Learning About the New Era of Communication from Gen Z Kids從Z世代身上了解通訊新時代

梅拉妮·加博里奧/文　王冰/譯

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，我去接參加完一場活動的15歲女兒，碰巧聽到她和剛認識的人告別，她問對方：“嘿，你們的Snap賬號是什么？”

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，我不禁想起了在碎紙片上草草記下朋友家電話號碼的日子。我會等到晚飯后，把家里固定電話10英尺長的電話線從房門下面拉進自己的房間，窩在屋里打電話。

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

就在那一刻，我意識到我對新世代的通訊方式有了獨特的看法。

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）.

作為母親，我有3個年齡在15到18歲之間的孩子（更不必說其他眾多經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在我家的青少年）。我一直是他們數(shù)字行為的旁觀者，而作為（文化）傳播者，他們的數(shù)字行為既讓我好奇，又令我困惑，特別是在我工作的社交空間中，因為我每天（常常是每小時）都在了解并見證數(shù)字行為趨勢的演變。

How is Gen Z really communicating？

Z世代究竟如何溝通？

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.

根據(jù)Edison Mail的一項研究，Z世代的三個核心溝通渠道是短信（69%）、電子郵件（31%）和社交媒體（29%）。值得注意的是，這項調(diào)查是在1112名18歲以上的成年人中進行的，也就是說9至18歲的用戶沒有納入調(diào)查范圍，而這個年齡段的用戶恰恰是我每天觀察的對象，我看到的趨勢和調(diào)查結(jié)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Where SMS came out the front- runner， it’s a channel that is quite outdated in the eyes of my kids.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.

短信在調(diào)查結(jié)果中占最大比重，但在我的孩子們眼里，這是一個相當過時的溝通渠道。雖然他們有時也會互發(fā)短信，但他們通常僅會用短信和成年人溝通，或者是打游戲時溝通，這一點很有趣。

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.

電子郵件在調(diào)查結(jié)果中排名第二，但我的孩子們承認，盡管他們都有電子郵件地址，卻很少會選擇該渠道作為首選溝通方式，他們也不知道有哪個同齡人會優(yōu)先選擇發(fā)郵件。他們定期檢查收件箱，查看來自老師、老板或教練的郵件，僅此而已。

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

要想真正了解他們怎樣交流、在哪里交流，那就要看社交媒體。

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

社交媒體登上通訊方式排行榜榜首

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.

毫無疑問，社交媒體已成為最多人使用的通訊渠道之一。全球社交媒體用戶超過47億，用戶平均每天在社交平臺上花費近2.5小時。超過45%的用戶年齡在13到29歲之間——Z世代確實在他們使用的通訊渠道中占據(jù)主導(dǎo)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.

當我們回想社交媒體的真正起源時，會發(fā)現(xiàn)社交媒體實際上可能在MySpace之前就已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了——可以追溯到1999年MSN Messenger發(fā)布的時候，只比第一批Z世代嬰兒的出生晚兩年。從那時起，即時通訊的吸引力一直強勁，只是通訊渠道本身已有所演變，并將持續(xù)改變。

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.

雖然我習慣于使用短信和通訊應(yīng)用程序，二者也是我首選的通訊方式，但我的孩子們主要使用Snapchat。他們不會詢問別人的電話號碼，而是會交換Snapchat賬號，并以積累連續(xù)互動天數(shù)作為保持溝通的方式——連勝記錄維持得越久，互動就越活躍。奇怪的是，通常情況下，他們發(fā)送的“信息”只是一張照片，而這張照片拍攝的常常是天花板或墻壁，不配文字。（他們知道并承認這有點奇怪，但他們都是這樣做的。）即使他們自拍時，也不會精心選擇照片，通常發(fā)布的就是沒有濾鏡的真實照片。一張照片可以傳遞很多信息——不需要文字，也無論拍攝內(nèi)容是什么，他們已經(jīng)讓對方知道了他們的思念。

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.

當他們有話要對彼此說時，通常不會打電話、發(fā)文字或語音信息，甚至不會實時視頻通話，而是會通過Snapchat發(fā)送一條視頻信息。他們可以連續(xù)幾個小時互發(fā)視頻信息，其間不會實時交談。我問他們?yōu)楹芜@樣做。他們說，這樣可以靈活安排接收消息的時間，也更容易結(jié)束對話，不像在其他情況下要說“你先掛斷”這樣尷尬的結(jié)束語。好吧。

A new focus on authenticity

開始關(guān)注真實性

We’ve heard it before， but Gen Z really is all about authenticity， and from my experience， they prioritize social channels that promote this.

