Gen Z breaks down their go-to apps

Future. Gen Z prefers apps that connect them with their best friends (BeReal), with every stranger on Earth (TikTok), or with themselves (Co-Star), showing that both anonymous global fame and constant nonstop communication with one’s closest confidantes is what the generation prioritizes most.

Connection, community, and communication
Insider surveyed Gen Z about their favorite appsnand came back with interesting insights.

• They’re seeking purpose and guidance (in community), so astrology apps like Co-Star and The Pattern have skyrocketed in popularity.
• They prefer looseness and spontaneity (and photos and videos) in their social platforms, which is why Snapchat has made a comeback, and new entrants like BeReal and Locket are blowing up.
• But to literally no one’s surprise, TikTok still reigns supreme, with 60% of its users being between the ages 16 and 24, making it “Gen Z’s amphitheater.”
• Yet, a lot of nitty-gritty communication is also going down on Discord, which gives users the ability to use text, video, and voice chat seamlessly within servers.

These apps reinforce Index Ventures’ Rex Woodbury’s theory that Gen Z is undergoing a “social bifurcation,” where Gen Z is going to gravitate toward apps that are either to connect users to their family and close friends (unfiltered and authentic) or to showcase users to strangers all over the world (reaching for that influencer life).

Everything else is just a weird middle ground.