{"id":38860,"date":"2024-10-14T19:17:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T02:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38860"},"modified":"2024-10-14T19:17:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T02:17:09","slug":"from-social-media-to-social-justice-the-power-of-gen-z","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/from-social-media-to-social-justice-the-power-of-gen-z\/","title":{"rendered":"From Social Media to Social Justice: The Power of Gen Z"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI have found that Gen Z has several great strengths that will help them drive positive change.\u00a0 The first is that they are not in denial.\u00a0 They want to get stronger and healthier, and most are open to new ways of interacting.\u00a0 The second strength is that they want to bring about systemic change to create a more just and caring world, and they are adept at organizing to do so (yes, using social media).\u201d <\/span><\/i>[1]<\/span><\/p>\n

As a mother of three daughters who were born after 1995 (1996, 1998, 2002), I have witnessed the effects of social media firsthand.\u00a0 Each of them has been influenced by social media in some way, shape or form.\u00a0 All three of them use Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.\u00a0 A couple of them use Snapchat too.\u00a0 One of my daughters has a Podcast and one of them has an active YouTube channel.\u00a0 Interestingly, the oldest of the three, now a mom, is extremely cautious about the amount of screen exposure her child takes in and makes outdoor, unstructured play the majority of the day.\u00a0 The effects of social media on the self-esteem of girls is a real thing and I don\u2019t necessarily think it is isolated to girls in the teen years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When my daughters were young we spent a lot of time outdoors and often had their friends in our home for dinners, family vacations, sleepovers, parties, bonfires, trips, and more.\u00a0 Our home was a hangout.\u00a0 I miss those days when our living room was filled with friends from the basketball team, neighborhood, or marching band.\u00a0 The time spent together often had food, laughter, and great conversations.\u00a0 Social media was very new and unexplored at that time in our lives.\u00a0 Not knowing what we know now, our girls were able to have a Facebook account when they turned 13 years old if they wanted one.\u00a0 While they had flip phones for the longest time (until they worked, earning their own money to buy an iPhone), they viewed Facebook on their laptops.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>The Anxious Generation<\/span><\/i>, Author Jonathan Haidt explores how the rise of smartphones and social media has negatively impacted the mental health of Gen Z. Haidt examines key psychological effects such as increased loneliness, sleep deprivation, and the <\/span>addictive nature of social media platforms. We noticed this addictive nature develop in our girls, especially in family gatherings when cousins gathered for the holidays, and what historically looked like play and conversation had changed to everyone on their phone.\u00a0 Haidt highlights how technologies have disrupted teens’ attention spans, social connections, and well-being. He argues that the constant notifications and online interactions erode the ability to focus and lead to a dependence on social validation. Ultimately, Haidt advocates for collective societal action to address these issues, including limiting social media use and encouraging more in-person interactions.\u00a0 His central claim is that the trends of overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world are the major reasons why children born after 1995, Gen Z, became the anxious generation. [2]\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Social Media Addiction and Social Validation<\/b><\/p>\n

Social media addiction, like other forms of addiction, has a psychological foundation. These platforms are designed to be addictive by tapping into basic human needs and behaviors. Social media allows users to carefully curate how they appear to others. The pursuit of projecting a positive image can become addictive, leading to frequent checks for likes and comments. As social beings, humans naturally seek connection, and social media provides an easy way to communicate, share, and engage, often creating a sense of belonging. [3]\u00a0 Acquiring likes or views is like obtaining votes of approval – social validation.\u00a0 Acquiring likes is like acquiring votes of approval, causing a person to want more, look for more, and post more.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u2018like\u2019 button offers social validation, which can trigger feelings of happiness and self-worth.\u00a0 Each time we receive a like, comment, or share on social media, our brain releases dopamine, creating a feeling of instant gratification. The cycle of posting, checking red notifications, and posting again is similar to the way other addictions, like gambling or drug use, function. The unpredictability of these rewards makes social media even more addictive. [<\/span>4]<\/span><\/p>\n

Mental Health and Identity<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Spring of 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, issued an advisory titled <\/span>Social Media and Youth Mental Health<\/span><\/i>, highlighting increasing evidence of social media’s negative effects on young people’s mental health. [5] Shortly afterward, the American Psychological Association (APA) released its own health advisory. A year later, in June 2024, Dr. Murthy advocated for a surgeon general\u2019s warning label on social media platforms, a measure that would require congressional approval to enforce. [6]\u00a0 I wanted to dig a little into additional research about the effects of social media on mental health.\u00a0 Here are a couple of data pieces that jumped out at me:<\/span><\/p>\n