As Gen Zs grow more skeptical of traditional influencing, they’re gravitating toward niche creators and tight-knit communities that operate outside mainstream algorithmic echo chambers. These relationships tend to require more active participation, and they reward that effort with depth, intimacy, and community connection. The shift away from mainstream social platforms isn’t fringe: time spent on traditional social media platforms has been declining since its peak in 2022, according to the Financial Times. 

While the largest social platforms are dominated by passive users following accounts they’ve long outgrown, Gen Z is increasingly drawn to platforms like YouTube, Substack, and Patreon. These spaces ask more of them — engagement in long-form content, paid subscriptions, active commenting. In return, they offer something deeper than typical social media today: interest-driven circles and creators they’ve consciously selected, not ones the algorithm has fed them.

Gen Z isn’t looking for convenience; they’re looking for meaning. And meaning, they’re realizing, requires effort. This shift sits within a larger reevaluation of what ​“connection” actually is. Social media promised community at the click of a button but delivered polarization, insularity, and loneliness. The pandemic only heightened Gen Z’s sense of social awkwardness and digital fatigue. 

Now, as they question the value of digital ease, Zs are embracing small inconveniences — extra steps, extra time, extra presence — as the necessary friction that builds real community, both online and off. As one recent viral post joked, “‘Inconvenience is the cost of community,’ I repeat to myself as I climb 6 flights of stairs for my friend’s birthday party for her cat.”

Product conversations and transactions are shifting to hidden backchannels, like private groups or DMs. Over half of Gen Zs now say they’re likely to discover new products on community-based platforms such as Substack, Snapchat, or Patreon. On these platforms, credibility is increasingly seen as more important than reach, and Zs are happy to follow a creator with only a few thousand followers. As Isabelle, 21, in Chicago told us, ​“I try to stay away from anything promoted by a traditional influencer, especially if it seems like something they’re getting paid for.”

As algorithmic feeds become harder to escape, individuals with distinct or highly cultivated taste are seen not just as curators, but as skilled guides worth investing in. Even amid economic uncertainty, more than half of Gen Z (52%) say they like financially supporting creators directly. They see memberships and subscriptions not as fees, but as buy-in to more meaningful access. More than a third (34%) say they’d subscribe to a creator they like on Patreon, and 28% say they’d be interested in subscribing to their Substack.

Affiliate links on platforms such as LTK, ShopMy, and Amazon Storefront were once a tool for mega-influencers; now, they’re becoming a new form of micro-patronage — another way to reward someone for a thoughtful recommendation. Real-life friends and colleagues are even exchanging affiliate links with one another, turning online shopping into community-centered mutual aid.

Zs are also significantly more likely than Millennials to buy brands or products created by someone they know or follow (51% vs 39%). Crucially, this doesn’t require a massive following. Chelsea Kramer had only 10,000 TikTok followers when she launched her brand Parke in 2022; when her products went viral, growing to $16 million in sales, growth of her personal reach followed. This peer-led model of commerce will only accelerate with Gen Alpha, for whom building stores, brands, and products inside Roblox or Minecraft is an everyday norm.

In their search for more authentic connection, Zs are increasingly bypassing one-sided parasocial relationships in favor of real-life interactions — pushing creators to design VIP offline experiences for their most engaged fans. The appetite is clear: nearly four in 10 Zs (46%) say they’re interested in attending a pop-up event, meet-up, or shopping party hosted by a creator they like, and 42% would even participate in an IRL scavenger hunt or product drop event.

As this desire for tangible connection grows, brands can expect to invest more heavily in in-person activations, community gatherings, and hybrid formats that bridge online and offline worlds. In recent months, some of the best-performing digital content is simply documentation of real-world moments, a reminder that the experiences requiring the most effort generate the richest engagement online.

We already knew that Gen Zs were using social media as their primary search engine, more than traditional platforms like Google. Over the last year, large search engines have virtually imploded, further pushing Zs to seek out brand and product info elsewhere. Nearly three-quarters of Zs say there are too many ads in traditional search results now, making it hard to find relevant information. And more than four in 10 Zs say big search engines are no longer relevant, to the point that they won’t even exist a decade from now.

On social media, comment sections have become valuable real estate for brand-focused discussions. Isabelle, 21, told us, ​“If there’s a video about a product, I will literally go right to the comments section and read what other people say because these are people who have actually used the product.” More than half (52%) of Zs say they go to the comment section when researching brands and products on social media — more than the number that look at influencer posts, brand posts, in-app shops, or even ​‘Explore’ or ​‘For You’ pages. Comment sections are also generative: 4 in 10 Zs say that when they buy a brand or product they love, they’ll drop their own comment on a post from a brand or creator.

Community-centered platforms, such as Reddit and Discord, once considered niche corners of the Internet, have become a primary tool for Gen Zs to discover brands and products. On these platforms, the personal opinions, ​‘fit advice, and even unhinged debates deliver human recommendations that feel more raw, authentic, and trustworthy than what’s being delivered on traditional platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. ​“If I see a targeted ad, I’ll search for it on Reddit to see if it’s actually a good product,” says Wyatt, 26, in Omaha. He even admits to pulling up Reddit while shopping in-store. ​“In grocery stores, if I see a new flavor of ramen or something that I want to try, I’ll immediately go on Reddit to find out who’s cooking what, and how they add stuff to it.” When seeking out info about a brand or product, Zs are now nearly just as likely to visit a community platform like Reddit as they are to turn to a major commerce platform like Amazon.

In the U.K., 74% of people who discovered a product anywhere on the internet at some point visited Reddit to validate or to do further research on that purchase, Vogue Business recently reported. Reddit is also informing next-gen AI tools. According to Ad Age, Reddit is the most frequently cited domain on Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews, and the second-most cited on ChatGPT, proof that even AI is leaning on community guidance.

AI’s major promise is to make users’ lives easier, but Zs actually want AI to amplify what they can do autonomously, serving as a collaborator to uplevel their skills, rather than do it for them. In fact, the idea of getting caught turning to AI to make decisions is cringe. ​“I never use ChatGPT in-store. That’s embarrassing,” says Katie, 22, from Orlando. ​“It’s never like, ​‘ChatGPT told me to do this so now I’m going to go do that exact thing.”

Back creators as tastemakers, not just amplifiers. In a world where so much content feels interchangeable, Gen Zs are increasingly seeking out creators with a clear point of view to guide where they spend their time and money. Partner with creators who have a distinct voice, and give them the freedom to shape how your brand shows up. When creators lead the narrative, the work feels more original, more human, and more worthy of attention.

Invite audiences to put in the work, and reward them for it. As social platforms silo users into algorithmic echo chambers, more Gen Zs are gravitating toward paths less traveled, and spaces where they actively opt in and participate. Requiring audiences to put in small amounts of effort — through long-form content or closed communities — feels fresh and intentional amid the backlash against digital ease.

Make creators the point of sale. Brands that drench shopping in dopamine will cut through the sea of sameness, and keep Zs coming back. The goal today is to trigger emotion, not just conversion. Gamify experiences, curate playful content, and bring back delight to make the act of shopping memorable.