The Age of Everything: Youth in Ireland Today - The Tenth Man

THE AGE OF EVERYTHING YOUTH IN IRELAND TODAY

Contents

Introduction 05

Methodology 07

Drivers 09

Control 17

WIP 18

In Our Image 29

Inside Out 43

Much Taboo About Nothing 53

Generation Gender 65

Escape 85

Safe Spaces 86

Digital Intimacy 93

IRL > URL 104

Desired Distractions 112

Selective Sessioners 120

Behaviours 133

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Introduction

Much has changed in Ireland in recent years. Sweeping cultural and social shifts have had a profound impact on us all and young people, in the formative stage of their lives, are at the forefront of that change.

Images of reckless drug-fuelled youth appear to be at odds with research that reveals them to be considered, productive and focused; driven by a sense of ambition and an awareness of technology’s potential and its limitations.

At The Tenth Man, our curiosity about youth culture led to the creation of this report and in part, our agency. We wanted to take a closer look at the key issues facing Irish youth and what those issues mean for the brands trying to keep up with them.

In particular, we wanted to determine how brands should communicate with this increasingly sophisticated, and at times wary, audience of 16-24 year olds.

“The Age of Everything: Youth in Ireland Today” is an in-depth study by The Tenth Man of the behaviours and attitudes defining Irish youth today.

Surveying over 1,000 16-24 year olds throughout the country, our report breaks down the themes and trends shaping young Irish people’s lives. From the role of gender and sexuality to their perception of Irish media, big brands and technology, we explore how young people are seeking out moments of control and moments of escape in response to an often overwhelming world.

Ken Robertson Founder & CEO The Tenth Man

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Methodology

Audience survey Online survey of 1,000 16-24 year olds throughout the Republic of Ireland by Opinium Research.

Ethnographic research Face-to-face interviews with Irish youth in their homes and in the spaces they like to hang out.

Expert interviews Thirty interviews with leading experts in the world of youth culture, as well as specific industry insiders.

Observational research A review of anything and everything relating to the youth, both nationally and internationally, via digital and physical publications ranging from industry reports, trend articles, thought pieces and social posts, to culture magazines and zines.

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DRIVERS

46% Agree that they’re overwhelmed with the amount of information online

77% Agree that equal pay should be the norm

60% Are concerned by the cost of living

Agency

2015 marked a turning point. Marriage equality didn’t just signify changing attitudes within the nation, it also proved the power of activism. Since then Repeal has only strengthened young people’s belief in the power to effect change, giving this generation a sense of agency that impacts everything from the personal to the political. Today, the Irish youth no longer accept things as they are. They’re demanding changes and readjusting their behaviours to suit their needs.

Always on

Technology is inescapable to most, if not all, of Ireland’s youth. As the first digitally native generation they’re constantly connected to the vast array of information the internet offers. With all the world’s knowledge at their fingertips, this cohort have become masters at calling out misinformation and missteps. Similarly, when it comes to media, a constant stream of content means they have the power to consume what they want, when they want.

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How much do you trust each of the following? 06% Goverment 07% Brands 07% Social Media

Distrust

From Facebook’s privacy scandals to the onslaught of fake news, distrust is now well ingrained into young people’s mentality. In an age of post-truth, once respected institutions are called into question. From the government to media and brands, established and emerging channels are all being treated with a sense of scepticism.

Restriction

Today’s youth feel a sense of limitation in Ireland. They’re not afforded the opportunities to create, study, and live in a way that enables them to thrive. The high cost of housing, a government that’s seen as uncaring, and an old guard of media moguls prevent them from growing and contributing to Irish culture in the way they want. This, coupled with an increasing realisation of life’s financial pressures, means this generation of youth are starting their adult lives with a heavy weight on their shoulders.

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TREND 1

Witnessing their potential to create change, this generation do not sit back and watch the world go by. They ensure their social personas are on point, develop professional side hustles and turn away from traditional media to consume content they feel is truly reflective of them. All this whilst shaping conversations around gender, sexuality and mental health. In a world that can feel overwhelming, the youth are exerting control.

CONTROL

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For a generation that witnessed the economic crash, and realised the lack of security a college degree guarantees, the need to work hard and develop their professional and creative ambitions above all else is paramount. This cohort constantly strive to perfect their work in progress.

WIP

This generation of youth are old enough to remember the impact of the 2008 crash on Irish life in some form or another. Austerity and cutbacks are far from distant, blurry concepts. They witnessed the generation above them face a bad job market despite third level degrees, and this informs much of their approach and attitude to education and work. Today’s Irish youth are questioning the traditional education and career paths previous generations followed, and embarking on entrepreneurial endeavours.

Best digital selves

Digital has become a means to bypass traditional industry gatekeepers. Beyond data breaches and the manipulation of online behaviour, social media has profoundly changed how we think about ourselves and the world around us. The digital and social media landscape is not just a means of gathering knowledge, or communicating with pals, it’s a way to perform your identity and create your own personal brand.

The potential to use media as social and professional currency is not lost on this generation. Creating a second (digital) self, they’re posting, curating and interacting with content on the likes of Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, in ways that ensure they portray the best image possible. Sinead Bailey Kelly, co-founder at H&G Creations, a Dublin-based agency specialising in event design and digital marketing, says the focus on social profiles has had a profound impact on lived experience. “Young people are always looking for new ways to elevate their online profile, ways to make them look like they are living interesting, exciting, passionate lives. They want to spend their time engaging in real life experiences that are going to translate well online.”

“I turn my spare time into my main time.”

— Ken, 20

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“I go on Instagram every day and scroll. You need to promote and upload. I don’t even think about it anymore because it’s just something you have to do. And you start to think ‘I’m selling myself as a brand,’ which is absolutely insane.”

— Nevan, 22

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Young entrepreneurs

A DCU study states a third of students want to become entrepreneurs or work for their own business five years after graduation. Getting to college used to be seen as an achievement in itself, but these days about 60% of school leavers are progressing to third level. This, coupled with an international workforce, means the competition for employment is intense. In response to these stresses, the youth are proving their entrepreneurial acumen and forging paths outside the norm. Jeff Fromm author of ‘Marketing to Gen Z: The Rules for Reaching This Vast – and Very Different – Generation of Influencer’ describes this group as one that wants to “work hard and play hard. They want money and are coming of age in an era where economies are strong and opportunities to see and do are everywhere, so they want to see and do.”

