reeves, Jameela Jamil, Marie Curie, Miquel Pulido, Casey Neistat, Lili Reinhart, Lili Reinhart, MimiXXL, A mi abuelo, sophia bush (actriz y activista), ., Sammantha Hudson., Dr Ana María Polo, Samantha Hudson, Mi padre, Nadie, Florence and the machine y Hozier, Harry Styles, Emma Watson, Alba Reche, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Avril Lavigne, Xokas, Sergiofu8_8, ., Harry Styles y Adele, Theo malorde, kiddo manteca (productor de música), Lilly Sabri, Ahora mismo a nadie., No lo sé, Ai weiwei, Marala, Gaga, Samantha Hudson, Mi abuelo, Ya la conoce mucha gente, pero Samantha sabe de lo que habla y lo hace muy bien, Tammy Brown, Sonna_ , ElXokas, Nadie, (G)I-DLE xd,Leonard Cohen, Juan Carlos Ortega, Mi yayi? Y Eugenia Tenenbaum, -, vegazzzelona, ContraPoints, No tengo a nadie, W24, Yolanda Díaz, Brock ansiolitiko, sharif, Bad bunny, Bts, kodaline, leon leiden (no se(, Avril Lavigne

LCI Barcelona

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20:21 Wednesday, 14 July

Miquel Pulido García

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Real virtuality Generation Z on social media

TFE · Part 2/2 Practical framework

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‹ Real virtuality, Generation Z on social media Practical framework

Trabajo Final de Estudios

By Miquel Pulido García Student code: 201835289 Barcelona, 14th of july 2021 Tutoring: Anna Prats, Joan Gallifa & Marc Salinas Project director: Sergi Carbonell 2018-2021 Diploma Universitario Diseño Gráfico y Digital LCI Barcelona Typefaces: Roboto by Google Fonts and Segoe UI Emoji by Microsoft

Edited July 14, 2021

For the girls and for the gays♥

Thanks to my mentors in this project for always wanting to get the best of me and keeping pushing forwards. Huge appreciation to my url and irl friends for keeping the spark going and feeding my mind with fresh and exciting ideas. I am grateful for SOPHIE and all the PC Music gang for opening my mind to new frontiers. Finally, thanks to the Internet for raising me and making me who I am today. Get into it.

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content

Key insights Online communities Language Memes

009 Project map

037 Look & feel

013 The Gen Z Guide

029 References and inspiration

Problem insight

Logo

Brand idea and values

Typography

Personality

Icons

Storytelling

Colours

Naming

Assets 045 The brand

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Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok

Planning

095 Final results

075 Content

109 Conclusions

reaction pics

other albums

Project map

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This project consists in the creation of a digital content platform. The target audience is the Generation Z, the current generation of teens and young adults that are in symbiosis with smartphones and the world wide web. That is why this platform will only live in social media, using transmedia storytelling to adapt its content and language to each individual channel. It will use internet slang and codes together with the power of pop culture references to talk about current topics and subjects that matter and are relevant to Gen Z. This is an effort to bring valuable and exciting information closer to this hyper-informed and hyper-connected generation, through a well-curated, aesthetically pleasing and disruptive selection content, to give a tool to the youngest generation to understand the world we live in.

The goals of this project are to explore and outline Gen Z behaviour, language, codes and media on social media to understand and appeal to them in a non-invasive manner. Take a deep dive into social media and get to know how it works and how to make profit out of it. There have already been other brands that are attempting to do this and they are lacking in a lot of aspects and presenting a rather precarious product that could be refined and updated. Give Gen Z a platform that understands them and is truly relatable to them.

The outlook of the project are three main segments that interconnect with each other. The first is to dwell on and define what subjects or concerns affect Gen Z, what they are interested in, trends and current events they are involved in. This will guideline the rest of the project, making sure that everything takes into account the core values of the target audience.

The second main segment of the project is creating a brand that will embody all of the values and research previously mentioned. This will

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include a branding process from naming, creating a brand identity and visual resources. Taking into account the digital nature of the project, it will focus on functioning in social media, creating a flexible graphic system. Furthermore, I will develop a basic digital marketing strategy to elaborate even more into the full project experience.

Finally the third main segment of the project is content production for the platform. Aiming to create a transmedia storyline, taking into account the perks of each medium (social media) to adapt and focus different types of content for each one. This will take form only after the two previously mentioned segments are completed, ensuring a strong brand fidelity and cohesion.

GEN Z INTERESTS

BRANDING

Mental health, gender expression and sexuality, social justice, music, movies, tv, shows, creativity, memes/humor...

Naming, identity, visual resources

DIGITAL PLATFORM codes, media & language appealing content

CONTENT

carefully curated

In depth case studies about Pop culture topics, viral media/memes, recurrent content, relevant news

Social media Instagram TikTok Twitter Youtube ...

The Gen Z Guide Key insights Online communities Language Memes

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→The Gen Z Guide Key Insights

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All information retrieved from the 2021 article by Digital Business Lab “Decoding Generation Z: Key Social Media Insights” [13]

More Global

“With how social media spreads news around, we are very educated and informed on how the world is.”

Eager to Stand Out

“We are more focused on innovation and uniqueness.”

Under the Influence

“I keep up with celebrities, influencers, and brands through Instagram.”

More Demanding

“Brands need to work more to retain their customers (since our choices have really gotten pretty limitless) – I would like it if they are more personal, increase their offerings and make it easier to find things that you’re looking for.”

After Experience

“The experiences I have had, they do define me in a way – not so that I can show off about them, but what they have taught me is really valuable.”

Pro-Social

“Ethics and message are most important to me…you cannot expect people to buy your products if your ethics are trash.”

The Gen Z Guide

Mindful Ethics-conscious with their shopping

Bear in mind that Generation Z is the most socially progressive of all generations. This population cares deeply about topics like racial and gender equality, fair business practices, environmental conservation, animal welfare, and so on. They want to appear socially-responsible and prefer environmentally responsible and socially ethical brands. They tend to choose natural and organic products. Engage Gen Zers through words and images that celebrate diversity, inclusion, and fluid lifestyles.

Brand values

They tend to look for brands that speak to their values and show that they can evolve, brands that show their personality and uniqueness but are also well known enough to be recognized. To earn Gen Zers’ trust, communicate social media messages that align with their values and attitudes genuinely and convincingly.

