What is Gen Z looking for in 2024?

In 2024, Gen Z in India have ranked staying healthy, exploring career paths, and travelling as their top priorities. Image: Shutterstock

Gen Z – colloquially known as ‘zoomers’, born between 1996 and 2010 – can also be called the Instagram generation. These digital natives usually spend more hours on their phones than on books, like reading news on social media platforms instead of newspapers, and are the first to know of trending memes.  
In a report on Gen Z, recently released by Meta, titled 2024 Instagram Trend Talk report, the cohort was analysed across the United States, UK, Brazil, India, and South Korea on topics such as work, relationships, fashion, beauty, food and social media, in the context of the upcoming year. As per the report, Indian Gen Zs have shown a heightened inclination to embrace and explore emerging trends in various realms including food, beauty, and fashion trends, especially ayurvedic ingredients, vegan products, plant-based meats and adaptogens.   

In 2024, Gen Z in India have ranked staying healthy, exploring career paths, and travelling as their top priorities. However, in contrast to other nations, Gen Z in India exhibit a stronger focus on their career pursuits. Forty-three percent of Gen Zs in India hope that 2024 will be their year of self-improvement where they will invest in their personal growth and development. As compared to other countries, Gen Z in India also believe starting their own business is the best way to achieve wealth.

Among the various regions surveyed, the enthusiasm for creatively showcasing fashion trends is notably higher among Indian Gen Z. This underscores the increasing popularity of trends such as GRWM (Get Ready With Me) and thrifting, where creators skilfully incorporate products into their content. A significant 44 percent of Gen Z individuals in India express interest in DIY (do-it-yourself) projects and experimenting with unconventional ways of wearing clothes. Additionally, a quarter of Gen Z respondents mention that their preferred beauty trend involves getting a new hairstyle.

Also read: Gen Z might be more ambitious at work than you think

The findings of the report show that a staggering 90 percent of Gen Z individuals in India identify themselves as part of a fandom, with India boasting the highest percentage of sports superfans when compared to Gen Z populations in other countries. Regardless of whether it's content from celebrities, athletes, or creators, what Gen Z values most is relatability, which holds true not only globally but also in the context of India. Looking ahead to 2024, Indian Gen Z specifically anticipates an increase in content featuring life advice, more 'day-in-the-life-of' content depicting everyday experiences, and content related to their respective professions.