The news: Gen Z’s digital communities—known as digital third spaces—are increasingly essential to how brands drive buying decisions, as Gen Z remains the predominant source of digital buyer growth.

• Social media use is increasing quickly for Gen Z, growing 7.7% in 2024 compared with 1.8% for the general population.
• Gen Z will account for 62.8 million US digital buyers by 2028, per our forecast.
• 47% of Gen Zers use social media for 2 to 4 hours daily, making the digital third spaces curated on these platforms critical for brands.