Is Digital Life Even Better Than the real thing?

Your kids might think so. 

A study conducted by website builders Squarespace has shown that younger generations find digital life more important and memorable than the real thing.

Roughly 60% of Gen Z and 62% of Millennials believe online presence is more important than physical, in-person life. 

The online study of over 2,000 adults, conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll, aimed to uncover the roles of websites in everyday life and how impressive they are.

The revelations are that about one in two Americans (49%) say they can remember the colour of a website more quickly than someone's eye colour alongside 71% of Millennials and 58% of Gen Z. 

While this may not sound surprising to some – eye colour is not something I commit to memory often – the poll delivered some profound insights.

With so many first impressions – for individuals and businesses – now happening virtually, the survey discovered that nearly half (44%) of Gen Z and 39% of Millennials think they make a better impression online than they do in the 'real world. 

In addition, Gen Z youngsters are more likely to remember the last website they visited (43%) over and above their partner's birthday (38%) or their social security number (31%).

Here's a breakdown of the survey's findings:

• 60% of Gen Z and 62% of Millennials think your digital presence is more important than your in-person brand, compared to 38% of Gen X and 29% of Baby Boomers.

• Almost half (44%) of Gen Z and 39% of Millennials believe they make a better impression online than in person, vs. 21% of Gen X and just 8% of Baby Boomers.

• About 1 in 2 Americans (49%) believe they can remember the colour of a website better than someone's eye colour – and 71% of Millennials agree, vs. 58% of Gen Z.

• Gen Z is more likely to remember the last website they visited (43%) compared to their partner's birthday (38%) or even their social security number (31%).

When it comes to entrepreneurship in 2021, Squarespace uncovered that Gen Z is highly ambitious: with the vast majority (92%) inclined to start their own business, compared against 86% of Millennials, 74% of Gen X and half of the Baby Boomers. 

In an insight for digital entrepreneurs: more than half (57%) of Americans believe that a well crafted online store or website is more important for a business to have than a brick-and-mortar establishment.