Authentic story seekers

They prefer to follow digital influencers that are ordinary teens that they can relate to rather than celebrities. Behind-the-scenes content.

Deeper and more intimate degree of engagement

When it comes to marketing, Gen Z audiences are much savvier than passive audiences. They want one that makes them feel like they’re communicating with a real person. They are willing to initiate and develop experience & relationships with brands that follow this model. Develop a company persona that is approachable and accommodating, and you will have a far easier time converting Gen Zers.

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Multimedia They are a video-centric demographic, greatly influenced in their brand selection by video contents, and highly embrace various interactive experiences. Keep your brand message concise, short, and to the point. Gen Z has the shortest attention spans with an average of just over 8 seconds (according to a 2017 study by Forbes). They prefer quick, easily digestible snippets of information. Gen Z cannot bear long, wordy material because there is so much media competing for their attention.

Some social media content formats brands should consider leveraging to engage Generation Z: Live-stream event, Microcontent, In-feed videos, Hashtag campaigns, AR content, Influencer marketing and Brand takeover

The Gen Z Guide

Mobile Generation Z prefer mobile browsing to desktop or laptop browsing. This should give advertisers an idea of how to leverage their online ads to cater to on-the-go Gen Z prospects. When Gen Z consumers shop online, the website experience is a key determining factor of whether they check out or not.

The study has found ¾ of Gen Z use their phones while checking out online. Mobile optimization – As mobile-friendly as possible! Exclusive experiences like offering personalized connections through messaging platforms like Messenger or WhatsApp.

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→The Gen Z Guide

Online communities

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As Gen Z live most of their life online it is only natural that they socialize and create communities within social media. Humans are social beings and, just as in the offline world, we look for our communities of like-minded people. Usually drawn by a common interest on a subject like a fandom, a hobby, a cultural group, political point of view, career… These online communities go much deeper than “in real life” ones. They allow intersectionality in various ways, since one person can take part in different disconnected communities, bridging the gap for new conversations and experiences. The classic from mouth to mouth socialization is amplified and now you not only can communicate with your friends, but also intervene in conversations with their friends, enlarging the social network creating simultaneous multiple connections with one another.

Intersectionality in current social media is its own means of evolution. We observe communities within communities blurring borders with one another, creating a melting-pot of knowledge, opinions and aesthetics. Another key point in this subject is intersectionality in language. As stated in the points before, Gen Z can connect among themselves very efficiently through memes and internet slang, generating an extremely prolific and complex post-internet vocabulary. It is used, revised and renewed constantly, keeping up with the hectic pace of today's society. This terminology is very polarized, being extremely vernacular, to the point where certain terms are only understood within one particular community.

And it is noted that even to a certain extent, English is the mother tongue to modern internet users anywhere in the world, justifying why these terms are in english, mostly from the USA or UK. While it is true that the use of these words and expressions are well widespread and normalized through the whole world wide web, it is worth mentioning that most of these

The Gen Z Guide

popular memes and expressions are originated from AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) and LGBTQ culture, opening up the debate of whether expressions like “yas”, “tea” or “wig” are legitimate to internet slang or has been apropriated from black and queer culture, whitewashing and capitalising its use.

Amongst the amalgam of profiles and communities, the so called stan culture is one standing out from the rest. Stan culture or community (technically called stan twitter for its prolific activity on that social network) is a community of users that post opinions related to music, celebrities, TV shows, movies and social media. Stan Twitter has been noted for its aptly fanatic culture and behavior and for its particular shared terminology. "Stans aren't just superfans, they're a community of like-minded souls coming together, unified under the banner of wanting to see their chosen celebrity flourish. Friendships are made, bonding over a shared love of an artist, their work, their achievements." The term stan itself is used as both a noun and verb with many variants, including "[I or we] stan", which is a phrase used for one to express a liking of, as well as praise or support of, any person or artistic work. Contrasting with the stans we find “locals”, the general public outside this community - people not congregated around specific interests or in defined communities. [12] All of these patterns of communicating and behaving are not isolated to one kind of community, not even one social media platform. Each and every little online colony has its particular memes, inside jokes, idioms, borrowed ways of expression, but just like memes, these are replicated, relocated and repurposed thanks to this intersectionality within the network. Although Gen Z might use each social media platform for a very specific reason, we can observe how these communities and customs adapt and overcome all of them.

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→The Gen Z Guide Language

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Like every other generation, Generation Z has its specific ways of speaking, acting, and interacting with each other. Slang is a key part when defining a community. As commented in the last section, communication and relationships are greatly defined by social media and the communities formed within them. Obviously it would be nonsense to try to categorize and encompass every single different gen z behaviour, but whether they group by origin, circle of friends, culture, sexuality, affinity to a sport, political parties, celebrities, taste in music, films, TV shows… Most of them follow a similar pattern in how they communicate and interact online.

Next are some general guidelines on communicating like a true Gen Zer nowadays, as observed in different social media groups. But as with everything, the excessive use of these concepts will be detrimental to communication, resulting in forced, unnatural and out of place messages that will scare away Gen Zers.

writing everything in small caps sometimes omitting punctuation n using abbreviations regularly BUT without overthinkin it, it has to look like it was typed naturally ALSO USING ALL CAPS FOR A WHOLE MESSAGE TO SHOW OVER THE TOP EXCITEMENT OR INTENSE EMOTION, AND WITH A LOT OF PUNCTUATION!!!!!!??!!!!!!!

Over exaggerating, dramatizing and overreacting is very common. OMG REALLY?

The Gen Z Guide

Use of emoji to enhance emotions or decorate messages. Most of the time placed just at the end of the message. Combinations of emoji can be used as a message just by themselves, but these could appear to be unnatural and overkill depending on the combination. 😯✨🔥🔥🖤🖤🤣🤣🤣 Irony, satire, sarcasm and dark humour is well spread and normalized among Gen Zers, like the depression caused by the constant crushing of the capitalist society we are forced to take part in!

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Referring to the previous point, AAVE and LGBTQ culture has greatly impacted the creation and spreading of expressions integrated on the digital Gen Z vocabulary worldwide. As we will see in the next section, memes have also been incorporated into the daily language on social media. The life of all of these terms is quite volatile as more and more expressions are created constantly, battling to get viral for a few seconds in the fast-paced stream of internet culture. But some expressions and idioms are timeless and others have stuck around enough to get stuck in the collective imaginary. Here are some commonly-used terms on internet culture, mainly stan culture, nowadays and their definitions and/or use (definitions retrieved from Urban Dictionary).

