Learning About the New Era of Communication from Gen Z Kids从Z世代身上了解通讯新时代

When I picked up my 15-year-old daughter from an event recently， I overheard her， as she said goodbye to someone she’d just met， ask them： “Hey， what’s your Snap handle1？”

最近，我去接参加完一场活动的15岁女儿，碰巧听到她和刚认识的人告别，她问对方：“嘿，你们的Snap账号是什么？”

At that moment， I couldn’t help but remember the days when I would scribble down friends’ home phone numbers on torn sheets of paper. I’d wait until after dinner to make calls， nestled in my room with the 10-foot cord from my landline stretched under the door.

那一刻，我不禁想起了在碎纸片上草草记下朋友家电话号码的日子。我会等到晚饭后，把家里固定电话10英尺长的电话线从房门下面拉进自己的房间，窝在屋里打电话。

It was then that I realized I have a unique view into how this new gener-ation is communicating.

就在那一刻，我意识到我对新世代的通讯方式有了独特的看法。

As a mom of three kids between the ages of 15 and 18 （not to mention the numerous other teenagers that make a regular appearance in our home）， I’ve been a bystander to their digital behavior， which has equally intrigued and perplexed me as a communicator， especially within the social space I work in， as I am privy to and see the evolution of these trends unfold daily （often hourly）.

作为母亲，我有3个年龄在15到18岁之间的孩子（更不必说其他众多经常出现在我家的青少年）。我一直是他们数字行为的旁观者，而作为（文化）传播者，他们的数字行为既让我好奇，又令我困惑，特别是在我工作的社交空间中，因为我每天（常常是每小时）都在了解并见证数字行为趋势的演变。

How is Gen Z really communicating？

Z世代究竟如何沟通？

According to a study done by Edison Mail， Gen Z’s three core communication channels are SMS （69%）， email （31%）， and social media （29%）. But what’s important to note here is that the survey was conducted among 1，112 adults over the age of 18， meaning that those aged 9 to 18 years old weren’t represented. These are those who I am observing every day， and the trends I’ve seen are quite the opposite.

根据Edison Mail的一项研究，Z世代的三个核心沟通渠道是短信（69%）、电子邮件（31%）和社交媒体（29%）。值得注意的是，这项调查是在1112名18岁以上的成年人中进行的，也就是说9至18岁的用户没有纳入调查范围，而这个年龄段的用户恰恰是我每天观察的对象，我看到的趋势和调查结果完全相反。

Where SMS came out the front- runner， it’s a channel that is quite outdated in the eyes of my kids. While they do text each other at times， more often than not， their use of SMS is reserved for conversations with adults or， interestingly enough， playing games.

短信在调查结果中占最大比重，但在我的孩子们眼里，这是一个相当过时的沟通渠道。虽然他们有时也会互发短信，但他们通常仅会用短信和成年人沟通，或者是打游戏时沟通，这一点很有趣。

Where email held second place in the survey， my kids admit that although they all have an email address， it’s rare that they would choose the channel as a preferred method of communication， nor do they know of anyone their age who would. They check their inboxes periodically for communication from teachers， bosses， or coaches， but that’s it.

电子邮件在调查结果中排名第二，但我的孩子们承认，尽管他们都有电子邮件地址，却很少会选择该渠道作为首选沟通方式，他们也不知道有哪个同龄人会优先选择发邮件。他们定期检查收件箱，查看来自老师、老板或教练的邮件，仅此而已。

To really get at the heart of how and where they communicate， it’s social.

要想真正了解他们怎样交流、在哪里交流，那就要看社交媒体。

Social media’s rise to the top of the communication charts

社交媒体登上通讯方式排行榜榜首

There is no question that social media has become one of the most adopted communication channels， with over 4.7 billion social media users worldwide and the average user spending nearly 2.5 hours every day on social platforms. And， with over 45% of those users between the ages of 13 and 29， Gen Z truly does sit in a power position within the channels they use.

毫无疑问，社交媒体已成为最多人使用的通讯渠道之一。全球社交媒体用户超过47亿，用户平均每天在社交平台上花费近2.5小时。超过45%的用户年龄在13到29岁之间——Z世代确实在他们使用的通讯渠道中占据主导地位。

When we think back to where the actual genesis of the social media space stemmed from， it could have actually occurred well before MySpace2—back to the launch of MSN Messenger3 in 1999， just two years after the first Gen Z babies were born. Since then， the draw for instant messaging has prevailed. It’s just the messaging channels themselves that have evolved and continue to change.

当我们回想社交媒体的真正起源时，会发现社交媒体实际上可能在MySpace之前就已经出现了——可以追溯到1999年MSN Messenger发布的时候，只比第一批Z世代婴儿的出生晚两年。从那时起，即时通讯的吸引力一直强劲，只是通讯渠道本身已有所演变，并将持续改变。

While my habits and preferred means of communication are SMS and messaging apps， my kids primarily use Snapchat. Rather than ask for someone’s phone number， they exchange Snapchat handles， and keep streaks4 as a way of staying in touch—the longer the streak， the better the connection. But strangely， more often than not， the “message” is nothing more than a photo， and that photo can often be of the ceiling or the wall with no text （they know and admit it’s weird， but they all do it）. Even when they photograph themselves， those photos are not curated5， they’re often unfiltered and authentic. Much can be communicated through a photo： no words are required， and regardless of the image， they’ve let the other person know they’re thinking of them.

虽然我习惯于使用短信和通讯应用程序，二者也是我首选的通讯方式，但我的孩子们主要使用Snapchat。他们不会询问别人的电话号码，而是会交换Snapchat账号，并以积累连续互动天数作为保持沟通的方式——连胜记录维持得越久，互动就越活跃。奇怪的是，通常情况下，他们发送的“信息”只是一张照片，而这张照片拍摄的常常是天花板或墙壁，不配文字。（他们知道并承认这有点奇怪，但他们都是这样做的。）即使他们自拍时，也不会精心选择照片，通常发布的就是没有滤镜的真实照片。一张照片可以传递很多信息——不需要文字，也无论拍摄内容是什么，他们已经让对方知道了他们的思念。

When they have something to say to each other， they often prefer not to call， text， audio message， or even Facetime in real-time; instead， they send a video message over Snapchat. The exchanges can go back and forth for hours without ever talking live. Why？ I asked. It allows them the flexibility to receive the message in their time， and it provides an easier end to the conversation than what can be an awkward “you hang up first” sign-off otherwise. Hmm.