我們以前也聽說過這一點，但Z世代確實對真實性無比關(guān)注。根據(jù)我的經(jīng)驗，他們會優(yōu)先選擇提倡真實性的社交渠道。

Not surprisingly， the primary channel my kids frequent is TikTok. They have the feeling that “TikTok knows everything” and find the app to be more “real” and unfiltered than curated channels like Instagram and Facebook. I’ve seen them shun filters and criticize people （and brands） who try too hard. If a TikTok is an obvious ad， they reject it. But if a brand finds a way to “get them” （i.e.， inject brand messaging into a TikTok in a way that feels real）， they respect and admire that.

毫不奇怪，我的孩子們經(jīng)常使用的社交渠道主要是TikTok。他們感覺“TikTok無所不知”，認為與Instagram和Facebook等精心挑選內(nèi)容發(fā)布的平臺相比，TikTok更加“真實”，而且無濾鏡。我見過他們有意關(guān)掉濾鏡，并批評那些用力過猛的人（和品牌）。如果一條TikTok視頻明顯是廣告，他們就會抵制。但如果一個品牌找到了“吸引他們”的方法（例如，把品牌信息以令人感覺真實的方式植入一條TikTok視頻），他們就會表示尊重與欽佩。

TikTok is where Gen Z seek out life hacks6， and research nearly anything they’re wondering about—only turning to search engines if they’re not confident in a source or aren’t finding what they are seeking on social media first. In our house， nuggets of information that came from TikTok often surface over dinnertime conversations， and I’m always shocked at the depth of subjects.

TikTok是Z世代尋找生活小竅門的地方，他們在這里研究幾乎一切他們感興趣的事物。只有對信息來源沒有信心，或者沒有在社交媒體上找到所需信息的時候，他們才會轉(zhuǎn)向搜索引擎。我家經(jīng)常在晚餐談話時提起來自TikTok的有用信息，而我總是為話題的深度所震驚。

Feeding Gen Z’s desire for unfiltered reality， BeReal has added a new and very interesting distraction. My kids admitted that they look critically at others who don’t follow the real-time prompts and wait hours past to post a more compelling photo. While most posts are boring and the basis of the platform may seem mundane， that’s the point—it’s a glimpse into real life.

為滿足Z世代對無濾鏡的真實性的渴望，BeReal給他們帶來了有趣的消遣。有些人不按照實時提示立刻操作，而是幾個小時后再發(fā)布一張更吸引人的照片，我的孩子們承認，對于這樣的人，他們頗為不滿。雖然大部分的帖子都很無聊，而且平臺的基礎(chǔ)架構(gòu)可能看起來很平凡，但這正是重點所在——這是對真實生活的一瞥。

What does all of this mean？

這一切意味著什么？

Despite the fact that connection is mainly happening behind a screen， Gen Z is more connected than any gener-ation before them.

盡管聯(lián)系主要發(fā)生在屏幕后面，但Z世代之間的聯(lián)系比之前任何一代人都更加密切。

They like to have control over when and how they communicate. They straddle old and new technology—navigating these channels with ease and quickly adapting to new technology while acquiescing to the channels older generations prefer.

他們喜歡掌控通訊的時間和方式。他們游走于新舊技術(shù)之間——輕松操縱已有渠道，快速適應(yīng)新技術(shù)，同時默許老一輩人喜歡的渠道存在。

We all need to keep in mind that these 9 to 24 year olds， if not already， will soon be our colleagues. Like Brad Pitt said in Moneyball， “adapt or die.” Communication vehicles are moving forward at a blistering pace， and being left behind is increasingly becoming a real risk.

我們都需要記住，9至24歲的人就算現(xiàn)在還不是，很快也會成為我們的同事。正如布拉德·皮特扮演的角色在《點球成金》中所說，“要么適應(yīng)，要么死亡”。通訊方式正飛速向前發(fā)展，落后日益成為一種真正的風險。

My personal solution has been to readily adopt the social channels they’re using. Give it a try， and you might be surprised to find something you like.

我個人的解決方案是欣然接受他們正在使用的社交渠道。嘗試一下，也許會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)自己喜歡的東西。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎?wù)撸?/p>

1 handle社交媒體賬號。

2 2003年上線的社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù)網(wǎng)站，提供人際交互，用戶自定朋友網(wǎng)絡(luò)，個人文件頁面、博客、組群、照片、音樂和影片的分享與存放。? 3 微軟開發(fā)的一款即時通訊軟件，現(xiàn)已結(jié)束服務(wù)。? 4此處指Snapstreak，即Snapchat的連勝功能。兩個人連續(xù)三天相互發(fā)送快照，連勝功能便會啟動，開始計算連續(xù)互動天數(shù)。此后，兩人必須每 24 小時至少相互發(fā)送一次快照（照片或視頻），否則就會失去連勝記錄。

5 curate操持（收藏品或展品的）展出，此處指從眾多照片中精心挑選出發(fā)布到社交媒體上的照片。

6 life hack原指非常巧妙高效的“黑客技巧”，后引申為“生活妙招”。