They share a culture which goes beyond national boundaries - for NOW at least.
At Totem, we do a lot of work with brands entering China or re-positioning themselves (to spark growth with new audiences). Over the last several years, GenZ has become the focus for a lot of these segmentation/audience planning exercises. One of the insights that we consistently share is, that GenZ in China are more like their counterparts in the US/EU than they are older generations in China (eg. GenX or older).
Despite language, firewalls and other barriers, GenZ around the World have profound similarities. While they may not all wear exactly the same clothes or listen to all the same tunes, their experiences with tech/attitudes toward the World are very similar.
TikTok’s global success speaks to how similar this generation is globally - and in many ways they are a beckon for this generation.
TikTok has figured out the keys to unlocking engagement through a mix of; super short video, music x dance, and super-charged algorithms. It's a formula for GenZ levels of energy/engagement.
Let's hope that media, culture and tech don't become further balkanized. We are all better off if GenZ around the World come closer together, rather than drift apart.
