Horizon Media’s WHY Group research team is out with a new study on Gen Z that found, among other things, that 89% of the demographic rely on social media to help them discover new content related to their unique passions.  

But according to the study about two-thirds of Zoomers put “little-to-no importance on the size of an influencer’s following when determining that creator’s value to them.  

And 65% consider themselves a “really big fan of something.” That said, per the study Gen Z are 30% more likely than older generations to feel that having multiple "small interests" is better than limiting themselves to fewer, in-depth subjects.    

“This generation is driving the ‘era of mass-niche,’” the report concludes. Spurred by prolonged periods of social isolation and widening societal division, this increasingly influential generation has a growing hunger for niche interests and like-minded communities.”  

Maxine Gurevich, SVP, Cultural Intelligence of Horizon Media's WHY Group, says the report leads her to conclude that “Gen Zers are transforming into active participants, not just passive observers within their communities. They're actively co-creating, deeply engaging in storytelling, and forging strong bonds as they continuously shape and redefine their individuality across multiple subcultures every day.”  

WHY Group teamed with Blue Hour Studios to create the report, which is based on a survey of over 1,000 zoomers and other resources.   

The report highlights 10 new “subcultures” across five categories: Identity, Entertainment, Sports, Retail, and Music.  

Here are a few highlights from the 10 Subcultures Horizon Media identified: 

The full report can be accessed here.