“Our ultimate goal is to become an all-encompassing brand, offering more than just apparel but also curating culture. We want to be a brand people align themselves with. I think Kulture Klub and 24/7 represent how Irish youth are enterprising and attempting to monetise their creative abilities.”

— Samuel Awe, Creative Director, Kulture Klub

Two examples of this are clothing brand, Kulture Klub, and creative agency, 24/7, both set up by Bolaji Sofola towards the end of his undergraduate degree. For Sofola, Kulture Klub was a way for him to avoid relying solely on a traditional 9-5 job. After its success, Sofola founded the agency. Creative director, Samuel Awe, says Kulture Klub’s “ultimate goal is to become an all-encompassing brand, offering more than just apparel but also curating culture. We want to be a brand people align themselves with.” For Awe, Kulture Klub and 24/7 represent how “Irish youth are enterprising and attempting to monetise their creative abilities.”

Emporium, a Dublin-based pop up shop and showcase event for Ireland’s best streetwear brands and young designers, has a similar story. Emporium’s founder, Robbie Fidgeon-Kavanagh is part of a growing Irish streetwear scene, focused on promoting and developing Irish made brands in the country. Fidgeon-Kavanagh views Emporium as “a platform for the creatives in Dublin and Ireland who are expressing themselves through the medium of fashion, and streetwear specifically.”

67% Are nervous about their future

59% Say more money is more important than more leisure time

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In the business and tech world the likes of 19-year-old cybersecurity entrepreneur Shane Curran and 19-year-old app creator Jordan Casey are reaffirming the belief that age is just a number. Curran and Casey are two of many young Irish entrepreneurs whose stories have formed national media headlines, inspiring those who care to read it.

Brands have responded by creating platforms that encourage young people’s ambitions. With #BeAnOriginal, Original Penguin wanted to support and celebrate young talent while allowing others to experience and learn from it. Featuring the likes of world-renowned free runner, Daniel Ilabaca, and Dublin graffiti artist, Aches, the project honours hard work and perseverance. Apps like Cala, which enables emerging designers to connect with clothing manufacturers, are also on the rise, as inventive means to pursue professional ambitions increase.

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In Our Image

For today’s youth traditional media is missing the mark. In response to stereotypes and clichés, Ireland’s young people are taking representation into their own hands; consuming and creating content that is for them, and by them.

— Aoife, 21

“I think it’s important to speak to teenagers like they’re adults because they’re usually quite smart.”

Representation has never been so political. From #OscarsSoWhite to Victoria’s Secret’s refusal to cast trans or plus size models in their shows, the stories told and the images displayed by mainstream media and brands are under ever increasing scrutiny. Thanks to the endless flow of information afforded through the online world, it’s easier than ever to catch out missteps. As a generation repeatedly referred to as ‘woke’, being conscious of diversity, representation and stereotyping comes second nature.

In Ireland, not only is the media missing the mark when it comes to diversity, there’s an overwhelming consensus that traditional media doesn’t understand Irish youth. Despite strides in what and who is being represented and spoken about, media and brands haven’t gone far enough. When the media does attempt to tackle topics relevant to young people, it is often not created by those it aims to represent, and can feel clichéd. Only 17% of 16-24 year olds consume live broadcast TV in an average week. This cohort respond to the irrelevance of the established channels by switching off and finding alternative content online.

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— Muireann, 22

“Generally, I don’t think TV’s for my age group. Even stuff that it tries to make for us feels a bit disjointed. It’s usually made by rich, able-bodied people for rich, able-bodied people, and when they do create different characters usually the person playing them isn’t representative of that role, and usually those writing them aren’t either.”

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DIY media

The internet and social media have placed the power of representation in the hands of young people. The old gatekeepers who decided what was and wasn’t appropriate have been partly dismantled. In their wake a slew of publications, blogs, vlogs, and video channels have emerged with one unique selling point: they’re created by the very people who consume them. Perhaps the most successful independent publication to come out of Ireland recently, District Magazine, has become the number one source for contemporary music culture in Ireland, representing the best and brightest the nation has to offer. “Youth are looking for an image of themselves in media,” says District’s editor Eric Davidson. “They want to see their interests and passions reflected back at them from the media they consume.”

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61% Agree that their generation is negatively stereotyped

28% Feel the media accurately represents modern Irish life

On a smaller scale, collective and label Dearfach’s YouTube channel, Dearfach TV, is answering young people’s desire for niche music content. Covering DIY drill, trap, rap, and R&B, the channel was set up by 22-year-old, Clare native Solomon Adesiyan. Dearfach TV has clocked up over four million views on YouTube. For Adesiyan, Irish media “needs to get off its high horse and actually hire people who know what it is they’re writing about, the people who actually know urban music.” Goblin, launched in December 2018, is the first Irish skate magazine in over ten years. Its editor Philip Halton is conscious of the vast array of talent in Ireland, from photographers, videographers, artists, musicians and storytellers. For Halton, “the aim with Goblin was to bring all these avenues into one main outlet, to use it to include people from all over the country for events and to highlight their work.”

While the likes of Dearfach, Goblin and District tackle culture, ÉALÚ is tackling identity. Created by Maïa Nunes, Karen Miano and Esther Mogada, the podcast discusses the role of race in modern Ireland through the three hosts’ personal perspectives as women of colour. It follows in the footsteps of artist collective GXRLCODE’s podcast about “a group of gals making an inclusive space in a podcast, talking about things relevant to us.” On a larger level, last year, saw Dublin Digital Radio broadcast content made by women and presented by women, as well as those unrepresented on the gender spectrum in response to what DDR saw as consistent under representation in the media. Entitled ‘24 Hours of Women’s Voices 2018′ DDR asked: What are Irish radio stations doing about gender imbalance?

