Features of Medan's Millennials and Z-Gens as Social Media Users

Objectives: The study aimed at examining two generations behavior (Generation Y and Generation Z), especially on social media. The respondents are Gen Y and Gen Z in Medan City, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The study focuses on similarities and differences in digital communication behavior between these two generations on social media. Stakeholders such as the government that formulates public policies, industry, politicians, and so on, need to map and understand what the characteristics of social media users are their citizens.
Methods: The researchers used quantitative methods with descriptive statistical analysis techniques with a total of 400 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using the statistical utility SPSS.
Results: Research has shown that Generation Y prefers Facebook, while Generation Z prefers Instagram and YouTube. Both generations spend 30–60 minutes on social media, especially at night. While the level of caution on social media tends to appear in Gen Z. A significant difference between the two generations can be seen in the topics they post on social media, Gen Y posts topics about family more often. Meanwhile, Gen Z posts more about achievements. But in terms of how to communicate with each other, these two generations are no different. The majority of these two generations interact online every day with their friends, be it through social media, chat applications, or gaming.
Conclusions: Social media interaction has replaced interaction in the real world. Generation Y and Generation Z, as social media users, develop different communication behaviors compared to the other older generations.