Bestie

Just a nickname for your best friend, but you can call anyone your bestie if you legitimately care about them. In most cases, there is no real meaning behind it. It is just a greeting or a nice way to start a comment. In other words, it is a term of endearment.

Just like the words “honey”, “mate” or “darling”.

Cancelled

Or "cancelled culture" means when someone does something bad (being racist, sexist, manipulative etc) you would most likely be "cancelled" , basically means no one would look at you in a good way anymore, no respect, no credibility… This is mostly found on the internet and people who are mainly cancelled are celebrities and online influencers.

The Gen Z Guide

Chile

Pronounced like “child” without the d.

Used when someone does something questionable, sort of like “wtf”. Nicki Minaj popularized it when someone commented on her big breasts on instagram live. she said “um chile... anyways” and people have started using it as a meme. However, it’s been around and used in the black community for years.

Chill

The new way of saying cool.

Cringe

When someone acts/ or is so embarrassing or awkward, it makes you feel extremely ashamed and/or embarrassed.

Get into it

Used when you are about to get into some deep, emotional or pot stirring statements. Usually used when something is very relatable and can be used for something positive--like when in agreement with somebody or in disagreement.

It’s the … for me

Making a remark on a detail that you either like or dislike. Can be used in both a positive or negative connotation, but is most often used negatively.

Example: “I don’t like him. It’s the mustache for me.” or “I love Harry Styles.” “Me too! It’s the non-toxic masculinity for me.”

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Key smash

A random smashing of the keyboard that conveys intense or overwhelming emotion that cannot be expressed through words. However, there is an art to this trade. For the perfect key smash, use the "Home Keys" on your keyboard; this includes the letters a,s,d,f,j,k,l,; as well as g and h. It is a staple of the LGBT community and a versatile conversational tool.

Lowkey

Used to describe one's thoughts, desires, or feelings in a subtle way. It can also indicate something that is secretly (perhaps somewhat shamefully) wanted or felt by the speaker.

Mood

Used to express that something is relatable. Similar to 'Same'. If something is especially relatable, one might say 'Big Mood.' This implies that your whole being is one and the same with whatever you are commenting on.

Mutuals

Internet persona(s) who happens to follow you and you happen to follow them back and maintain communication with and have a mutual liking for each other whether it be friendship wise, etc.

OOMF

An acronym for "one of my followers"; in reference to a Twitter user's followers. Or can be "one of my friends."

The Gen Z Guide

Period

A word used after a statement to emphasise its finality, usually used to sound more savage. Sometimes used adding a “t” at the end to create more impact.

Sis

Short for sister, commonly used to refer to a close friend or bestfriend.

Simp

Someone who does way too much for a person they like.

Slaps

Positive term for anything cool, but most frequently used to describe a good song: "That song really slaps."

Stan

As a verb, to stan something means to support or “stand up” for it. It can be used as a compliment too.

Skinny legend

A positive term that glorifies and praises the person it is meant to describe. it has no correlation to one's actual weight or body shape.

It means something that is "iconic" and "can't be stopped" Mariah Carey stans were the first to use it.

Tea

Or “The T”. Gossip, juicy news, pivotal info about something that went down recently. Term became increasingly popular amongst the African American gay community.

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As explored before in the memes section on the theoretical framework, memes are an intrinsic part of Generation Z’s way of communicating online.

They serve to make a joke, serve as a coping mechanism, provide social commentary, spread awareness, advocate a cause, or communicate a sentiment.

They have different layers of understanding depending on how deep is your knowledge about the subject, the origin, the context, the popular use etc.

But a good meme is understandable at first sight by anyone. As shown on the previous surveys and fieldwork, Generation Z prefers pop culture references, animals, and other miscellaneous reaction pictures to use or see used as memes. Maybe we don't know the full story behind each meme but the conclusion is that as long as they convey the right emotion or get your point across it is valid.

There's also a really fine line two when the use of a meme is considered acceptable, with the risk of looking old-fashioned, invasive, tone deaf and completely disconnected from reality. This is where a ton of brands lack the sensibility and knowledge of the nuances that are required to be spot-on with your meme use. You have to be really careful and observe your digital surroundings to know what or what is not going to work at that moment. And honestly I don't think that that can be fully taught or passed on. You have to be a true digital native.

It is also worth mentioning a subjective differentiation between “meme” and “reaction pic”. Personally, a reaction pic can be literally anything that you attach to your message to get your point across, whether it be a picture of your dog, a friend doing a funny face or a screencap off a random TV show that you watch. But this is not a meme. Yet. It has to be shared, spread, multiplied, edited, re-edited, revamped and reused to become a meme. This is the essence of a meme, it has to become somewhat popular to get that status.

Next are some examples of memes that could work when well used.

The Gen Z Guide

Pop culture

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References and inspiration

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In the same framework of this project, we can find similar brands that are already doing in some way what I want to do. That is why I will take them as reference points to develop my project and use them as case studies to see what they are doing, how they are doing it and what I can improve to make my product better. Truth be told, I find them lacking in a lot of aspects and presenting a rather precarious product that could be refined and updated.

Now I will analyse them and point out what I like and assimilate from them and what I don’t find very appealing and want to stay away from.

The first I want to talk about is Mood Z. [8] They define themselves as the factory of young digital content in catalan from TV3, the public television broadcaster from Catalonia. They offer entertainment, information and culture while giving a voice to Generation Z. Broadcasting through social media, they feed from end-to-end content created entirely by a young team. Their content is similar to a conventional TV show focused on interviews, news reports and other opinion and experience based content, where teenagers are always the focus. They operate mainly on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube. Each social media platform has its own type of content, although they have a website where they gather everything and categorize everything to make it more accessible.

One thing I noted that I really liked was the subjects of the content they produce with kind of edge to it, with no reservations, being fresh and young but respectful. They talk about a broad selection of current topics that are relevant to their target from sex, gender expression, racism or politics to cooking and TV miscellaneous. They also have a strong visual identity that makes them recognizable through every platform, using bold colours, modern typography and motion graphics, being relatable to their audience.

