A recent survey by Wattpad and Wakefield Research revealed the shifting reading experience and habits of younger readers in the wake of AI technologies.
Nick Uskoski, Head of Content for Wattpad:
“There’s been a massive shift over the last couple of decades because of all these changes in technology, affecting how people consume digital fiction and fiction more broadly. The one thing that jumped out for me in this survey is how younger readers – GenZ and Millennials – are really driving the evolution in reading habits.”
According to the survey, 65% of Gen Z and 71% of Millennials embrace webnovels, e-books and webcomics, while less than half of the Gen X and Boomer generations say the same.
Uskoski says this type of content, which Wattpad has helped to make mainstream through its platform, provides friction-free ways for authors representing a diverse range of backgrounds, viewpoints and sensibilities to reach a core audience of fans and monetize their work. Wattpad reaches over 90 million users worldwide, according to the company.
“Younger readers are much more likely to be engaging in digital forms of fiction, which tend to be very punchy and plot oriented, and connect with their audience really well. GenZ and Millennials tend to favor romance and genre fiction like science fiction and fantasy, and explicitly seek out LGBTQ+ content.”
Sixty-one percent Gen Z and 70% of Millennials surveyed agree that ebooks, webnovels, and webcomics give them access to content that’s harder to find in bookstores and libraries, including LGBTQ+ and minority-focused content.
Future of Fiction survey suggests readers are not interested in reading books written by robots.
The research which surveyed 1000 readers age 18+ and 250+ authors in the United States, but 92% think it is important that humans be involved in writing and producing books. Most authors report they have not used AI as part of their writing process, and 43% are concerned AI could limit their monetization and publishing opportunities. 58% of authors acknowledged some editorial benefits to AI, and 45% noted it could help create cover art.
Readers of all ages vastly prefer human recommendations to algorithmic curation (80% to 20%).
For Millennial’s (68%) and Gen Z (72%), that means online communities like BookTok and BookTube; for GenX (64%) and Boomers (70%), it’s mostly friends and family. Only 18% of Gen Z cite celebrity book clubs as sources of information, and just 30% of that cohort care what specific book influencers think.
Uskoski says the community aspect of platforms like Wattpad can help those communities connect with each other around the authors and genres that excite them, leading to greater passion for reading and greater opportunities for creators to monetize their work.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
