Gold medal sprinter Amy Hunt has admitted that patience is not her strong suit, as new research reveals Gen Z are the most impatient generation when consuming content. A survey of 2,000 adults found that 50% of those aged 18 to 29 speed up voice note playback all or most of the time, with 33% doing the same for TikTok and Instagram videos.
Gen Z Speeds Up Content Consumption
The habit appears to be growing, with half of Gen Z (50%) having increased playback speeds more often than they did two years ago. While 30% of those surveyed admitted some videos now feel too slow to watch at their normal speed. The research, commissioned by Sky Broadband, found 33% skimmed long articles for key information, 26% checked restaurant menus before dinner to decide what they want, and 19% power walked around the supermarket.
More than three quarters (76%) of Gen Z admitted to skipping through content, compared with 53% of Millennials. This fell to just 23% of Gen X and 12% of Boomers, with 60% of those aged 18-29 happily owning the title of the most impatient generation when consuming content.
Amy Hunt Partners with Sky Broadband
Tapping into the nation's appetite for speed, Sky Broadband, which delivers the fastest broadband speeds of 5Gbps, has partnered with Britain's fastest woman, Amy Hunt, for a short mockumentary-style skit that sees her impatiently waiting for everyday things.
Amy Hunt said: "When you train for a living, every second counts, so patience has never really been my strong suit. I like to think I live life at 2x speed."
"Whether that's on the track or watching something on my phone, I'm always looking for the fast-forward button. This film has fun with that, because when you're used to moving quickly, waiting for everything else to catch up can feel like a lifetime."
Impatience Grows Online
This sense of impatience is especially evident online, with 23% irritated by waiting for apps to update, 17% by video game refreshing and 16% by sluggish social media content loading. While Brits are taking more control over how quickly they consume content, their patience for delays appears to be wearing thin.
For many, attention is lost in a matter of seconds, with more than a fifth (22%) abandoning content if it fails to grab them within five seconds or less. Almost one in five Millennials (19%) find waiting for their broadband more irritating than queuing at the shops, while 18% of Brits say becoming accustomed to instant access has made waiting more aggravating than it once was.
Not Just Impatience, But Efficiency
However, it's not purely about impatience, as 21% used faster playback to work through educational material more efficiently. A further 16% sped up or skipped videos to cram more valuable material into their day, while 20% of Gen Z said it helps them feel more in command of their time.
That said, some moments remain worth appreciating fully, with 56% preferring to watch a favourite TV drama or highly anticipated film at its original speed, where pauses and tension form part of the experience. However, some would prefer to bypass certain things entirely, including lengthy stories where they wish people would simply get to the point (26%) and videos shared with instructions that they're expected to watch (18%).
Nearly half would also gladly skip sitting in traffic (48%) or being placed on hold (48%). Waiting for delayed flights or trains (43%) and supermarket queues (40%) also featured amongst the other daily frustrations Brits would happily fast-forward through.
Ben Case, Managing Director of Connectivity at the internet provider, said: "Life moves fast, and your broadband should keep up."
