Almost Half Of Gen Z Wish Social Media Didn’t Exist Despite Being Chronically Online, According To Survey
The results of this survey were surprising given how much time Gen Z spends on social media.
220 Selfmade studio | Shutterstock Social media is a controversial subject. Some love it, while others can’t stand it. However, a lot of people assume Gen Z has a pretty favorable opinion of social media since they were the first generation to grow up with it and use it often.
A new survey suggests that this is, in fact, not true.
A survey found that nearly half of Gen Zers would prefer it if social media didn’t exist.
The Harris Poll, which billed itself as “a global market research and consulting firm,” surveyed a group of 1,006 Gen Zers between the ages of 18 and 27. The survey concerned respondents’ use and opinion of social media.
The Harris Poll described Gen Z as “the first to grow up with social media woven into their lives.” Despite this natural inclusion of social media, Gen Z seems unsatisfied with it.
40% of Gen Zers surveyed said they wished social media did not exist. Furthermore, almost half said that they wished specific social media platforms “were never invented,” with TikTok coming in at 47%, Snapchat at 43% and X at 50%.
Data from the Pew Research Center also showed that Gen Z was the generation that used each of these platforms the most. So, in spite of the wish that these platforms didn’t exist, Gen Z also takes full advantage of them.
Data does support the fact that Gen Z is very involved on social media. “About half of adult Gen Z social media users (47%) report that they use social media for two to four hours per day,” The Harris Poll said.
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A poll from Statista showed that 38% of Gen Z used social media for more than four hours a day, compared to just 18% of other adults.
This contradiction is interesting. While a majority of Gen Zers wish they didn’t even have social media, most also use it for a considerable amount of time each day. This could be due to some word association.
A majority of Gen Z also think social media is 'addicting.
According to The Harris Poll, when asked what words they associated with social media, 82% of Gen Zers surveyed chose the word “addicting.”
The Addiction Center defined social media addiction as “the obsessive use and focus on social media websites and apps, even though the use causes negative consequences such as relationship issues, anxiety, and low self-esteem.”
They also pointed out that social media addiction can mirror that of any “substance use disorder.”
This matches The Harris Poll’s findings. 32% of Gen Zers wanted to use social media less frequently, and 83% had taken steps to do so previously. This included everything from deleting apps to unfollowing specific accounts.
Social media is a difficult concept because, as The Harris Poll’s word association noted, it can be considered a form of “connection” and of “isolation.” It gives the user the feeling of being connected to others through viewing their photos, videos and other posts. On the other hand, it is also isolating because it is not real social interaction. Rather, it is a solitary activity.
Social media can be a good and bad thing.
There is really no one right answer to whether or not social media should exist or whether it does good things for its users.
Social media gives you a chance to keep in touch with family and friends who do not live close by or even those who do live close by who you don’t see that often. However, it can also be used as a replacement for real, one-on-one interaction. Social media has the power to make you think you are participating in a social, interactive activity without that actually happening.
Because of this, we should all be aware of both the benefits and dangers of social media. And, if you feel like you wish it hadn’t been invented, maybe it’s time to take a step back.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.