References and inspiration

Mood Z Instagram profile

Playz Instagram profile

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This point with the professional production of camera work, sound, lighting etc gives Mood Z a great value.

On the other hand, one of the main weak points I find is that everything is hosted by their team, unknown faces, making the content seem almost vernacular for a first time user, with no familiar faces to recognize and cling to them to introduce you to their content.

The second great exponent in this field is Playz [32], with their work frame being very similar to the last one here exposed. Playz is the platform for exclusively digital content from RTVE, spanish national public TV broadcaster. Their platform is built practically like a TV channel focused on the professional production of content like shows, movies, daily programmes or live events. Operating on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, their website is the main hub of their content supported by the big corporation that funds them. They count with a broad team, from journalists to influencers, to be the face of their content.

Content is targeted to a young audience, focusing on trends, hot topics and urban lifestyle. It’s not as socially conscious as the one produced by Mood Z, which gives it a kind of cold and impersonal look.

What stands out from this platform is obviously the great production quality of their content, having in consideration that they have the resources of one of the most important broadcasters in the country. Maybe that’s also a restraint for its content and appearance, being pretty conservative and showcasing a certain image that is not necessarily the most colourful and open-minded.

These are the major exponentials in this field of work that I would like to take into account when making my project. But I would like to bridge the gap between these more traditional and journalism-focused contents with those of fashion and culture

References and inspiration

magazines such as i-D, PAPER, Vice, CRACK, Dazed, Numéro, NEO2, Vein, Fucking Young!, Odiseo, La nueva carne... to provide an added value to the project.

The biggest lack I find in the aforementioned platforms is their poor artistic direction and the scarcity of edge and disruption to the form of the contents. I think that elevating the aesthetic value and the way the content is presented to the public will be beneficial and will differentiate my project from the rest.

I also want to mention as great sources of inspiration The Influencers Festival and Mira Festival [26], two digital arts festivals from Barcelona based on exhibition, dissemination and education, focused on the intersection between arts and digital culture.

Likewise, I admire their disruptive approach to technology and society and how we can use them to create new media and interactions with one another.

Examples of well curated magazines as reference for the project.

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The point of reference for the visual identity of the brand is mainly the Y2K aesthetic movement. Y2K was a style popularized in the late 90s and early 2000s captured in graphic design, film, fashion, architecture and industrial design, to name a few. With some major exponents in these disciplines like Karim Rashid, Jean Paul Gaultier, Büro Destruct, The Designers Republic or The Attik, the style was shaped by the change of millenium and optimistic possibilities of the future. Its influences vary from a wide range of sources, from science fiction to japanese visual style, but the most relevant feature is the use of the new technologies, software and tools available at the time, immersing fully into a new digital landscape filled with crazy shiny 3D graphics mashed with 2D alien shapes, organic figures and futuristic environments.

The choice of this style is not arbitrary. As stated before, this style originated in the late 90s and early 2000s, the same years Gen Z was being born. I found a really interesting link between these facts and based the visual identity of the brand around it.

Trends are known to be cyclical, and in recent years we have been seeing a revival of the Y2K aesthetic in many outlets. The influence of this “neo-y2k”, as some have named it, is flooding the media, bringing back the essence of the style but updating it to fit the current times with hyperrealistic 3D renders, crisp graphics and whimsical messages. The rise of the neo-y2k aesthetic is likely linked to the wave of nostalgia worship and retro styles that is rising on the mainstream media in recent years, where praising past times and childhood seems to be the trend.

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Y2K and neo-y2k aesthetic

Look & feel

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context Gen Z Social media Smartphone Bedroom Inner world ...

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people Teenagers Alternative Diverse Global Unapologetic ...

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aesthetics Neo-Y2K Retrofuturistic Digital Gradients Hyperreal Vibrant ...

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The brand Problem insight Brand idea and values Personality Storytelling Naming Logo Typography Icons Colours Assets

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Problem insight

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What?

The lack of understanding and connection that the current digital media outlets have with the Gen Z. They are misunderstood and misrepresented by these brands and organizations that try to appeal to them. Failing by being outdated and invasive before the youngest generations, offering poor, uninteresting, inappropriate content without having in mind their real interests, language, codes or media.

Why? The generational breach between the people in power and the generations they target is widening. Gen Z is growing up in a hyper-fast developing society that changes the world rapidly, making comprehension between generations harder than ever.

When?

At all times, whenever a brand or media outlets try to appeal to Gen Z with their products or content.

The brand

Who? Generation Z, especially the oldest demographic, ranging from 1997 to 2003.

How? Forcing bland, generic and random content to young people through any channel. Talking about trivial, superficial and generic subjects, that otherwise could be interesting, reaching the point of burning out and overexploiting. Being vulgar, numb and biased.

Without showing any referents to relate to or place yourself into this content. Using people or manners that look artificial, faceless and lacking preparation to communicate like a Gen Zer without feeling invasive.

Where?

On the internet, especially social media, mostly on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

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Brand idea and values

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Generation Z deserves to be understood.

Providing Gen Z a platform that genuinely understands them, being truly relatable, appealing and comprehensive without being an intruder.

Youthful, fresh, disruptive, inclusive, diverse, creative, expressive, trendy, understanding, liquid, ordinary, interactive, relatable, real, desirable, curious, unapologetic, unique, quality, endearing, supportive, friendly, inspiring, real, global, social, witty, ethicallyconscious, intersectional, thought-provoking

The brand

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Personality

Ordinary person + Creator Attitude

We are regular just like you. Just like anyone else. We like to get real, with our virtues and flaws. Acknowledging that, we want to build a better world whatever it takes, using what is in our will to do so. We know that times are not easy nowadays and, although it might suck sometimes, one step at a time we can move forward to a better future. Try to enjoy the amazing things that are around us, have fun, learn and create.

As part of Generation Z we are bold, nonconformists, inclusive and focused on innovation and uniqueness. We are strongly-opinionated, especially when standing up for social and ethical causes like racial and gender equality, fair business practices, environmental conservation, animal welfare etc. Dramatizing, exaggerating and laughing at the state of the world using wit and irony is our way of facing life.

Goal

Show reality as it is, no filter or editing. But also idealising life a bit, because it would be very boring.

Develop your passions unapologetically. It is only by showing our uniqueness that we will build a rich and elaborated community.

