SOCIAL MEDIA, NEWS, AND THE YOUNG GENERATION; GEN Z
Social media is roughly described as a, “group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of the Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content” by Kaplan, A and Haenlin, M in their peer reviewed research paper published in 2011. It has become an integral part of many people’s lives because some of them have not experienced a world without it. The use of social media platforms have grown exponentially over the past few years, especially during the recent pandemic. The young generation took over social media as an outlet to share their creativity from a safe distance. While some posted videos of their dances and food recipes, others thought it would be beneficial to spread news through it too. While the original use of social media was to connect friends and families spread across the globe, it has now got a new dimension.
As the COVID-19 lockdown spanned only about 6 months (National Library of Medicine) it severely increased the dependency of many young people on social media (Cheng, C & Lau, Y, 2022). Many young Gen Z members, defined as anyone born after 1997 and before 2012 by Pew Research Center, passionate about world events, news, and politics began posting about what they had learned through various online sources such as the internet. To promote the newspread culture, news companies such as the New York Times, CNN, BBC, and more, began being more active on their social media pages too.
In the midst of this massive surge, it is easy for people to often get overwhelmed with the amount of news sources available. They fail to question the credibility of the plethora of sources available on various social media platforms. This paper examines the relationship young people, the Gen Z community, have regarding news dissemination on social media platforms, focusing on the credibility of the diverse bunch of available news sources. It investigates the challenges of establishing trustworthy sources amid the abundance of information and explores strategies for determining credibility. Furthermore, it delves into the urgency of critically questioning sources and analyzing the security measures social media companies are implementing to safeguard their platforms against false narratives.
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up in a world with social media (Alves, C). The early exposure and mass use of social media led Gen Z to have an easy path to develop an addiction to it. It is not uncommon to see the young generation have a serious social media addiction. In a report by CivicScience, 24% Gen Z stated that they spend between 2-4 hours on social media and another 24% stated that they spend more than 4 hours per day on it. On an affirmative note, several Gen Z recognized the gravity of this problem and took steps to reduce their social media screen time. Moreover, many of them realized that they are missing out on important moments with their family and friends and dropping behind in school have begun a “social media detox”. A social media detox is when you intentionally eliminate the use of social media for a set period of time (Murphy, 2022). The article further talks about the positive consequences of a social media detox which includes more free time, less anxiety, better mornings, more mindfulness, and more. A social media detox can be extremely beneficial for all ages, especially Gen Z if individuals begin to notice the excessive amount of time they are spending on their devices.
In a recorded BBC interview from 2021, a young Gen Z adult recognized her dependency on social media and its negative impact on various aspects of her life. Fellow Gen Z individuals interviewees in the video claimed that they compare themselves to what they see on social media. Furthermore, BBC research found studies that prove that the social media apps and algorithms are designed to be addictive. A Facebook whistleblower, from the same BBC video, claimed that social media companies such as Instagram and Facebook know how to make their platforms more secure and less addictive but do not do so to reduce their “astronomical profits.” They claim that the companies are putting their profits before the welfare and safety of people on their platforms.
Gen Z’s social media addictions has led for many of them to infinitely scroll various social media platforms. To fuel this scrolling, others began to create videos of short dances, recipes, and even global news. The constant need to be up to date on trends seen online, fueled social anxiety and feelings of Fear of Missing out, often known as FoMo in teenagers. A survey by statista.com in 2022 found that 50% of Gen Z use social media daily as their resource to learn about the daily news. A study conducted by Pew Research Center shared that adults under 30 (2022), most of whom can be classified as Gen Z, trust information that they see on social media as much as those from national news outlets. Their studies showed that 50% of 18-to-29 year olds in the United States have “some or a lot of trust” in the information that they get from social media sites. To further support the claim, a news article by Forbes, a well established and well known American business magazine, claims that “Younger people More Likely To Trust What They Read On Social Media.” In this article written by Peter Suciu (2022), the journalist states that he found that “nearly half of young people aged between 11 and 16 tend to believe the news they see on social media – often regardless of the source.” This juxtaposes with the claim in the above paragraph as the Forbes article further states that young people, referring mostly to Gen Z, do not take enough time to verify the credibility of their sources.
Although the Gallup study shows that young generations such as Gen Z trust doctors and qualified professionals for their news, it is quite easy to impersonate someone you are not. Seeing the uptick of news on social media and a major shift to digital media, major news companies such as CNN, NBC, and The New York Times, etc took to social media to keep their credibility and popularity intact. They do so by posting short clippings of news footage and/or pictures with informational captions. This brings us to question the security measures that social media companies take to keep their users and information circulating on their platform secure.
