Gen Z: A glimmer of hope?

-- By FatimaIsmail - 27 Nov 2024

*Introduction*

Millennials and Gen Z, while having a relatively small age gap of around 15 years, have vastly different relationships with social media. This difference is largely due to the fact that the rise of social media occurred during Millennials’ formative years, while Gen Z does not know a pre-social media world. This essay argues that it is precisely this fact and the consequences resulting from Gen Z being the first digitally native generation, that is resulting in more members of Gen Z decreasing their use of social media (as compared to Millennials).

Social media's chokehold on Millennials

“What’s your Instagram handle?” was the second question typically asked by fellow LL.M students upon introducing ourselves to each other at our orientation in early August, which usually followed the generic “Where are you from?”. After meeting a handful of people, I began to anticipate the reaction to my response – a look of shock, confusion, and even concern upon their faces. No, I do not have an Instagram account; no, I do not live under a rock; yes, Instagram is available in South Africa.

I deleted my Instagram account around 5 years ago – the decision was driven by a variety of reasons. Mostly due to the following: (i) the fact that the idea that once something is posted online, it is essentially on the internet for eternity, doesn’t sit right with me; (ii) the amount of time I spent scrolling was time that could be used doing something more productive or fulfilling; and (iii) that I didn’t feel the need to know what someone I hadn’t seen in 7 years since we graduated high school was eating for breakfast (although at the time this did not influence my decision, now that I am older and wiser, the surveillance concern ought to have been up there on the list of reasons).

The reaction received to my response from my colleagues was not unsurprising though. Most LL.M’s – typically being older than JD’s - are Millennials which means that our formative years were shaped by the creation of smartphones and the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X. The impact that the introduction of social media had on our cognitive, social, intellectual and physical development during our teenage years likely contributed to the chokehold that social media still has Millennials in – which is presumably why I received those reactions to the response that I do not have an Instagram account.

Gen Z and social media use

Unlike Millennials, the succeeding generation - Gen Z - grew up in an age where social media was already established, making Gen Z the first generation to grow up in a digital-first world. Gen Z – those born between 1996 and 2010 – is known as the “Changemaker” generation; they have been instrumental in creating viral online concepts of rejection such as “cancel culture” and “quiet quitting”. Consequently, out of all the generations, Gen Z is the most likely to have the biggest influence on a decrease in the use of social media.

According to studies conducted by the Pew Research Centre, an organization that undertakes public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research on current trends, Gen Z is the only generation to have shown a decline in the use of social media since 2019. The decrease in social media use among Gen Z’s is largely due to the negative impact that social media has had on their mental health. It is reported that 3 in 4 Gen Z social media users blame the state of their mental health on the use of such platforms , of which, 49% of Gen Z’s have reported feeling stressed and anxious after using social media platforms. The top reasons for respondents’ feelings of stress and anxiety following social media use are due to the consumption of upsetting content; feelings of unproductivity; and the fear of missing out. These factors point to the toxic nature of social media which stems from the constant comparison to friends and other users’ lives; the need for validation; and a distorted sense of reality.

Another reason for Gen Z’s declining use of social media is due to privacy concerns. Given that Gen Z does not know a world without social media and 24/7 connectedness, many users in this generation have become increasingly aware of how their personal information is collected, used, stored and shared by these platforms. Feelings of distrust have manifested among Gen Z, who are particularly concerned with who is tracking their online activities; how their online activities are being tracked; and how they are being targeted by third parties who have been provided with their personal information.

Gen Z and the decrease in the use of social media: #MonkMode

As a result of the negative effects experienced by Gen Z stemming from the use of social media, including detrimental effects on mental health due to the toxic nature of social media platforms, as well as concerns regarding the misuse of personal data, Gen Z is finding ways to reduce their social media consumption. Ironically, Gen Z has led the #MonkMode trend on social media, which encourages users to delete their social media accounts or decrease their social media usage by promoting the use of apps to block social media sites and notifications in order to trade-in the distraction of social media with a view to enhancing mindfulness and to encouraging personal growth.

Conclusion

Unlike Millennials who came of age during the creation of social media platforms, Gen Z is the first digitally native generation. Because Gen Z have never known a world without the smartphone or social media, we are witnessing in real time, an increasing number of members of this generation decreasing their use of social as a result of the negative effects that social media has had on them, and their concerns regarding the misuse of their personal data.