Double taps and retweets, snaps and screenshots: Gen Z has grown up with the language of social media. Some of them have mixed feelings about it.
BYU freshman Summer Johnson shared she has never had a social media account.
“I don’t think I’ve met anyone who, like, thinks I’m weird for not having it,” Johnson said. “I feel like I make enough connections just in person and through just normal texting.”
Senior Delaney Reed said at this point, it is hard to imagine life without social media. By her estimate, she has had an Instagram account for 11 years — she joined the app around age 12.
She and freshman Noel Murala agreed that social media is valuable when used in moderation.
“We don’t want to completely eliminate it, because once again it does provide a lot of good in the world,” Murala said.
Tyler Walters explained he does not “love” social media because it is a time waster. When he takes a break to scroll, it does not really feel like a break, he said.
“It’s just to stay connected,” Walters said of why he and others in Gen Z keep using social media. “You for some reason feel a need to be up to date with what is really funny.”
Johnson explained she feels most of her peers are “pro-social media,” but she thought they might be surprised how they would feel if they took a step back.
“The random things that make you ‘cultured’ from being on social media matter a lot less, I think, than people imagine,” she said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants Utahns to “disconnect to reconnect.” He has targeted social media companies like TikTok and Meta during his tenure.
“I feel like it’s just like, the dopamine of the scroll,” Reed said. “There are good parts and bad, I think if you use it in a moderate amount, I think there are positives to it.”
Some of Gen Z said they do not think bans and blocks are the way to go.
“It can be used for bad, but I think it all depends on how you use it,” Murala said.
