Gen Z is no longer a future audience for brands but a defining force in securing long term relevance, reshaping how brands are discovered, evaluated, and chosen. As younger audiences browse, react and move across digital content, keeping up has become more important than ever. Below is a look at several recent trends that offer a snapshot of how Gen Z engages with digital platforms today.
Fragmented, Snackable Content
Short video has become core to how Gen Z consume content, acting as the default lens through which they decide what is worth engaging with. In Hong Kong, interest in short-form video continues to rise, with total weekly viewing time reaching over 86 hours. Notably, the first 15 seconds often determine whether viewers continue watching or swipe away.
How It Plays Out Across Platforms
This shift towards fragmented, snackable content is not limited to a single platform or market. Most recently, on Threads, short, conversational and often unfiltered posts have driven fast-moving discussions, allowing users to react almost instantly, share their thoughts freely, or join whatever is being talked about at the moment. This same compression of attention has long been evident on rednote, where creators are encouraged to highlight a key moment or emotion within the opening few seconds, often referred to as the “golden five seconds”, reflecting how quickly users decide whether content is worth their attention.
How Brands Adapt on Threads
Instead of speaking as the brand itself, many choose to appear as the “editor” (小編), giving them more room to be playful, personal and reactive. This approach makes it easier for brands to participate naturally in conversations, whether by commenting on trending posts or chatting casually with users. On Threads, sounding timely often matters more than sounding refined, though brands still need to strike a careful balance to avoid backlash.
The Threads-Born Hype
Threads has shown how quickly a trend can spread, as seen in the recent 大寶冰室 takeover. What began as a stream of playful comments quickly escalated into widespread posting (洗版) across the platform, with users joining in for fun and adding their own variations. Unlike celebrity-driven campaigns (such as Choi San-keung aka Cheung Ka-fai), this momentum was entirely platform-born, driven by the speed and ease of conversation on Threads.
How fast it spread was striking. The topic was soon picked up by self-media channel, million-subscriber YouTuber and even mainstream media. It shows how a trend that starts on Threads can quickly move beyond the platform and turn into a citywide conversation.
When Trends Travel Across Platforms
In early December, a few viral posts began appearing on rednote and Threads around a very unique Hong Kong–style souvenir. Despite being a brand with low awareness among Hong Kong locals, the product quickly gained attention through online discussion. Within a short period, it became something people kept seeing across platforms.
and later spread on Threads.
In this case, content that first appeared on rednote was later picked up and discussed on Threads, illustrating how information can travel easily across platforms. Although the brand later clarified that it had not been running any promotion on Threads, as its focus was on tourists, the discussion extended beyond its original intent and reached a much broader audience. This highlights how discussions move between platforms when discovering and sharing content.
These observations offer a snapshot of how Gen Z interact with digital platforms today, quickly, socially and in real time. From short video formats that shape attention to fast-moving conversations on Threads and content travelling across platforms, these patterns reflect how trends are forming and spreading right now. If you’re keeping an eye on how the digital landscape is evolving, INITSOC will continue to share timely market updates. Contact us or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay in the loop.
Sources: Marketing-Interactive, Adintime