Connect with Gen Zers using their true way of communicating, understanding of the world, interests and concerns to offer them worthy and influential content that appeals to them.

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Fear

Be pretentious and singled out. To be bullied and despised, repressed to the point of dullness and boredom. Death.

Boomers, the future and the current state of the world with climate change, the rise of fascism, social inequality, the effects of the pandemic on the long run...

Strategy

Being your best friend, or at least a very valued one.

We don’t have to be perfect as long as we keep moving forward improving ourselves. Endearing messages of mutual understanding, friendly, inspiring, honest but keeping it real. Celebrate diversity, creativity and self expression.

Using the language, codes, and insights of true Gen Zers, like slang, trends, memes, pop culture references and eye-catching content that is catered and appealing to them.

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hey bestie!!! I don't know about you, but we are sick of mainstream brands and organizations trying to be relatable with cringy stereotypes like “OMG slay queen let’s do a tiktok!!!” Can you come up with something else?

We bring you the hottest news, trends and entertaining content that is actually worth your time. For real, as gen z ourselves our purpose is to create a platform that genuinely gets us.

Content by, for and about the true gen z!

As part of gen z we are bold, nonconformists and inclusive, like Lil Nas pole dancing down to hell. Focused on innovation and uniqueness like Billie Eilish. And we are strongly-opinionated, especially when standing up for ethical and social causes, channeling our inner Greta Thunberg.

Let’s show the world that we are much more than what mainstream media forces us to be, get into it!!!!

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Naming

The naming process for the brand was its own journey. It had to enclose the values of the brand and personality of gen z, while having the qualities of a good name like being short, memorable and playful.

Because of the young and trendy nature of the project, I had to be careful what to choose because a word could be perfect as a brand name today but be obsolete a month from now. Rather than trying to be trendy and edgy using some vernacular internet slang, I wanted a simple name that was appealing to a broader audience and that conveyed more of the essence of the brand rather than being super specific.

After a long process using naming creation methods, sorting between words related to the brand, the concept, the target, the content; looking for synonyms, phrasal verbs, idioms and a lot of word combinations I finally got it: bestie (stylized in all lowercase)

naming tagline

bestie get into it! bestie is a timeless term. It means “best friend” in English slang, and it has been used since forever. It’s short, bold, light-hearted and widely recognizable.

Furthermore, it conveys the strategy and values of the brand of being close to the target, unapologetic, easygoing and “like one of us”. Also, as of 2021, the term has regained popularity amongst gen z on the internet, being a term of endearment to anyone you talk to online, even if you don’t know that person.

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On the same note, the main tagline of the brand had to fit the vibe of the brand and the naming.

Although it will be a secondary element of the brand, it helps to reinforce brand identity and recognizability. Most importantly, it had to be informative and give a glimpse of what the brand is about, appealing in some way to be related to information, young content and entertainment. After another vocabulary adventure some ideas came up like “what’s the tea?”, “hey did you know?” and “truly relatable”, but none of them ended up truly resonating with the brand. Finally, the pieces came together to form the final tagline: get into it!

It is a provocative tagline that somewhat describes and reinforce the verbal identity of the brand and its values. It can be read with slightly different meanings that overall are true to the brand and act as a subtle description of it. The most general meaning for it is to invite the receptor to be interested and start to be involved in new things. The second, more vernacular, meaning is a slang idiom used when something controversial or confrontational is said, as a way of reassuring yourself being unapologetic about your opinion and asking the receptor to be okay with your statement, whether they like it or not.

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Having established Y2K as the overall aesthetic of the project, the logo certainly had to be made according to the style. After a phase of investigating the type work in projects of that aesthetic, the first proposal was to use a typeface of that style, usually a bold sans serif with some quirks and a retro-sci-fi reminiscence. Although having interesting results, they were very shallow and unimpressive. On the bright side, this step was useful to determine the general typographies of the brand, explained in the next section.

Finally, I opted to create a lettering inspired by the shapes and essence of Y2K. I observed some recurring motifs like the use of bold, bulky sans serifs, extreme contrast of strokes, use of italics, and over the top ornamentation in the form of strokes, outlines, shadows and other effects.

With this in mind, I sketched many options of what the logo could look like. Finally, I opted for a bold and compact composition, based on the italics inclination and proportions of the main typeface, Ultra Hyper, with some interlocking letters and a much more modular structure.

The final result is a solid and bold composition of letters, unified by an outer stroke. It is a hybrid of retro custom type with bold rounded shapes, reminiscent of video games or children shows and a more modern approach to lettering with an extreme contrast and spacing and interlocking letters.

Overall, this gives the logo a unique, playful but memorable look, appealing to a wide audience.

The mark can be used in multiple applications with any brand colour, being mindful of having a good amount of contrast with the background. For smaller or tighter compositions, there is also a logo reduction, made up of only the initial “b” with the stroke.

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Logo applications in positive, negative, on a gradient and 3D version

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Logo creative process

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Logo creative process

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Typography

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Ultra Display by Jeremy Rieger (2021) Regular and Italic.460 glyphs including ligatures.

An ultra bold sans serif typeface inspired by the type of the 90s/00s, a love-letter to y2k design.

Nostalgic and futuristic at the same time.

Ultra Display is the main display typeface of the brand because of its strong personality and serving as a template for the brand logo, making them a perfect fit. It is used as a header and highlights font since its tight spacing make it only suitable for bigger sizes.

Ultra Hyper Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Ññ Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 0123456789!?@#&/$ Make way for Rico Nasty Greta Thunberg and the young activists fighting for their future

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ARK-ES by Eddie Stuart (2020) Dense Regular. Quirky, experimental typeface that maximises a limited 6x6 grid parameter, with a nod to retro-futuristic type.

To change things up a bit and not be monotonous, ARK-ES is used as a complimentary display typeface when highlights and headers need more hierarchy. Its unique shapes and slimmer weight contrasts enough with Ultra Display and combines surprisingly well with it, having both a futuristic flare.

ark-es A B C D e F G H I j k l m n o p Q r S t u V w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? @ # & / $ Make way for Rico Greta Thunberg and the young activists fighting for the

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Clash Grotesk by Indian Type Foundry (2021) Regular. A neo-grotesque sans serif with a twist. Its letterforms have very small apertures while the x-height is tall, and the counterforms inside the letters are rather large.

Clash Grotesk is the running text typeface of the brand because of its contemporary design and versatility, especially in smaller sizes. The square shapes of the letters combine with the geometry of “Ultra Display”, keeping the combination of type cohesive.

It is used as a header and highlights font since its tight spacing make it only suitable for bigger sizes.

Clash Grotesk Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Ññ Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 0123456789!?@#&/$ Make way for Rico Nasty Self-care is a concept we’ve been ruminating on for decades. In his 1976 study The History of Sexuality, philosopher Michel Foucault concluded that self-care is key to ‘self-knowledge’, positing it is a foundational

The brand

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Expanding the brand visual identity, I created a cohesive collection of icons inspired by Y2K designs based on the proportions of the logo.

These icons serve as a visual help and also to reinforce brand presence in pieces where maybe type is not the most suitable option.

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Colours

Rather than defining a specific brand colour, I opted for creating a colour environment that adapts to the brand and its content depending on which context is being used. This ensures that the design is fresh and spontaneous while keeping it cohesive and branded. The colour palette is formed by bright and saturated colours, appealing to the digital world the brand lives in. Since it will only have an online presence, the RGB spectrum is fully exploited to get a vibrant and contrasted range of colours. Having said that, the orange, pink, light blue and lime green are the most dominant colours, always appearing as the most dominant colours on the pieces.

R243 G169 #F2A88F

B142

R201 G240 #C9F01C

B27

R251 G227 #FAE31C

B29

R245 G131 #F58208

B7

R93 G197 #5CC4C4

B196

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R243 G116 #F273C4

B197

R157 G25 #9E1A70

B113

R129 G134 #8287ED

B238

R30 G136 #1F87F7

B248

R59 G165 #3BA678

B119

R12 G14 #0D0D0A

B11

R123 G241 #7AF2D6

R79 G184 #4FB8F0

B240

R249 G249 #FAFAFA

B249

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Another key part of the visual identity of the brand are the graphic resources used to ensure cohesion and brand presence in all the generated content.

The main distinguished visual trait of the brand is the use of colour gradients as a base for the content. A solid colour is seldom used, instead the backgrounds and other applications will depict abstract washes of colour, turbulent noise, radial or linear gradients from two to four combinationsof colours, making endless results. When in video format, the gradients should be animated in some way to show dynamism and visual interest.

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The photographic style of the brand, whenever can be controlled, should follow a Y2K aesthetic and vibe from the framing of the picture, using distortion lenses like fish-eye or wide-angle, to the styling, fashion and acting of the subjects, evoking the super-superficial 90s era and style.

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The brand

To ensure a cohesive look over all the content, all images and videos get a stylistic treatment to unify content coming from different sources and creating a stronger brand presence. The treatment is intended to create a signature look, almost dreamy and nostalgic, using bright blurs, extra sharpening, more saturation and addition of noise to tie everything up.

without treatment

with treatment

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There are some text styles used throughout the content, inspired by Y2K artworks, like an outlined text, double outlined text and colourful drop shadow. This ensures that the text pops up from the background while adding more colour and visual interest to the compositions.

The brand

Another recurring resource for the images themselves is a colourful drop shadow, used to highlight and create contrast with the background.

Finally, another important resources are rounded edges, especially in images and other assets like frames. This gives a softer and playful look to the content and also links it with the shapes of the letterforms in the logo.

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Demos and early explorations of the brand's visual style

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Content Monthly topic Instagram TikTok Twitter YouTube Planning

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Content

This section will explain how the content is intended to be developed and used in each social media platform. Returning to the transmedia storytelling section of the theoretical framework, bestie will assimilate some of its principles. The intention is to create fresh and exciting content that is constantly renewed and is adapted to each social media platform. This means that the brand and the content will adapt to the formats and means of communicating of each platform.

For the sake of this project, all the following content is borrowed from other sources and adapted to the brand ideals, since the ultimate purpose of the project is to show how the brand can be graphically developed and is not focused on the creation of the content itself.

All of the final pieces developed for the project, mostly in video form, can be found in their full length on the USB drive attached to this report.

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Monthly topic

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To organize and have a better grasp of all the content that will be published, the platform will function as a digital magazine of sorts. This means that each month the content will revolve around one communal topic. At the beginning of each month, a topic will be announced with a hashtag that will also serve as an archive in each social media platform. This will give the user an easier experience to navigate and interact with the content.

The announcement will always follow the same formula, beginning with “let’s be” and completed with a provocative word related to the general topic. This “let’s be” formula develops brand presence and creates relations with the users, ultimately creating community around it.

In this case, the topic followed to create the sample content around is the future. With the slogan “let’s be the future”, the content will talk about different aspects of the future from a gen z perspective, from climate change, fashion, music, art, sustainability, astrology, education… Moreover, I propose other topics for the possible future. “let’s be political”, where content revolves around political values, points of view, protests and change, and “let’s be intimate”, talking about sexuality, relationships and intimacy.

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"let's be the future" , topic of the month to showcase the project

Topic proposal "let's be intimate"

Topic proposal "let's be political"

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Instagram

Instagram is primarily a visual platform. The content will be audiovisual based, with images as the main focus point and text on a second level. Centered on creativity focused content with posts about photography and fashion editorial related projects and news and articles about the creative field. The posts will mainly be carousels with several images, stories and reels.

Post description this is what the future of sustainable fashion looks like bb 💅🔥 👕Styling @finesseusstudios 😎Models @tatyanahbass @pjcooltomasi #letsbethefuture #freshfits #hypefit #streetstyle

Instagram reels of a fashion editorial in video format.

The video depicts a fast paced edited video to the song “Best Friend” by Saweetie feat. Doja Cat with two teenagers modeling vibrant outfits. bestie’s visual identity is stamped throughout the video with assets like the animated logo, icons and frames and the image treatment to keep it brand-cohesive. The theme explored with this video is the future of fashion with sustainable production methods and materials.

Credits to TATI fashion reel by @finesseusstudios https://www.instagram.com/reel/CN5n6OpAhHI/

Content

Post description AI generated works are already presented, exhibited and sold as art. However, the doubt remains: are they really art sis???🧐 🎨Art by @quasimondo #letsbethefuture #artificialintelligence #AIart

Carousel of images and video of a short article. The post focuses on the images, backed up by some highlighted quotes about the subject, designed to make a continuous visualization throughout the images using the brand’s assets in text and image treatment. This posts talks about the possible future of art and how artificial intelligence could potentially become as powerful as a human artist.

Credits to “La inteligencia artificial quiere ser artista”

by La nueva carne magazine and Art by Mario Klingemann

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Post description Roni Ahn captures the bond between four young Hong Kong skaters. 🛹 📷Photography @roniahn⁣ 👕Styling @runwildrun and @liz_liz⁣ 💄Make up artist @chichili ⁣ 💇Hair stylist @himng_hair @The Attic⁣ 😎Models @cheuklaamchan_ @chui_chai @nnnoise_ @himm_t #letsbethefuture #photography #skate #creators

Carousel of images of a photography project.

This post showcases the photography work of a renowned photographer, without any editing to respect the author’s work. With this post we see a much lightweight type of content, being purely visual, that shows the artistry of Roni Ahn commenting about a different point of view and new types of relationships between teenagers.

Credits to the series of photographs “Hong Kong skaters” by Roni Ahn https://www.instagram.com/p/CO8-95LDNib/

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TikTok

TikTok has one of the most fast-paced growing communities of any social network nowadays. The content on this platform is purely based on short videos, usually no longer than 15 seconds. Posting on this platform will consist of short, fast-paced and eye-catching how-to videos and other miscellaneous content related to the main theme of the month.

Post description tickets on sale now for @billieeilish ‘s happier than ever world tour yaaaaaaaaaassss✨✨ #letsbethefuture #billieeilish #happierthanever

A short video ad about future tour dates for Billie Eilish’s last tour “Happier than ever”. The content depicts various brand assets like animated gradient background and type and image treatment.

Credits to Billie Eilish - Your Power (Official Music Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzeWc3zh01g

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Post description BACK 2 SCHOOL LOOKBOOK part 1 by @ni.q #letsbethefuture #fashion #ootd

The video is a short edit to the song “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo, portraying different outfits styled with the usual brand assets like background gradients, rounded corners, colored shadows and the image treatment. The post depicts stylish outfit inspiration for going back to school in the near future, something very relatable to the target.

Credits to “Back 2 school lookbook” by @ni.q https://www.instagram.com/tv/BkRSq3Egleg/

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Twitter

Twitter is a very flexible platform for any type of content, but written content is the most prolific. Posts on this platform will be focused on articles, interviews, debates and other long-form written content.

Taking advantage of the “thread” feature, content can be rationed in shorter capsules of information accompanied by images, videos and other audiovisual content for a quicker and better comprehension.

Post description ✨🌍 dear climate change, stop it fr 🌏✨ today we bring you the hopes, dreams and fears for the future of our planet from 10 people who you might know #letsbethefuture

@Maisie_Williams, 24, actress When I learned about climate change for the first time at school, I thought that it was common knowledge and everyone was working together to try and stop it. It’s got a lot worse.

However I am hopeful about activist groups, the ones who are doing something about it.

@conangray, 22, musician The internet is raising a new generation who are aware of the problems we’re facing. If I had to say something to the generations before me, it would be this: the world you live in now is not the one you grew up in. Even though the largest effects will not affect your lifetime, it will affect ours. If you love your children, love the earth they live on.

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@DORIANELECTRA, 28, artist I’m hopeful when I see people coming together to take action and disrupt our current pattern of production and consumption. It means putting our shared interest forward, and pushing for a global structural change that goes beyond our own individual systems.

@lilmiquela, 19, influencer Maybe we should rename climate change something like... ‘Sonic’s teeth’? Because that kind of shit seems to rile people up. I want people as mad and as passionate about saving our planet as they are about Sonic the Hedgehog’s weirdass little human teeth.

@lauvsongs, 26, musician We're getting to the point where we will no longer be able to survive on this planet if we don't start to change. My generation and the ones younger are the most socially active that I've seen. We have the potential to unite and do something about this if enough people stand up and make change.

@aaronphilipxo, 20, model It’s important to fight for climate action now that we are losing our world with every passing moment. Earth has nurtured humans for so long and the current generation, alongside those before us, have been so irresponsible and reckless in how we have utilised our planet.

#RichardMalone, 24, fashion designer It’s always hopeful and encouraging that people are willing to engage with change. Watching consumers react is the most powerful thing, as big businesses will only listen when money is involved. Changing their minds is the hardest thing.

Content

88%

@jamie_windust, 24, activist and journalist Over the past five years, the socio-political climate that we are in, outside of climate change, has been all about resistance and disruption in the name of human rights – this issue is no different. As a non-binary person, I hope that the future is full of societal and governmental change so that we can exist in spaces where we are fully embraced and realised. @CampbellAddy, 23, photographer I have been looking into how I can change and reduce my carbon footprint and I’ve been seeing so much information for newbies like myself. It gives me hope that it’s a trend that will turn into a wave that will sweep the nation. I am scared of total annihilation, but aren’t we all?

@GretaThunberg, 18, activist Yes, we are all responsible for the climate and biodiversity emergency. We - the 99,9% - have a responsibility to put pressure on the 0,1% in charge who refuse to stop the ongoing destruction of present and future living conditions for life on earth.

Interview in a twitter thread format. The text follows a typical article structure but sectioned in several highlighted parts, accompanied by branded images to illustrate the text. The first tweet is an introduction to the subject and is followed by the body of the interview. In this case, the article talks about the point of view of 10 different influential gen z people about climate change, highlighting a quote about it.

Credits to “Maisie Williams, Pamela Anderson, Anohni & more discuss the climate crisis” by Dazed https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/44396/1/pamelaanderson-maisie-williams-samuel-ross-anohni-climate-change

Real virtuality

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Post description self-care routine: from quarantine to the end of the world 💆🚀 self-care has been low key on the rise through this year of isolation but can we transform this to a self-care that is a form of communal resistance? #letsbethefuture

Self-care is something that has been around for decades. In 1976 philosopher Michel Foucault concluded that self-care is key to ✨self-knowledge✨ positioning it as a fundamental principle of moral and societal systems going back to the greeks and romans

writer, poet, and feminist Audre Lorde’s 1998 essay collection “A Burst of Light” shows a proclamation on self-care after her second cancer diagnosis, and has become the roots from which ideas of self-care for feminist and activist movements have stemmed.

