For a decade, the prevailing logic of social media content was simple: more polished equals more professional equals more aspirational equals more engagement. That logic has collapsed. A comprehensive new study from social analytics firm Tubular Labs, shared exclusively with SocialSeconds, finds that Gen Z users now spend three times longer watching unedited content than polished, produced content from the same creators.
The study tracked 10,000 creators across TikTok and Instagram Reels for 18 months, comparing watch time and save rates for their edited versus unedited content. The results were unambiguous. Unedited content averaged 4.2 minutes of watch time versus 1.4 minutes for the same creator's produced videos. Save rates were 2.8x higher.
"The currency has shifted from perfection to presence," said Tubular Labs chief analyst Ray Okonkwo. "Gen Z isn't rewarding effort. They're rewarding the feeling that you showed up for them without a script."