Abstract
Generation Z has come into the spotlight as a forerunner of digital natives who may shape the future media landscape. The NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute held a symposium themed on “How Generation Z Uses and Perceives Television” at the NHK Bunken Forum 2023 to examine their realistic distance from television and explore the future relationship between Generation Z and television.
From the comments of university students who joined the session, we learnt that conventional TV sets do not match the lifestyle of students today and that they select information sources depending on the purpose. Among diverse information sources used by Generation Z, social media demonstrate a notable presence, with TikTok being used by a large portion of respondents, especially those in their late teens. Videos dealing with political topics were also viewed by students, regarding which one media expert on the panel pointed out the risks of misleading content and fake news.
We also interviewed and surveyed students to investigate their attitudes towards “taipa” (an abbreviation or “time performance,” an English word coined in Japan, meaning time effectiveness), the pursuit of which is often described as a characteristic of Generation Z, and found that viewing at double speed is not for every content but depending on what the content is about and that they view fan-edit highlights not only to save time but also out of their trust in the passion of those fan editors who purely want to share and spread the content they love.
At the end of the symposium, students made recommendations for future television, or how television can become a rational media choice for Generation Z. Their comments including “television should become more stress-free for the viewers” and “television should be humbler” revealed their expectations and frustrations about television.
