Honors Theses (Journalism and Communication)

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Browsing Honors Theses (Journalism and Communication) by Subject "Friendship"

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    Generation Z's Hidden Social Media Rule Book
    (2019-06) Kissinger, Taylor
    This study explores how Generation Z’s behavioral expectations for each other on social media impact their relationships, health, and overall well-being. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Adolescence, about half of the time that teens spend on the internet is dedicated to social media. Adolescents experience heightened pressure to be active on social media out of fear of becoming “irrelevant” or fading into the background of their friends’ social circles. In addition, previous studies have shown that young people are experiencing heightened levels of depression, lack of sleep, problematic social media usage, and social media addiction. Unlike any previous research, this study looks at the intersection of social media usage with inter/intrapersonal relationships and wellness. Generation Zers who consistently use social media think about how their online activity could be perceived by their friends. Due to social media’s transparency in revealing real-time activity, the digital landscape has created an authentic level of complexity to relationships and a coinciding unspoken set of social standards to abide by online. I predict that these hidden norms are pervasive and relevant in the minds of Generation Z, that Gen Zers individually hold themselves to lower social media standards than their peers, and that social media expectations negatively impact their real-life friendships. Eighty-four participants completed a scenario-based survey that gauged how they would feel or react in a situation on a given social media platform. The results show that social media is no longer an outside element from interpersonal communication; it is an entangled third entity that can genuinely alter a friendship. The participants’ responses reveal that social media standards vary for each individual and also on each social media platform. Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with social media as a vital part of their social landscape. Consequently, because no one has navigated behavioral standards before them, the Generation Z social media rule book is messy and disjointed. Young people are not on the same wavelength about what is and is not acceptable behavior on social media.