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“Nike makes sense to young people. They’ve done a lot of collaborations with grime artists who represent the youth in England and here in Ireland. They’re trying hard to speak to young people in their way.”

— James, 17

Come as we are

Dean McDaid is co-founder of Not Another Agency, a modelling and talent agency that has long seen the value in representing the true diversity of Ireland. For McDaid, the Irish image industry was previously behind the times. “It had pigeon-holed what we were being told was beauty, which is so damaging to see, especially for young people.” Yet things have changed: “in the last couple of years people are finally feeling represented in the fashion and beauty industry,” says McDaid. “Kids are seeing themselves in the faces that brands use.”

While streetwear brands like Nike and adidas have been long blazing a trail when it comes to diversity and collaborating with young creatives, other brands have been slow to adapt. A notable exception is Getty Images’ recent partnership with Dove and Girlgaze, a platform dedicated to providing female-identifying and non-binary creators with jobs in the creative space. Project #ShowUs is a library of 5000 plus photographs aimed at shattering beauty stereotypes. The images have been created by 116 female-identifying and non-binary photographers from 39 countries. For Getty, Dove and Girlgaze Project #ShowUs puts representation in the hands of those being represented to create a collection of images that show female-identifying and non-binary individuals “as they are, not as others believe they should be.”

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Inside Out

Mental health is front of mind for a generation that is constantly connected. In the absence of much needed services, they’re seeking out ways to cope with the stress and strain of modern life themselves.

65% Say their mental health is more important to them than their physical health

48% Recently felt lonely

66% Have recently become more conscious of their mental wellbeing

61% Often feel anxious

“I can get quite depressed, but I don’t mind talking about it too much. I guess I’ve got open friends. Galway is particularly rough at the moment. Mental health is a pretty serious problem, so often enough we’d remind ourselves to talk to each other.”

— Finn, 24

This generation is exposed to a constant stream of news, and is under increasing pressure to perform desirable online identities. FOMO, fear of missing out, is an iconic acronym. The ever-present pressures of young adult life like fitting in, getting a job, and completing school, are also as salient as they ever were. No surprise then that this is a generation grappling with their mental health.

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Coping mechanisms

For many young people the debates around mental health are not nuanced enough. While a conversation may be happening, it’s not being backed up by much needed funding and services within the sector. 35% of 16-24 year olds are concerned about a lack of adequate mental health services and funding. This is their fourth highest concern, superseding gender inequality, the job market, and global politics.

Independent Irish magazine Cove often tackles mental health within its pages. The publication recently took ‘failure’ as the issue’s theme to cast the topic in a more positive, and less damaging, light. “One of the dangers I still feel is prevalent is the trivialisation and misunderstanding of how different people’s experiences with mental health can be,” says Cove editor, Geri Dempsey. “Different issues can be glossed over or grouped into one… methods of coping and living with these issues should be at the forefront of these conversations rather than ‘quick fixes.’

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“Colleges turn around and say, ‘it’s so important that we help our young people, that we have positive mental health,’ but then you’ll try and get a meeting with a counsellor and it’ll take over a month. When you finally do get it, you get a response of something like, ‘Oh, have you tried exercising? Have you tried eating healthy?’ It’s something where we’re constantly saying this is such an important issue, and so many people are doing so many things to make it better, but on a grand scale, people are still having a really hard time actually getting help when they have a mental illness.”

— Megan, 19

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Front of mind

That social media is a major culprit when it comes to mental health issues is no surprise. According to research, the strain social media can have on users can lead to unhappiness, anxiety and even depression. In response, Facebook has created an “online wellbeing” section which includes a Youth Portal to help young people use the platform in moderation. Meanwhile Instagram has debuted its own wellbeing division.

Offline, companies such as Lidl and mytaxi have made attempts to destigmatise mental health difficulties. Mytaxi worked with Aware to launch #DriversofChange, a campaign in which Aware trained mytaxi drivers to become mental health advocates. Lidl toured Ireland with a pop-up bakery that encouraged young people to discuss their mental health over tea and cake. Across the pond, LabBible’s UOKM8? sought to provide the publisher’s young readers with the necessary tools to start informed conversations around mental health. Working in partnership with mental health ambassadors and the charity MIND, UOKM8? created content that offered advice on protecting your mind, asking for help, coping with loss, and helping friends.

When it comes to coping, young people seem to be creating their own solutions, whether through sharing their struggles online and in print, or using physical exercise as a mental release. “These kids are so emotionally intelligent, they’re the ones who are going to teach the adults who grew up in a culture of religious dogma and were a lot more controlled by fear,” says Tony Griffin, CEO at SOAR, an initiative providing wellness workshops for young people aged 12 to 18 years. “This generation are the ones that can teach the adults about the world.”

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“The past generation didn’t question anything. Everything was either right or wrong, and that was what you accepted. Now people are realising, ‘Oh shit! None of this actually matters.’ People made all these rules years ago and now we need to break them down.”

— Luke, 20

Much Taboo About Nothing

Thanks to Repeal and Marriage Equality, topics that were once off the cards when it came to polite conversation are now out in the open. Today, young people are reevaluating what is and what is not acceptable to discuss.

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Periods/menstruation should be publicly/openly discussed

60% Agree 15% Disagree

It’s okay to have multiple sexual partners in your lifetime


Sex education should be non-religious and encompass LGBTQ identities


A woman has the right to her own autonomy and control of her own body


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For many young people, traditional and conservative Ireland is a distant, unrecognisable, memory. In the wake of mass cultural and social changes, topics such as reproductive health and sexuality have lost much of their past stigma. As this generation continue to question the status quo, a range of other previously unspoken truths are gaining mainstream traction. From female body hair, to sex and menstruation, things that were once classed as taboo are gradually being discussed out in the open.

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Turning on

One of Netflix’s standout hits in 2019, ‘Sex Education’, unpacked the world of teenage sex, laying bare all the glorious, awkward details. Following its main protagonist, Otis, as he establishes himself as his school’s reluctant sex therapist, the show refused to shy away from sex in any of its forms. Last year, Slutever, originally a blog and book by Karley Sciortino looking at sex in the modern world, was launched as a web series on Vice. Slutever’s topics of discussion included: the best ways to clean your sex toys, spanking and slut shaming.

Despite some media representation, serious conversations around sex are still noticeably absent from schools’ curricula. One in two 16-24 year olds are having sex a lot or sometimes, and by the time they’re 20, at least three in four are having sex. Yet there’s a noticeable lack of education around the topic. Jack Deacon, deputy director at SpunOut.ie, Ireland’s youth information website, highlights this gap. “When you speak to young people and ask: ‘did you get any sex education in secondary school?’ the vast majority of them will say ‘no’.”

41% Are going on romantic dates a lot or sometimes

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Where education is failing, some brands are filling the gap. Women’s wellness company, Lola, recently aimed to destigmatise sexual health with its ‘Let’s Talk About It’ campaign. Launched in July 2018, the campaign featured a public hotline with pre-recorded messages about common sex questions and concerns. The hotline received more than 1,600 calls, from both men and women, in the first week alone. Slutbot, a free SMS service in the US, allows users to practice sexting in a safe environment. It provides education and advice on issues such as consent, whilst also offering erotic stimulus. The service’s CEO and founder cites the high rate of sexting among young people as a key reason to launch.

Natural cycles

This was the inaugural year of Januhairy, a month in which women were encouraged to put down their grooming tools as part of a new movement around body acceptance. Created by 21-year-old UK student Laura Jackson, Januhairy was her attempt to dismantle the taboo of female body hair. More recently Nike Women launched a campaign with American soul singer Annahstasia in which the singer proudly displays her underarm hair. It follows a range of social media led campaigns, like acne positivity, created to destigmatise bodily functions and promote nontraditional beauty standards. Thanks to likes of Jameela Jamil, a crusade against airbrushing is mounting. Roz Purcell’s empowering homage to her stretch marks, and Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber’s proud display of their acne, are examples of some of the celebrities embracing this shift.

Conversations around menstruation have also changed. Brands have gradually begun introducing the colour red, as opposed to blue, to demonstrate the effectiveness of sanitary products. While in the UK, women’s sanitary brand, Bodyform, launched Viva la Vulva, a campaign film featuring objects that resemble vulvas, such as oysters, grapefruits and fortune cookies, as well as women inspecting their own genitals. Set against the song ‘Take Yo’ Praise’ by Camille Yarbrough, Libresse wanted to remove the stigma women felt around the appearance of their vulva.

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“I think it’s cottoning on to the fact that humans are humans and you can’t be perfect all the time. Considering things like body hair, I’m way less pressured to get rid of that. Everyone’s a human being. Being a human comes with scars. That’s just natural and why not be natural?”

— Titi, 18

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Generation Gender

While this generation are forging a new path in how gender and sexuality are discussed, for most youths gender roles are still present in some form or another. Given the pressure to conform, attempts to define their own gender and sexual preference without judgement, are hard won achievements.

As residents of a country with some of the world’s most progressive gender laws, Ireland’s youth are well aware of the changing understanding of gender. Thanks to a growing debate, both within politics and pop culture, about gender and sexuality’s place in society, how you identify and what gender you’re attracted to feels more open than ever. A recent survey by ‘Behaviour and Attitudes’ found that 46% of Irish people feel neutral or no pride in the same-sex marriage result. In contrast, 75% of this survey’s 16-24 year olds agree that same sex couples should have the right to marry. This is coupled with the fact that only 62% of 16-24 year olds identify as exclusively straight, meaning the other 38% class themselves as somewhere along the spectrum.

Yet rigid images of masculine and feminine identities and heteronormative sexualities still pervade the mainstream. 46% of 16-24 year olds feel under pressure to behave or act a certain way because of their gender. This is despite the fact that only 25% say their gender defines them. This signals that the pressures to conform are coming from without, not within.

— Claire, 18

“I always feel like I have to portray that nice looking, pretty image. I don’t think I would really want any pictures on my social media of me without makeup.”

77% Feel pressure to look a certain way

68% Feel the media creates impossible standards of beauty

43% Feel their gender is misrepresented by the media

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Battles of the sexes

17-year-old poet of the moment, Natalya O’Flaherty, has used her platform to speak up for gender equality through spoken word by highlighting the issues that continue to plague young girls growing up in modern Ireland. In her poem ‘Not Like Other Girls’, O’Flaherty proudly states: “I can like shoes and makeup and still have depth. I can be brave while wiping tears on my sleeve. I can be everything or nothing I’m expected to be. I can be like the other girls and they can be like me.”

Perhaps the most recognisable attempt to grapple with conversations around gender came in the form of Gillette’s recent ad on toxic masculinity which played on its 30-year tagline “The Best A Man Can Get”. Instead they asked: “is this the best a man can get?” Although it received a hefty dose of criticism, Gillette’s ad was the largest attempt to reframe the debate thus far. On a smaller scale the likes of Axe have been gradually working to present a more multifaceted view of masculinity in marketing, with campaigns that make an effort to consciously adapt the portrayal of masculinity to allow for more nuance, flexibility and compassion. In a recent US advert, Axe promoted ‘bathsculinity’ – the concept of being confident in yourself inside and outside of the bathroom – in order to reduce the pressure on young men to conform with old ideas of gender roles. These changes come as clothing retailers are examining both how they divide their stores and market their products. H&M, for example, is one of the first mainstream brands in the UK and Ireland to launch a unisex adult clothing line.

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“What doesn’t make sense is having to listen to the Church telling you what to do. The only people who give a shit about people’s sexuality is the Church.”

— James, 17

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Same sex couples should have the right to marry


Same sex couples should have the right to adopt children


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New identities

Attempts to shift the debate and alleviate gendered expectations are undeniably growing. In the trans community increased visibility has been vital, as it has for the LGBTQ community as a whole. “People are getting a sense of themselves much earlier because generally it’s not as terrifying and there’s more examples of LGBTQ folk around,” says Lisa Connell, editor of GCN, Ireland’s national monthly free gay magazine.

