Virtue Worldwide has rolled out the 2024 edition of its 'guide to culture' report, which aims to decode Gen Z for brands and marketers.

The research was conducted across India and other APAC markets with 40,000 respondents and revealed four cultural codes.

Constructive chaos

The youth aim to turn chaos into inspiration and self-expression. According to the study, In India, the generation embraces eccentricity and authenticity is revolutionary, which has been a traditionally conformist society, where fitting in and adhering to prescribed standards of success have long been the norm.

86% of young people believe ‘it’s normal to be weird’, with cringe content becoming mainstream in India. Homemade, lo-fi, and slapstick social content is gaining popularity, standing out from polished feeds and celebrating authenticity.

Fan authority

Fanpower gives a sense of community and a collective identity. Fans can make or break celebrities and have become pivotal in shaping the success of public figures. 

Giving the example of Hardik Pandya, the study added that during the recent ICC T20 Men’s World Cup, emotions ran high against him for multiple reasons. Ridicule, brickbats, and social media memes became central, but with his significant contribution to a subsequent win, he redeemed himself for his fans and Indian cricket.

Empathetic technology

Technological advancements are reshaping intimacy and social interaction. 31% of youth believe that AI will provide therapy within 10 years, and 62% of young Indians state that AI will moderate social media within the next decade. 

With the example of KamaSutra’s ‘Kamaverse’, which offered a virtual space for open and positive discussions about sex, the report stated that young Indians have become more open-minded and communicative partners.

Feminism’s soft revolution

Changing the world while having fun is the new code according to the study. Whether it is reclaiming streets by meeting to sleep in parks or midnight walks, these are brave, bold, new ways to protest and assert presence.

A viral video featuring Arundhati Roy’s ‘militant laugh’ symbolises this. Women are braver, bringing in change and sparking conversations that matter in the gender movement.

Saumya Baijal, strategy lead - India, Virtue Worldwide, said, “For brands to have conversations with audiences that matter to them, it is critical for them to seat themselves in culture codes relevant to those audience groups. The Virtue Guide To Culture unlocks such codes that can enable communications that can be both short term, specific and dynamic, as well as long-standing and consistent.”