💁🏿‍ “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence,” she wrote “It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

self-care within capitalism can feel unsatisfying and unsettling. It has been made palatable for the mass market with an entire industry selling facemasks and backed by Instagram hashtags and guerilla marketing campaigns.

Content

90%

The pandemic has only deepened capitalism’s means to ends and encouraged the gap between the rich and poor, worsening already problematic housing situations, the right to resist, mental health, workplace issues, and our personal relationships.

We’re currently approaching a climate disaster, and self-preservation is the most vital right now.

So how do we deviate from this norm? How do we divorce self-care from the ideals of constant self improvement for the capitalist system’s gain?

Caring for ourselves can’t be a distraction from what we must challenge in ourselves and in the system. Self-care is a part of our armour for imagining and enacting more radical worlds, and that’s the tea!

Article in a twitter thread format. In a similar way than in the content before, the subject unfolds as a traditional article but in much more compressed and concise chunks of text. The quotes and highlights of text are sometimes accompanied by branded images or popular memes to lighten up the content and make it more appealing and comprehensible. This post talks about how self-care is starting to become more of a communal act to not only care about yourself but the ones around you, creating stronger bonds.

Credits to “What does your self-care routine have to do with the end of the world?” by Dazed https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/52544/1/what-doesyour-self-care-routine-have-to-do-with-the-end-of-the-world-covid

Real virtuality

Practical framework

→Content

now

YouTube

YouTube is the queen of video platforms. It is the most accessible place for lengthy videos, so content on this platform will range from documentaries to short films, video essays and even livestreams. As general assets, every video will have the same intro and outro, branded as the YouTube environment aesthetic.

Post description charli xcx: welcome to the motherfucking future | #letsbethefuture A mini-documentary catching up with our favourite futuristic pop diva charli xcx during her 2019 world tour to talk about bops, the best experiences on stage and the future of performing. Featuring interviews with angels, Chris of Christine and the Queens, Brooke Candy and more. #letsbethefuture #charlixcx #pop2

Short documentary with fast-paced editing and branded assets like personalized intro, brand intro, outro card, signage, text and image treatment. The documentary follows Charli XCX and talks about the future of touring and her point of view on the music industry.

Credits to “Charli XCX and the Angels: Mission Complete (Documentary)” by Crack Magazine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9AWCT7RhoE&ab_ channel=CrackMagazine

Content

Post description Samantha Hudson: looking at camp right in the eye We talk with current queer icon sensation, activist, artist, entrepreneur and wife of the year Samantha Hudson. We get to explore the point of view of the skinniest legend alive in various topics like movies, fashion and performance art. But always keeping in mind that Samantha was born to be a superstar like Sara Montiel at 70 years old. #letsbethefuture #samanthahudson #interview

Interview with light-hearted content with branded assets as well as personalized intro, brand intro, outro card, signage, text and image treatment. The interview depicts Samantha Hudson and his point of view on camp and performativity and how this is shaping the future for teenagers nowadays.

Credits to “Samantha Hudson: "Mi papelón fuera de la gran pantalla es mi vida" | Gen Playz” by Playz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBTurF0UFDM&ab_channel=playz

92%

Real virtuality

→Content Planning

Practical framework

now

The following are some guidelines in how the content should be organized and posted per month. This does not include special posts or other interactions like community content, international days or important breaking news

The first day of each month the presentation of the topic of the month will be posted and anchored in every platform.

Content

Instagram 2 insta stories per day 2 posts a week 1 reels a week

TikTok 3 posts per week

Twitter 3 tweets per day (miscellaneous relatable tweets, polls, memes…)

3 threads per week

Youtube 2 videos per week 1 livestream per month

94%

Final result

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The fruition of the project is the brand identity of bestie, as previously shown, and the projection of the content the brand could produce in four different social media platforms, following a transmedia publication plan.

Next are some mock ups of how the content lives on the social media apps and creates a harmonious bestie environment.

Final result

TikTok content

98%

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Instagram content

Final result

Instagram content

100%

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Twitter content

Final result

Twitter content

102%

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Practical framework

YouTube content

Final result

YouTube content

104%

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→Final result

Promotional campaign

now

A brand launching campaign to make a final cohesive piece that embodies the whole spirit of bestie. The main claim is “let’s be besties” continuing bestie’s carefree and relatable personality that allows to develop further the initial brand.

Resulting in a video shows bestie’s visual identity, values, tone of voice and final product, guiding the viewer through different landscapes all based on social media, mobile phones, memes, connectivity and y2k. Using the brand values adapted to the campaign claim: let’s be relatable, let’s be bold, let’s be diverse, let’s be global, let’s be influence, let’s be the future, let’s be besties.

The music used is When I Rule the World (Instrumental) by LIZ [Prod. by SOPHIE].

Final result

106%

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Final result

108%

Conclusions

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Can we connect with Generation Z on social media without feeling fake and invasive? Yes, we totally can. As young people developing in this ever-changing world, all we want is to be understood and relate to our surroundings. It is as simple as listening and giving voice to the younger generations, as we are the only ones who truly have the empathy to communicate naturally with each other. As a brand, the only way to not come across as invasive and artificial to a younger audience is to put aside old stereotypes and generalizations that are reductive and harmful and put on the spotlight the same people you are talking to.

Going back to the hypothesis and objectives of the project, I think the final outcome has reaffirmed them all. The creation of a brand having deep understanding of its purpose and target beforehand assures to create a solid identity and strategy that adapts to everything that comes. The system of assets developed on this project, from the “gen z guide” to the visual assets, can be potentially realized and expanded as a real empress. bestie can serve as the foundation for a young, fresh and relatable digital content platform.

During the process of this project I’ve discovered many things, not only about the subject in particular but about design, and the role we have in today’s hyperconnected world. I’ve reevaluated opinions, I’ve wanted to quit social media, been consumed by the span of the subject and then resurged by fresh ideas and stimulant referents. I’ve comprehended that generalizing is not the best way to base something on. Each individual is unique in their own means and even among the same demographic there will always be contrasting realities. I’ve fallen into the same problem traditional media is constantly having.

Media has always been trying to shape the people, but I believe that we can do it the other way around. ✨

Trabajo Final de Estudios · 2021

By Miquel Pulido García 201835289 Diploma Universitario Diseño Gráfico y Digital