The document discusses ideas for a new social media platform called The Grid. It will have psychedelic, confusing visuals inspired by 1960s imagery and illusion art. Research shows that most social media users are aged 16-24 and engage with multiple platforms. Streaming platforms like Netflix are influencing trends - shows like Squid Game and Bridgerton started viral challenges. Teens are attracted to witchcraft and Wicca due to influences like Harry Potter and promises of power. Demand for healing crystals has grown among millennials and celebrities. However, social media is often toxic due to its addictive nature and spread of disinformation. The document explores ideas for The Grid's visual style and target demographic of 16-24 year olds.

1. THE GRID
Millie Southall, Hope Smith, George, Connor

2. Initial ideas –The Grid
• Our initial idea is a platform that is based around time, illusion and the future. Our aim is to make it
more psychedelic and visually confusing to look at.We like the idea of illusion artists and confusing
images.We want it to be very colourful and have bright colours with a kind of fade.The colours will
be warmer. We will use swirls and 60’s imagery.

3. Audience Research
• 4.48 billion people currently use social media worldwide, up more than double from 2.07 billion in
2015
• The average social media user engages with an average of 6.6 various social media platforms
Tiktok;
• TikTok active users:TikTok has 1 billion monthly active users.
• Market penetration:There are 4.8 billion internet users, 20.83% use Bytedance’s video sharing
service.
• Number of downloads:TikTok has been downloaded 3 billion times and was the most downloaded
non-game app in the first 6 months of 2021, hitting 383 million installs from January to June 2021
alone.
• Overtaking competition: Considering it was only released in 2016,TikTok was the 7th ranked social
media app in 2021.TikTok has surpassedTwitter,Telegram, Reddit, Pinterest, and Snapchat in
monthly active users.

5. Streaming platforms

6. Netflix most watched
1. Squid Game (142 million hours viewed)
2. Bridgerton (82 million hours viewed)
3. Lupin (76 million hours viewed)
4. TheWitcher (76 million hours viewed)
5. Sex/Life (67 million hours viewed)
6. Stranger things (67 million hours viewed)
7. Money Heist (65 million hours viewed)
8. Tiger King (64 million hours views)
9. The Queen's Gambit (62 million hours viewed)
10. SweetTooth (60 million hours viewed)
3 of the top ten shows on Netflix are all
book adaptations this shows that people are
more likely to watch television over reading
books. Some of these shows have started
trends like the queens gambit resulted in a
rise in chess board sales during lockdown;
squid game started the honeycomb
challenge and was a very popular Halloween
costume in 2021, and bridgerton brought
corsets back into fashion.This shows that
the media we consume
through television impacts all parts of our
lives like our fashion trends and hobbies.

7. Why are teens attracted toWicca?
• The influence of pop culture has made witches and witchcraft appealing to today’s teens. Growing up on
Harry Potter books and movies has further opened doors for teens to experience both a curiosity and a
familiarity with witchcraft. Increasingly, towns in the heartland of America, once known for their strong
Christian heritage, are becoming hotbeds forWicca, a pagan religion that emphasizes the worship of nature.
• Pop culture’s obsession with the occult has motivated families to discuss what the Bible has to say about
witchcraft, as well as why religions likeWicca are growing in popularity.Why are so many young people
attracted to witchcraft andWicca, and how should parents respond when their teens express curiosity?
• What attracts teens?
• Christian author Steve Russo has written extensively on this topic and says that understanding why teens are
drawn to witchcraft is the first key to addressing this. “Young people are looking for power, andWicca is a
belief that promises supernatural power over their environment.Too often they see Christians around them
who are leading powerless lives,” Russo says. “Films are also marketed and packaged very effectively.”
• MarlaAlupoaicei, another Christian author on this topic, agrees. “Wicca holds special appeal for women
because it emphasizes the sacred feminine combined with a passion for caring for the earth and our
environment.Women are highly valued and even worshiped in some instances.”TheWiccan religion is
attracting men and women of all ages, and Alupoaicei claims thatWicca is the fastest growing religion in
America.