Questions around gender are being explored on and offline by a range of nights and publications. Masc, an online editorial platform created by Stephen Moloney, classes itself as “an investigation into what fascinating things gay, bi, and queer cisgender and transgender men are doing.” The platform aims “to demonstrate the multiplicity of masculinities in our community and what it means to be a man, if anything, prefaced by the above terms today.” Then there’s Gendure, a magazine set up by Martin O’Neill to inform readers: “that hyper feminine androgyny, non-binary and gender fluidity isn’t a trend.” For O’Neill, while the conversation on gender has started, it’s not yet complete: “I hope that conversations around gender and sexuality will become a secondary issue. If pronouns were understood there wouldn’t be huge restrictions or complications with members of the LGBTQ community who struggle with their gender identity within a society that is not fully catered to them yet.”

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“I think sometimes the way brands go about activism can seem, again, kind of quite surface level. They’re trying to be feminist, but when you go beyond it their practices don’t add up to the messages that they’re trying to promote.”

— Muireann, 22

Understanding the need to dismantle traditional gender stereotypes has been on the agenda for so long that it can feel frustrating to still be talking about it. Yet thanks to increasing demands from the youth, strides are being made. Brands that are getting it right, are the ones providing a multilayered approach to gender. “For us community is key. The brands that are doing it well are the ones that understand that they have to be sensitive and intelligent,” says Connell. “The ones that are doing it poorly are the ones that put a rainbow flag on everything.”

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TREND 2

Things are getting serious. The stresses and strains of a connected life mean for today’s Irish youth moments to detach and escape are all the more important. It is paramount to find spaces to be themselves, connecting in ways that feel genuine and prioritising the physical over the virtual. Mediums and messages that provide light relief show no sign of disappearing, and the youth take a more considered approach to how and when they party.

ESCAPE

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The pressure to constantly perform their best digital selves has created a reactive desire to escape judgement through digital and physical spaces. This allows the youth to express themselves as they are.

The pressure to constantly portray your best digital self has a side effect. Increasingly young people seek out spaces in which they can avoid the glare of judgement and simply be themselves. Both digital and physical, these safe spaces are where self-expression and freedom to be come first. Rather than the norm, they’re sought out as moments of escape from their heavily curated lives.

Safe Spaces

“We have a group Finsta. We put up the ugliest photos we can find of ourselves or funny things of us on nights out. If anyone would see it, we’d die.”

— Claire, 18

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Rinstas and finstas

Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the rise of the ‘finsta’ or the ‘rinsta’. Rinstas (real Instagram) or finstas (fake or fun Instagram) is a second Instagram page, set to private, where users create content they feel shouldn’t be shared on their default page. Rinsta or finsta posts might include acne diaries, drunken pictures and/or silly memes; they stand in direct contrast to the perfectly, curated lifestyle many feel under pressure to portray on their default page. For this generation their finsta is a chance to express themselves authentically and without judgement. It’s a response to the hyper glossy, overly perfected images that saturate the online world.

Rinstas and finstas represent a shift to a more closed, intimate type of social experience. Coupled with their rise, Instagram has also launched an option for users to create stories sharable only to a close group of friends. The feature called ‘Close Friends’ lets users post more personal stories only for their chosen followers to see; enabling greater freedom in what they share and providing another space in which the fear of judgement is reduced.

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Freedom to express

Online safe spaces can take on a particularly vital significance for marginalised communities. “Digital networks are crucial especially for LGBTI+ people who aren’t out, it gives them the safety of anonymity to meet and talk to other people with similar experiences. It literally can be a lifeline for them,” says Moninne Griffith, Executive Director at BeLonG To, the national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex young people in Ireland. One in three 16-24 year olds say they go to social media to connect with online communities they may not meet in real life. When it came to young people’s reasons for using social media, only ‘inspiration’ and ‘connection with friends and family’ trumped the power of these digital communities.

In physical form, nights like Club Comfort have provided spaces for a variety of gender identifying young people to gather. Born as an escape from of what its founders saw as dull dance music in other clubs, Club Comfort has created a safe space for queer and trans people. So too has Shivers in Galway, a club night in which the focus is on creating a space in which people feel safe to express themselves.

33% Say that social media is where they go to connect with online communities they may not have met in real life

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But it’s not just spaces to explore your gender identity. As we’ve seen, safe spaces give the freedom to express yourself free from judgement. Long regarded as isolating, video games are transforming into a conduit for young men to explore their feelings and relationships. BROverwatch is a YouTube series created by a group of friends who play Blizzard Entertainment’s popular team-based shooter game Overwatch, using the platform to discuss personal struggles. BROverwatch came about to provide a neutral environment in which self-expression could be voiced in a judgement-free zone.

The days of the mega influencer are waning. Rather than looking to aspirational stars, the youth want more recognisable and relatable people in their lives. From micro influencers to local figures; the smaller, the more authentic. This is coupled with a growing desire for content that abandons glossy sheens in favour of a raw aesthetic.

One of the most talked about documentaries of the year came with Netflix’s ‘Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened’, a 97-minute blow by blow account of an infamously disastrous Bahaman festival which crashed and burned at the hands of cocky entrepreneur, Billy McFarland. While the piece provided some much-relished schadenfreude at the naivety of wealthy Americans, it was particularly important in showing the ills of modern influencer culture. Highlighting the role that models played in the promotion of an event they’d no intention of attending, to many the documentary was yet another example of the vacuity and fakeness of the influencer industry.

17% Think it’s genuine when a celebrity or influencer endorses a brand or product on social media

93

Digital Intimacy

94 95

“I don’t follow any celebrities. If I’m interested in seeing Kim Kardashian or whoever, I’ll look them up myself. I’d rather see what’s actually going on. What are people doing around my area? ‘Cause I don’t really want to see celebrities promoting this and that thing I know they actually don’t use.”

— Claire, 18

60% Would rather follow a celebrity whose lifestyle they can relate to than a celebrity whose lifestyle is aspirational

The Rise of the Micro Influencer

According to MediaKix, the global influencer marketing industry is set to be worth between $5 billion and $10 billion by 2020. Its growth has been exponential. Yet this generation are savvy and the tricks of the global influencer marketing industry have been gradually laid bare. While influencer marketing may not disappear, its current format needs to change.

