I was very surprised to discover that Gen Z writers are reading my writing and publishing advice articles.
Not only that, but they also represent the largest percentage of my readers.
When I started writing, typewriters, notebooks, and pencils were the only writing tools, and telephones were rotary dial. Dial-up Internet modems came a long time later.
So why is the generation of TikTok, instant messaging, and tech wizards reading my advice?
What Gen Z writers are seeking
I rarely look at data for my site other than a quick glance at how many visitors I get per week or month. It’s even rarer for me to write from a personal perspective in my articles.
But I stumbled across some demographic information in Google Analytics and was staggered by it. Here’s a quick graph that shows you why I found it surprising.
As you can see, young people are the largest percentage of my site visitors. I had assumed that my audience was closer to my age, or perhaps a bit younger.
How wrong I was, and it gave me pause to think about why.
Perhaps it’s because the writing process and grammar haven’t changed that much, even though the tools certainly have.
But there is lots of similar advice around, even on TikTok and YouTube.
The thought crossed my mind that younger writers are eager for information, but why my site?
What’s the attraction for young writers in an old writer’s advice and writing tips?
The only reason I can think of is that I don’t write like an old-timer because I always try to write for an online audience.
That means keeping things brief, with clean formatting, ample headings, and mid-level reading ease. In other words, my articles are made for snack readers.
Changes in the learning process
While the writing process is pretty much the same, how young writers learn the craft has changed dramatically.
In my younger days, learning how to write meant heavy textbooks, strict teachers, and extremely limited access to other writers.
Fast-forward to today, and people, not only the younger ones, want information and answers as fast as possible.
We are all adapting to an environment of accelerated learning, AI, and rapid advances in technology.
But for Gen Z writers, or Zoomers, fast and efficient access to information is the norm when it comes to learning how to write.
They have questions and are experts in finding quick answers.
Whether by design or accident, my writing style seems to have attracted much younger people than I could have imagined.
When I stood back and thought about it, I realized that I usually try to get to the point quickly.
Very often, I even give the answer to a question within the first few paragraphs of any article I write.
The way the online world works now is all about snippets, metadata, and first impressions.
Search engines, AI chatbots, and social media put the most emphasis on headlines, titles, images, and the first few hundred characters of a webpage.
Without realizing it, I had developed a writing style, technique, or perhaps a habit that was ideally suited to these elements.
Another possible factor is that I prefer shorter sentences to longer, more complex compound sentences in article writing.
But for whatever reason, I’m pleased to learn that aspiring writers are visiting my site and hopefully gaining valuable advice.
The role of authenticity
Another reason my advice might resonate with younger online readers is that I only ever write about a given subject from my experience or areas of knowledge that I possess.
If I’ve never done it or don’t know how to do it, I never write about it.
Maybe younger generations are more adept at spotting bluff or hype.
They are skilled at scrolling past mountains of clickbait and fluff and finding genuinely interesting content.
I never try to dazzle or be what I’m not, and that applies especially to creating video content. I’m a writer, not an actor, so I stick to what I know and do best.
It’s much easier being me than trying to be someone else, and I hope that shows in my writing and online activity.
The young world of opportunities
Writing is and always has been a tough sport.
When I was in my twenties, I was very fortunate to be in the printing industry. When the boss wasn’t looking, I could print a few copies of my little poetry pamphlets.
But finding a publisher for a book was a pipe dream.
However, for new Gen Z writers today, the ways, means, and opportunities to publish any form of writing are almost limitless.
All they need and want to discover is what options they have and how they can use them.
Hopefully, I have added to the wealth of information online that can help young and even not-so-young writers find ways to get their writing in front of readers.
In many ways, I wish I’d had just one percent of the options young writers have today when I was in my youth. But looking back and making wishes is never a good thing.
Today, every budding writer has the tools, platforms, services, and writing groups that can give them a head start.
And the challenge isn’t about publishing now. It’s about choosing the best way forward and doing the work.
Awareness, curiosity, and persistence, plus a little bit of advice for young writers, are what will help new writers succeed.
And yes, I used an AI-generated image above. It was for two reasons.
One is that I’m not afraid to use new technology, and the second is that I didn’t have anyone young enough around to photograph.
Summary
Yes, I was quite taken aback by how many younger visitors I get each month, but I must say, pleasantly so.
My data also gave me the chance to discover that the Z can refer to the slang term Zoomers. That is, a generation brought up on the Internet and smartphones.
Reflecting on that, perhaps my visitor ratio could be because this generation is online more than other age groups.
But for whatever reason, it has given me plenty of motivation to continue writing more articles for my site.
I’ve never been lacking in enthusiasm, but it’s nice to get a little nudge to keep on carrying on.
However, with how the Internet works and how people scan-read online, I doubt many will get to these last few sentences.
But I’ll take the opportunity here to say thank you to all the writers, young and old, who visit my site, and I wish you the very best of luck.
Related Reading: Why Grammar Is Still Important For Writers Today