In the academic article on “ Social media security and trustworthiness: Overview and new direction” by Zhiyong Zhnag and Brij B. Gupta (2018) analyzes the security networks that social media companies use and the reliability that the companies offer their users. They support their claim by citing a survey they conducted that asked users about the network security and possible software attacks that are possible due to the ever growing technology. The authors adopt a formal tone for their audience, as they expect to be addressing fellow researchers and readers in an academic context. They address those interested in the topic of the security measures that social media companies take to protect their users and their sensitive information. “According to the threat security report given by Sophos in 2011, about 0.5 billion Internet users over the web had already used Facebook at that time. This report reveals that Facebook is the most popular social networking site, but it also faced the highest security risks, which accounted for 61%.” Amidst such a high percentage of security concerns it is extremely difficult to trust things on social media, which leads to some seeing information on social media but not completely trusting it.
In an article written by journalist and editor for UNICEF-Gallup, Julie Ray (2021), “Young People Rely on Social Media, but Don’t Trust It”, it argues that although young people receive their news from social media they do not completely trust it. Ray backs up this claim by adding statistics from a survey taken in 2021. The survey shows data from two different age groups, 15-24 and 40+, from about 21 countries and adopting a neutral and analytical stance in order to convey the argument. The data shows that Gen Z trusts doctors and scientists more compared to Millennials, people aged 40+. Gen Z trusts doctors 61%, which is 3% more than their Millennial counterparts, who trusts doctors 58%. To further prove that Gen Z trusts scientific professionals more, the data cited in the article shows that Gen Z trusts scientists 6% more than the Millennials who only trust 50% of information they receive from scientists online.
Whereas, the Millenials trust their friends and daily and religious organizations more compared to Gen Z, according to the information provided by the polls in the article. Her argument that shows Gen Z trusts doctors and other qualified personnel to provide them with factual news proves to show that the argument is to debunk the myth that towards those who may think that young people mindlessly trust whatever they see on the internet. Some of them do in fact put in work to verify the credibility of their sources. On the other hand, Millennials trust their religious organizations up to 39% which is 7% more than 32% of Gen Z. Millennials also trust their friends and family 49%, while the Gen Z trusts them only 45%.
While Gen Z trusts doctors more, as proved through the above numbers, one cannot be entirely sure whether a person is, in fact, who they say they are. Thus making impersonation on social media an important cause for Gen Z to be cautious and aware on social media. Impersonation has deeply affected people. There are various types of impersonation, for example, identity theft which is the most common. In a case of identity theft, a person poses as someone, usually a friend or member of a family, and asks for money and/or sensitive information. Those who fall into the unfortunate trap of the impersonator, have had to endure major problems in their lives such as, loss of money, etc.
In yet another study by Pew Research Center, “News on social media sites still seen as inaccurate, as about three-in-ten say it helps them understand current events” 59% if people on social media expect the information they see to be inaccurate, but see it to stay up to date on events around the globe. About 23% have said that they often get their news from social media websites, while 30% said that they only sometimes get their news from social media. The plethora of sources available on social media by established news companies, self- reporters, and bloggers also fuels feelings of overwhelming and mental overloading in people. This further fuels mental health problems in young people which causes them to have problems later in life, personally and/or professionally.
In conclusion, the intersection of social media, news consumption, and the young generation, specifically Generation Z, presents a dizzying landscape that demands intense vigilance. This research essay has shown the importance of social media in Gen Z’s life, from staying in touch with people around the world, to getting news to stay up to date on various events occurring in the world. However, it has also shed light on the inherent challenges embedded within this dilemma.
The credibility of news sources on social media remains a pressing concern, with the abundance of information making it difficult for young people to distinguish between reliable and misleading content. Strategies to determine trustworthiness, such as fact-checking and critical evaluation, emerge as crucial skills necessary for navigating this digital news ecosystem.
Moreover, this study prompts a reflection on the necessity of exploring alternative avenues for factual news dissemination beyond social media platforms. While acknowledging the convenience and accessibility offered by these channels, there also exists an increasing need to diversify news sources and encourage a more comprehensive approach to information gathering.Thus, understanding the dynamics between social media, news consumption, and Generation Z necessitates a multidimensional approach that emphasizes media literacy, critical thinking, and the exploration of diverse news outlets to cultivate a well-informed and sensitive young population.
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