26 Jul Intersectionality, Values, and Social Media (Part 1)

Posted at 20:48h in Uncategorized by

In the last several years, the concept of intersectionality has become increasingly prevalent in cultural conversations. The goal of intersectionality research is to understand the combined influence of two (or more) variables on a particular outcome. Intersectionality research dates back to the 1980’s when the term was coined by Kimberle Crenshaw to bring attention to the struggles faced by African-American women in the workplace and broader society. More recently, marketers have begun using intersectionality research to examine the multiple identities of their target audiences.

Seeking to enhance our values-based marketing methodology, Zenzi wanted to examine how values intersect with traditional demographics when it comes to various digital behaviors. To do this, in April 2022 we surveyed 625 U.S. residents with approximately equal representation across four generations (Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, and Boomer). In this four part blog series we will be sharing some of our most interesting findings, all of which highlight the importance of understanding the values of your target audience in addition to just demographics. This post is the first of two that will look at social media usage across values and generational status.

Social Media and Age

To kick things off, we’ll look at which social media platforms are used most often, and by whom. In our survey, we asked participants to report which social media platforms they use regularly (at least once a week). It will come as little surprise that Gen Z are the heaviest social media users, with usage declining with age. By percentage, Gen Z are the most frequent users of five of the top six platforms in our survey (Facebook being the lone exception), and are well above other generations on Snapchat usage:

We’ve uncovered many other key insights around values, intersectionality, and social media usage in our survey. Subscribe to this blog and you’ll find out:

  • What are the values of the people most likely to use Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms?
  • How do values and generational status intersect to predict social media platform usage, and what implications does that have for your brand’s targeting strategy?

To learn more about Zenzi’s values-based marketing services, visit our website at zenzi.com to schedule a call with our team.