A study by UCLA found that Gen Z wants less romance and more nomance portrayed on screen. Nomance is basically a new word for what we used to call being married for a long time. They would prefer less sex and more about friendship and other kinds of platonic relationships.
Almost half of adolescents 13–24 felt that romance is overused in media (44.3%) and sex is unnecessary for the plot of most TV shows and movies (47.5%). A majority (51.5%) want to see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships, with 39% seeking more aromantic and/or asexual characters (ace/aro) on screen.
They say after going through the pandemic, Gen Z feels lonely and wants to know how to connect to others. They would prefer seeing normal relationships portrayed in movies and screen time. Sex seems like a short cut.
Perhaps this is an opening for Utah filmmakers. With content producers from BYUTV, the Chosen, and the influx of LDS filmmakers in the last decade, Utah has been producing shows with less sex and more platonic relationships for a while now. Maybe this study will direct dollars to the beehive state.
Also from the study, Gen Z wants more original content.
Adolescents also showed a strong preference for original content, with 56% choosing original movies and TV shows over remakes, franchises or those based on pre-existing intellectual property like a book, comic or graphic novel.
So, don’t go trying to make Napoleon Dynamite 2, even if it was a great nomance movie. Unless you do it as anime, then maybe.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker