Generation Z is the first age group to grow up with social media. But even though they use it for hours every day, they have an ambivalent relationship with it.
Which applications are meant? A scientific survey of 1,006 representatively selected young people between the ages of 18 and 27 (Gen Z) conducted by social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt in collaboration with the portal The Harris Poll revealed some interesting results.
Because even though they have been using the apps for a long time (more on that below), almost half would have preferred never to have met some of them:
21 percent would even be happy if the smartphone had never been invented.
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Ambiguous relationship: Gen Z and social media
How long does Gen Z use smartphones? According to their statements, the majority of young people surveyed are heavy users of social media.
The authors also include applications such as YouTube in the study, where interaction is only secondary for some and the pure consumption of videos plays the main role.
What is young people’s attitude towards social media? The scientists also ask about terms that are emotionally associated with social avoidance:
In general, more women use negative words than men. 8 out of 10 have already taken steps to reduce their own use of social media. This includes, for example, turning off notifications.
You can read even more results of the detailed study on The Harris Poll portal.
Meanwhile, Generation Z also has a special relationship with the office that is fundamentally different from that of previous age groups. Many of them began their professional lives during the pandemic or shortly before and thus did not get to know the normal working day. Now they are celebrating it: Generation Z is now finding a new reason to go from home to the office