Hanoi (VNA) - Understanding audience preferences, applying advanced technology, and fostering innovation in content production are key factors for the press to maintain its position, especially in reaching Generation Z - a dynamic and creative audience with high expectations for media experiences, according to insiders.
Speaking at a workshop held by the Vietnam News Agency’s VietnamPlus e-newspaper on June 17, Editor-in-Chief of VietnamPlus Tran Tien Duan stated that Generation Z (Gen Z), born in the digital era, is now one of the largest media consumer groups. They are characterised by their reliance on smartphones for daily information access and distinct digital consumption habits.
Duan cited the result of a VietnamPlus survey of 764 young people as saying that 83.9% of Gen Z use smartphones to read news, only 12% use computers, and the rest access content via tablets.
To attract them, VietnamPlus has adopted various media formats tailored to their preferences. These include in-depth articles with sophisticated data design, and creative journalistic products such as photos, 360-degree videos, animated infographics, rap news, chatbots, short videos, web stories, podcasts, and most recently, interactive 3D microsites on national historical events, Duan said, adding that the e-newspaper also actively spreads mainstream information on social media platforms.
Nguyen Van Hao, a lecturer at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, assessed that in today’s era of information overload, Gen Z no longer has enough time or patience to scroll through dozens of news pages each day. Instead, they often rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to read the news for them.
Therefore, to draw Gen Z, journalists need to understand them better, create distinctive content, write in a conversational tone, and engage as if they are peers. Hao suggested incorporating Gen Z language into appropriate sections such as entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, education, startups, skills, environment, technology, and digital life.
According to Dr. Vu Tuan Anh, Dean of the Faculty of International Communication and Culture at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, journalism training in the digital era should be oriented toward multi-platform, global approaches to keep pace with rapid integration and digital transformation trends.
In particular, he called for close collaboration among media organisations, academic institutions, and young people themselves - who are both readers and content creators - to jointly build a dynamic, interactive, and engaging media environment./.