Increasingly youth are looking to local figures, often with smaller followings and relatable lifestyles, to gain inspiration. The micro influencer has become a new term in marketing speak to help offset what some view as an oversaturated influencer marketing landscape. “Micro influencers tend to be more alongside the users and so they’re profiling between a celebrity and a user like you and me. We can relate to them a little more than say a Cristiano Ronaldo,” says Laurent Muzellec, director of the new MSc in Digital Marketing Strategy at Trinity Business School. “If I was a brand trying to make my way in the market right now, I would rather recruit 20 to 100 micro influencers than go for someone who’s endorsing multiple brands and doesn’t have so much brand credibility.”

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“If I was thinking about influencer marketing specifically, I’d ask who are the 4% of my customers who aren’t famous but who are going to influence lots of their friends because they’re active users of the brand? This is micro influencing.”

The rise of micro influencers has been a key factor in the growth of startups such as Glossier, the US cosmetics brand that has managed to cultivate a cult community of brand advocates through the creation of micro influencer networks. Currently valued at $1.2 billion, Glossier understood the potential of working with micro influencers. “Young people’s social habits tend to be in micro networks,” says Jeff Fromm, author of ‘Marketing to Gen Z’. “If I was thinking about influencer marketing specifically, I’d ask who are the 4% of my customers who aren’t famous but who are going to influence lots of their friends because they’re active users of the brand? This is micro influencing.”

— Jeff Fromm, Author, ‘Marketing to Gen Z: The Rules for Reaching This Vast – and Very Different – Generation of Influencer’

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Which of these do you use on a daily basis?

61% YouTube

59% Instagram

56% Snapchat

42% Facebook

19% Twitter

98

Real and relatable

Creating a sense of relatability through locality and shared interests is vital. The super polished aspirational aesthetic is on its way out and instead the youth are looking for content that connects to their real life: raw, local and flawed. 61% of 16-24 year olds use YouTube daily. It’s the most used social platform for this age group, with its intimacy often cited as the reason behind its popularity. With 45% and 49% spending more time on Instagram and YouTube respectively over the past 12 months, Facebook’s comparative 22% increase signals a trend in social behaviour towards visual platforms that are arguably more intimate in nature.

A lack of relatability is arguably behind the growing distrust, and in some instances disdain, for celebrity influencer culture. Youth look for something more real instead of something over-curated. Sportswear brands have been representing this shift for a long time. Perhaps one of the most talked about ads of last year was Nike’s ‘Nothing Beats a Londoner’. A perfectly pitched homage to London spoken not via big name celebrities or influencers but kids off the streets of their hometown. The writer Thomas Theodore says the ad was created to combat a “wavering brand affinity among a younger generation of consumers with whom celebrity-led advertising failed to resonate.” Focusing not on household names, but local London faces spoke directly to Nike’s intended audience. The advert was watched 29 million times.

“I went to one of the Dublin finals in Portlaoise. Dublin were against Tyrone and Dublin won. Everyone went on the pitch to get autographs. Stephen Cluxton waited until every person on the pitch was gone, till everyone got an autograph, until he left.”

– Simon, 16

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Are you using the following social media sites the same, less or more than 12 months ago?

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

Snapchat

22% More

32% The same

36% Less

11% Never used

45% More

29% The same

17% Less

09% Never used

18% More

18% The same

31% Less

32% Never used

49% More

34% The same

15% Less

02% Never used

37% More

25% The same

21% Less

16% Never used

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At the risk of becoming repetitive: this is a digital generation. Glued to their phones, oftentimes from morning to night, smartphones and social media have become intertwined with the image of this generation. Yet for every action there’s a reaction, and the saturation of all things digital is creating a renewed importance on physical interaction. As we’ve seen social media can have a negative impact on young people’s mental health. 43% are trying to reduce their social media use and 74% prefer socialising IRL to online.

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IRL > URL

Digital can never trump real life. Moments to engage IRL are becoming increasingly sought out at a time when technology feels pervasive.

“The indoor skate park Grasshopper’s closing now. We’ve had it for 5 or 6 years. The guy that runs it, Tony, is a legend. Like he always has it open for us. He always goes out of his way to make sure that if it’s raining that the doors will be open for us. When you’re here, as cheesy as it sounds, it is a family.”

– Ross, 18

“Well, I feel like energy is the big thing when seeing friends face-to-face… communicating with people. I can experience their energy better.”

— Titi, 18

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Digital detox

The youth recognise the importance of moments in which human connection is prioritised. Brands are responding. UK restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s recently launched ‘No Phone Zones’, an attempt to bring back the art of conversation by offering families, willing to hand over their mobiles and spend their dinner time talking to their nearest and dearest, free meals for the kids.

On a larger scale, musician Childish Gambino recently invited Auckland festival-goers to switch off in an immersive wellness installation. On show at Childish Gambino’s very own Pharos music festival, the immersive installation hosted an array of wellness-themed activities, including sound baths, cosmic humming, "truth connection booths" and enlightenment exercises. The aim was to encourage digital downtime and create opportunities for real-life interactions.

Engaging IRL often requires physical structures. Yet with an acute housing crisis playing out in the capital, and dwindling cultural venues, the spaces for young people to learn and connect are in short supply. At home, the likes of Foróige provide much needed spaces for young people to gather and interact. While in the UK brands such as Nandos have prioritised the physical. Nando’s music studios, located at one of their main London restaurants in Soho, give budding musicians the chance to lay down their own tracks and congregate IRL.

“You don’t get the full enjoyment viewing one of our art pieces on a phone as you would if you took the time to walk into the city centre and actually stand and look at the scale of it and skill that was required in order to produce it.”

– Subset

“Some of my friends are stepping away from technology because as you grow older, you start to realise you’re not going to be around each other every day. I’m usually the person to call everybody out, I’m like, ‘everyone just put your phones away.’”

– Ken, 20

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Delayed gratification

Despite being conscious of their smartphone dependency, Irish youth show no sign of giving up their devices. While time to disconnect is valued, offering events and activations that blur the physical and digital can be a way to win big. Balancing the relationship between IRL and URL is artist collective, SUBSET. The group’s large-scale murals throughout Dublin have demonstrated the symbiotic relationship between physical and digital: many visitors would first see the mural online, go to view it IRL and then post it to their Instagram. Part of the appeal of SUBSET’s imagery is the effort required to experience it. “Everybody’s so busy these days, their attention spans are at the bare minimum due to the manner in which we consume content especially online,” says SUBSET. “You don’t get the full enjoyment viewing one of our art pieces on a phone as you would if you took the time to walk into the city centre and actually stand and look at the scale of it and skill that was required in order to produce it.”

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57% Look for a time to catch up with their friends on a night out

74% Prefer socialising IRL to online

58% Prefer shopping in store to online

87% Would prefer to meet a partner IRL than on a dating app/website

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63% Are looking for moments to escape their day-to-day

While we know digital can often be overwhelming and laden with pressures to perform, it can also provide a source of escape. The online world’s immersive nature is helping youths gain some respite from their day-to-day.

Desired Distractions

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“I was playing Fortnite and MOMO hacked into it. It was mad.”

–Simon, 16

Digital worlds

One of the most written about gaming experiences of 2018 was Fortnite. A third-person shooter game that unearthed a wave of young adult hysteria in the past 12 plus months, Fortnite functions like this. A hundred players are dropped onto an island from a flying school bus, to fight one another to the death. The winner is the last one standing. By many measures Fornite is the most popular video game in the world with at times more than three million people playing it at once. Its popularity is understandable, the game has created a totally immersive digital world: there are twenty-one areas on the island, each with a cutesy alliterative name. Recently Epic Games hosted the first-ever Fortnite World Cup, which was open to all players age 13 and up and offered $40 million in prizes. The competition began on April 13 with online qualifiers for six regions.

But it’s not just Fortnite that offers an escape for youths. There’s also digital avatars like Lil’ Miquela, an online influencer with 1.5 million followers who just so happens to be computer-generated, and Shudu, the ‘world’s first digital supermodel’, who has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Vogue and has been used to promote Fenty Beauty and Balmain.Playing with the notion of fakeness and reality this new subsection of influencer demonstrates how much the digital has entered the youth’s day to day.

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#LOL The most popular image in Instagram history is of an egg. With over 53 million likes, World Record Egg’s image set out to have the most liked Instagram post of all time and won, beating Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott’s announcement of the birth of their baby in the process. While World Record Egg has since evolved into a much-needed source for digital wellbeing advice, its initial foray into the world of social media was a tongue and cheek take on influencer culture that poked fun at the vacuity of it all.

At home, Instagram page ‘Irish Celebs Doing Things’ was set up by Amy O’Connor as a way to share her “useless knowledge about Irish celebrities.” With over twenty thousand followers, the page has garnered a loyal fanbase who check in to have some light hearted lols. “I think internet humour works best when it’s niche, specific and out of context,” says O’Connor. “Accounts like Irish Celebs Doing Things tick all those boxes. Where else are you going to get old Daniel O’Donnell cover shots or Marty Morrissey’s holiday photos?”

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“Clickbait is a big thing. I click on this, click on that. Plenty of times I’ve been like ‘it’s six in the morning, I should probably go to sleep now.”

– James, 17

41% Think interactivity is missing from the online shopping experience

41% Short form video appeals to them the most

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Selective Sessioners

120

Much has been written about the declining drinking habits of a global generation of youths. Yet, with so much on their minds, oftentimes the greatest escape comes from partying. While club closures have had a profound impact on Irish nightlife, this generation of youth are a resourceful bunch. Limited funds plus a lack of options mean socialising often comes in the form of house parties or free gaffs, as well as a more selective approach to how and when they party.

Teenage rebellion is alive and well. While they might be taking a more considered approach to drink, Irish youth are still looking for moments to offset the stress, and what better way than good old-fashioned partying.

10% Drink a lot

38% Drink sometimes

26% Drink rarely

26% Drink never

“I was thinking about this a lot recently, there’s such a big culture of an after session here. I’ve been to ridiculous parties in horrible basements until 8:00 a.m. but it’s such an Irish thing. There’s always that culture in Irish people, I think, to always have fun.”

— Aoife, 21

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A considered approach

There’s no escaping the growing awareness of health and wellness in modern Ireland. From fitness bloggers to vegan influencers, being conscious of what you consume and how your body looks feels more prevalent than ever. Undeniably this impacts how the youth party. While they do still drink (74% partake in boozing at least once in a while) the impact of heavy sessioning financially and physically isn’t lost on them. Only 10% drink a lot, meaning that while the youth are still on the booze, it’s not a constant feature in their lives. This generation take a more considered approach to when they drink and why.

Spaces that offer multifunctionality, as opposed to a singular focus on drinking, are beginning to emerge. Jam Park, set up by the team from Bodytonic, is described as an “adults playground where you can eat, drink, play and dance.” Set over three floors, it includes crazy golf, ping pong, shuffleboard, darts and escape rooms. There’s a revolving choice of carnival, circus and interactive games, gigs, screenings, conferences, exhibitions, parties and private functions. It allows young people to come, let loose and congregate, without the focus being on getting wasted. Jam Park follows in the footsteps of Token, a restaurant, bar, retro arcade, pinball parlour and event space, that applies a similar approach to a more multifaceted social space. Of course, there are a few options for those looking to teetotal entirely. Funky Seomra is an alcohol and drug-free club night held at venues around Dublin, and, at the older end of the spectrum, The Virgin Mary is a new alcohol free cocktail bar, catering for those keen to have fun without loosing control.

The after sesh

While selective sessioning is on the rise, the desire for moments of total escape are too. Illegal drugs are still confined to a small section of Irish youths but their dominance in bigger cities is undeniable. “Young people do want to go to these big dance events,” says Dave Parle, DJ and music promoter with Hidden Agenda, an events company and stalwarts in the Irish nightlife scene. “They’re still taking a lot of drugs.”

12% Take illegal drugs a lot or sometimes

35% Look for a way to escape their day-to-day on a night out

“I mostly go to clubs, dancing. I feel like it’s a real release for people. If you go to a pub or a bar, you’re just sitting around. A lot of the time it is getting really drunk and going dancing.”

