Gen Z has become a prime example of how social media can control and shape humans. There is no doubt that Gen Z is the only generation gravely influenced by social media in all aspects, including behavior, opinions, way of doing chores, or even the way of studying.

Social media platforms control our daily lives with the immense amount of information that is shared on them. According to the report from ExpressVPN, Twitter alone has over 354 million active users, with 260 million who log on daily. This shows the massive influence that social media has. So, examining how it impacts behavior, attitudes, and mental health is important.

The accessibility of the internet offers the current generation excellent advantages, but these also come with drawbacks. With more and more people forgetting human interactions and spending hours to no end on social media, it has led us to sit down and think about how it ended this way for our generation and whether it is the right thing for our people.

The Impact of Social Media on Gen Z and Their Lives

The different features and updates introduced on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and others have a profound effect on Gen Z.

Features such as hiding dislikes on a post have provided the user with security by eliminating the negativity and helping reduce their anxiety. Users can also hide their likes which is also helpful for some as the prodigy of comparison between the number of likes of them and their friends isn’t possible anymore.

On the other hand, research revealed that 86 percent of the respondents relied on social media for their happiness. These statistics are a serious concern for the current generation, who does not realize the direct impact of social media on their lives.

In the same research, the researcher asked the respondents whether they were concerned about the impact of social media and how they were addicted to it. Surprisingly, most respondents stated that they were getting addicted to social media, and half were envious of people who were not on social media.

Is Social Media and Gen Z a Catastrophic Duo or a Match Made in Heaven?

While this remains a debate that could take hours and hours to list the pros and cons, it’s clear that social media is negatively impacting the current generation.

Most importantly, the impact of social media on mental health is profound, with many users affected by how social media perceives them, how much following they get, and the number of likes or dislikes they’re getting on their posts.

All of these hint at a catastrophic duo as a repo, but one can not omit the advantages and up-to-date awareness it grants Gen Z and how it boosts their knowledge and modifies their skills to aid work efficiently.

Although Gen Z admits they don’t like being entirely influenced by social media platforms, it has gone beyond the level of addiction. Henceforth, they are starting to accept better and safer resorts, such as accentuating privacy to avoid being ad influenced or, in unfortunate cases getting privacy leaked, which suggests the will to adapt in Gen Z, helping them gain control of the usage and impact by social media.