8. Crystals
• Demand for crystals has surged in recent years, fueled by celebrity endorsements and a New Age resurgence in
major cities and the fashion and beauty industries. Crystals have been a “mounting trend” on Etsy over the last
decade.
• Though crystals first became a hot item during the 1970s, the new target consumers for crystal purveyors are in
their twenties and thirties. Brands are “repackaging the cues of mysticism and gems, connecting them to well-
being products for a hip Millennial audience,” Lucie Greene, worldwide director of trend forecaster JWT
Innovation, told the Huffington Post last year. And they’re reaching a hip, urban, and diverse clientele along with
young celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Katy Perry, and Miranda Kerr. In 2016, L0s Angeles’ Crystal Matrix shop owner,
Patricia Bankins, said that her predominant demographic has become “a lot of young people” (30 years ago,
“middle-aged women and a few gay guys” were the most likely patrons to attend metaphysical classes, Bankins
told the Los AngelesTimes).
• Though Millennials aren’t exactly known for being religious—just half born between 1981 and 1996 believe with
certainty that God exists, while only four in 10 say religion is very important in their lives, according to a 2015 Pew
study—crystals aren’t purely a material trend. According to some experts, younger generations are opting for
spiritual practices like crystal healing because it allows them to mix elements from multiple faiths and ancient
traditions into an individualized spiritual practice.
• Healing crystals date back thousands of years, according to crystal folklore.The Ancient Egyptians are believed to
have used lapis lazuli, turquoise, quartz, and topaz to anoint the tombs of the dead and to wear as jewelry and
protective amulets. Ancient Greek soldiers used hematite as protection before battle and amethyst to fend off
hangovers, some lore claims; in other practices likeAyurveda, gems like sapphires and rubies are allegedly linkedto
righteousness and vitality.The current market for crystals, however, was born from marketing tactics born nearly
40 years ago: In the ’70s and late ’80s, the New Age movement—a collection of holistic-based therapies and
philosophies that emphasized self-healing—brought crystals into the limelight.

9. Why is social media toxic?
• The increase in social media use over the last decade has, of course, corresponded to the huge
spike in the amount of time that people spend online.Young people are at the heart of this trend.
In the EU, the time young people spend online has doubled in 2020 compared to ten years earlier,
and is between two and three and a half hours every day.
• Why is social media so toxic?
• Social media is toxic because it is addictive by design. Also, it is often called toxic because
platforms spread disinformation and they encourage their users to engage with these fake news
more than with fact checked ‘real’ news.
• How can you protect yourself from its toxic effects?
• People should be more ‘news literate’ and more educated about the news and any information we
read online. Sharing something without reading it is a no-go.
• Where are the future scenarios?
• Legislators and rights groups pressure social media platforms to change and improve.

10. E4 Idents
The E4 Idents use bright colours and very strange concepts to catch the eye of the viewer.They don’t just use one style,
they use animation, stop motion, real life recording and CGI.They follow lots of different themes and settings such as a
chip shop, space and a swimming pool. I think these are good Idents because they interest the viewer as they are
something you don’t expect every time. E4’s demographic is age 16-24 year old women. Our target demographic for
the Grid is 16-24 year olds, so if the idents are similar to E4’s then we will hopefully have marketed it to the right
demographic.

11. Bibliography
• https://psmag.com/news/why-are-young-people-so-into-healing-crystals
• https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/why-teens-are-attracted-to-wicca/
• https://www.channel4.com/media/documents/commissioning/RESEARCH/ResearchPowerPoint.p
pt#:~:text=E4%20is%20more%20talked%20about,%2D34's%20than%20ITV1!&text=%E2%80%9
CTargeted%20for%20teenagers%2C%20brilliant%20comedy,Taken%20from%20E4%20focus%2
0groups.&text=E4%20viewers%20are%20young%2C%20upmarket%20and%20female
• Khal. (2021). The 10 MostWatched NetflixTV Shows of AllTime. Available:
https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/most-watched-netflix-shows-right-now/. Last accessed
26th Nov 2021.