— Megan, 19

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In the absence of a dominant club culture in Ireland, many youths fall back on the old reliable format of house parties. Combining intimacy with a no-frills experience, it’s a back to basics approach. Red Bull recently tapped into this desire with their FREE GAFF party. A three-day house party like no other spanning three genres, three stages, over three nights in one city-centre ‘gaff’. Featuring prominent Irish DJs and artists, the event cleverly weaved a brand into a trusted format to create something that felt familiar and unforced. Jägermeister did something similar. Partnering with Mixmag, the German booze brand offered to sponsor a lucky student’s house party by providing decks, lasers, smoke machines and a sound-system to turn the lounge into a mini-nightclub, as well as a bunch of Mixmag-approved DJs, a Jägermeister bar, a street-food truck and a cleaner. All to ensure the perfect house party.

Growing consideration around how young people party and when, means those moments of total hedonism are all the more valued. Finding time to let loose and be around peers is an intrinsic part of being young; facilitating that can only be a good thing.

“Recently drugs have been so much more prevalent. People don’t really seem to be talking about it that much because it’s become so normalised. But I feel like that is something that is going to have to change.”

– Luke, 20

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130 131

BEHAVIOURS

Getting a handle on this cohort can be tricky. Here we explore the behaviours shaping their day-to-day.

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134

Which of the following social media sites do you use?

And which of these do you use on a daily basis?

80% YouTube

17% Reddit

75% Instagram

12% LinkedIn

69% Snapchat

9% Tumblr

64% Facebook

3% WeChat

34% Twitter

1% Other

23% Pinterest

61% Youtube

42% Pinterest

59% Instagram

19% Twitter

56% Snapchat

Which of the following is your primary information/content source?

71% My Phone

16% My Laptop

3% My TV

2% My Tablet

2% My games console

1% Newspapers

1% Magazines

1% Radio

1% My Smartwatch

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137

Are you using the following social media sites the same, less or more than 12 months ago?

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

Snapchat

22% More

32% The same

36% Less

11% Never used

45% More

29% The same

17% Less

09% Never used

18% More

18% The same

31% Less

32% Never used

49% More

34% The same

15% Less

02% Never used

37% More

25% The same

21% Less

16% Never used

136

In an average week which, if any of the following, do you usually consume?

53%Streamed content (e.g. Netfl ix)

Streamed music Online articles

52% 41%

33%Books Podcasts AM/FM radio

23% 23%

22%Downloaded Music On demand TV Live broadcast TV

18% 17%

17%Social TV Newspapers Online talks

14% 13%

11%Magazines Digital radio shows

05%

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When thinking about music, which of the following are you willing to spend money on?

50%Concerts Large festivals Streaming

38% 33%

32%Shows & gigs Small festivals

28%Downloads

25%

CDs Vinyl None of the above

20% 12% 08%

What type of content appeals to you the most?

41%Short form video Long form video Short form articles

with pictures

20% 10%

08%Long form articles with pictures

Listicles

01%

What do you look for on a night out?

57%A time to catch up with my friends

Good music A way to meet new people

49% 38%

35%A way to escape my day to day

A chance to dress up

35%A time to get drunk

26%

A way to connect with my community

An experience I can post on social media

A time to take illegal drugs

17% 16% 05%

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How regularly do you do each of the following?

48%

A lot or sometimes Rarely or never

52%Drink

20%

12%

80%

88%

Smoke

Take illegal drugs

48%

41% 59%

Have sex

Go on romantic dates

52%

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Socialising

Socialising

Shopping

Meeting a partner

A celebrity whose lifestyle

What do you prefer?

26% Online 74% IRL

43% At home

58% In store

57% In public

42% Online

87% IRL 13% Dating app

60% I can relate to 40% Is aspirational

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Social media is…?

62% Where I go to connect with friends and family

37% Where I go to be inspired

33% Where I go to connect with online communities I may not have met in real life

31% Where I go to follow celebrities

28% Where I go to purchase products and new items of clothing

20% Where I go to connect with brands

18% Where I go to share the details of my day

15% Where I go to experiment with my identity

13% Where I go to build my personal brand

12% Where I go to feel safe

Through which social media platforms do you prefer brands to engage with you?

Where do you fi nd out about new products?

49% Instagram

32% YouTube

11% Twitter

29% Facebook

09% None

29% Snapchat

59% Social media

44% Friend’s recommenda-tions

34% Browsing in store

42% Searching online

32% TV advertising

38% Onlinestores

12% Blogs

10% Magazines

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145

What do you think about before buying a food or drink product?

65% The cost

38% The nutritional benefi ts

22% Where it was made

06% The celebrities it’s associated with

61% The taste

24% The environmental impact

21% The packaging

40% The ingredients

24% How it was made

14% What the brand stands for

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Do you do any of the following when making a purchase?

59% Compare prices across shops/websites

30% Research the brand online beforehand

38% Think over the product for a few hours before buying

28% Always buy clothes designed for your own gender

10% None of the above

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I want a brand to…?

46% Improve my lifestyle

30% Support young talent/creatives

26% Give back to my community

14% Tell me about the history of the brand

36% Entertain me

29% Tell me about products and services

25% Be transparent in their marketing and communications

11% Curate content for me

34% Teach me something new

26% Help me be environmentally conscious

16% Let me participate in the development of products and services

08% I don’t want them to engage with me

What do you think is missing from the online shopping experience?

46% Improve my lifestyle

16% Escape

28% Discovery

1% Other

26% Convenience

10% Nothing

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Which of the following statements best describes your approach to health over the last year?

35% I’ve become more aware of my health but haven’t changed my lifestyle

14% I don’t really worry about my health

47% I’ve become more aware of my health and have started living a healthier lifestyle

04% I’ve started to live an unhealthier lifestyle

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What types of fi tness activities have you participated in this month?

57% Personal activities (swimming, running etc.)

29% Team activities

22% Group activities (yoga, spinning)

19% None of these

The Age of Everything: Youth in Ireland Today - The Tenth Man

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