Young people prefer to watch various videos at the same time. — AFP Relaxnews
In the US, 44% of Gen Zers are more likely to watch multiple pieces of content on different media – and devices – at the same time than to focus on a single piece of content, according to a study.
The multi-screen trend is increasingly becoming the norm and even giving rise to a new kind of content on social networks.
One eye on the smartphone screen, the other on the TV. It’s not uncommon to see young people juggling multiple devices as they watch content. This new form of multi-screen consumption has become a habit for Generation Z as well as Millennials.
Almost seven out of ten Gen Zers (69%) said they spend their time on social networks while watching TV, according to Y Pulse's “Attention Economy trend report”. And Millennials are even more likely to adopt this habit of "dual screening" (76%).
While the majority of young people surveyed confirmed that they do several things at the same time while watching a video (eight out of ten Generation Zers), 44% said they prefer to watch several pieces of content simultaneously rather than focusing on one (41% for Millennials).
And yet, young consumers pay just as much attention to the different content they watch simultaneously, the study asserted. The report explained that while they may be dividing their attention between multiple screens, they have learned to move quickly from one piece of content to another, inspiring, as a result, new content categories to meet their demands for additional stimulation. Fifty-four percent of Gen Zers surveyed said that watching multiple videos at the same time helped them concentrate, compared with 43% of Millennials.
An aspect of social networks that young people caught onto and embraced, particularly with TikTok. One concept that got content creators excited was that of offering two pieces of content on the same video. With a split-screen format, users could watch two videos in one, either at the bottom and top, or left and right.
This trend became particularly popular thanks to TikTok's "Duet" feature, which lets users "paste" a video of another creator to their own creation.
Creators discovered that this kind of format drew and held the attention of viewers, enabling them to multiply their viewing numbers and thus optimise the monetisation of their content. And when you consider that Americans will spend more time watching videos on apps than on TV by the end of 2023, it's a trend that creators are getting behind.
Other platforms have also chosen to position themselves in this market, including YouTube TV, which offers "multiview" or viewing of multiple streams and programs. – AFP Relaxnews
