This summer, the 360PR+ team had the opportunity to learn from our cohort of seven Gen Z interns, representing a variety of colleges, geographies and interests. During a moderated roundtable discussion, they told us about their social media habits, news consumption, shopping behaviors, favorite brands, and expectations for the workplace.

Social Media and the Authentic Generation

“Authenticity” quickly rose to the top as an attribute these GenZers look for when following brands. In contrast, they veer from brands and creators that emphasize promotional content.

Gen Z is clearly confident using multiple social media platforms for different purposes. While Instagram is the most popular platform to keep up with friends, TikTok is the preferred platform for entertainment, trend discovery and shopping inspiration. Participants also noted they use TikTok as a search engine over Google, especially for restaurant and travel recommendations.

I know that when I’m looking on TikTok I’m going to find videos from someone around my age that’s interested in the same kinds of things as me, instead of finding some random article on Google that might have been written by someone 30 years older than me….”

While Gen Z is skeptical of the quality and security of TikTok Shop promotions – tending to spot things on TikTok and buy elsewhere – they actively use the platform to get product recommendations. But too many product recommendations from the same influencer is a turn-off. Participants said they often save TikTok videos and create folders to save product recommendations.

“I have different folders on TikTok where I save things to look at later… If I’m looking for a new pair of shoes, I’ll go to my ‘clothes’ folder and find an influencer talking about a pair of shoes they like, and then go buy it go buy it off of the app.”

“It means a lot to me when an influencer I like or trust recommends a product… it’s almost like vetting it for me.”

“I don’t get tired of being fed so many ads as much as I get annoyed at certain influencers and will unfollow one if 8 of her last 10 posts have been trying to sell me something.”

“I’m personally suspicious of TikTok Shop because I can’t tell what’s a real recommendation or what’s just like sponsored and they’ve never actually tried the product… and that contributes to me not wanting to buy on TikTok Shop.”

If TikTok is their go-to platform for trend discovery and product recommendations, Instagram is Gen Z’s preferred app for more personal connections. Participants said they turn to Instagram to keep up with their friends. They also suggested they’re more mindful and selective about content on Instagram compared to TikTok, saying TikTok visits can easily turn into a “mindless scroll.”

“TikTok is what I use when I just want entertainment, and then I can also go there for information, but it’s definitely more of a ‘doom scroll…’ and then Instagram is to see people you know.”

Who’s Winning with Gen Z?

Reflecting on their need for authenticity, Gen Z responds best to marketing that appears to treat the product as secondary to the other content. Participants cited Reformation and Birddogs as examples of brands that get social content right, resulting in brand loyalty and deeper engagement.

“I really like Reformation’s ads right now…”

“Birddogs shorts are very into comedic marketing… they have a newsletter and they definitely have comedy writers on their team.”

Gen Z Shopping Habits

Despite being the first generation of true digital natives, Gen Z still values the experience of shopping in physical stores. For them, it’s not just about making a purchase; it’s about the social interaction and the joy of organic brand discovery. And they often take a hybrid approach: going online and on social media to do research, and in-store to make the purchase, or vice-versa – searching online for a discount or the best deal after seeing something they like in store.

“I like shopping for the social activity if I’m out with friends… If I like something I’ll take a photo of the tag with the label and wait for it to go on sale or just buy it later.”

“I do almost all of my holiday shopping completely online, because the thought of going to the mall during the holidays makes me want to cry.”

Media Consumption

When it comes to staying informed, Gen Z is less inclined to consume traditional news formats but stays up on the news of the day through a mix of newsletters and digital alerts. Podcasts like The 7 and news updates from Apple News and The Daily Brew are popular choices. Social media also plays a significant role in – they might spot breaking news from CNN shared on a friends’ social feed, for example.

“I’ll look to social media for advice or information on things to do, but I prefer to get my news from newsletters or podcasts.”