In Defense of Gen Z and Social Media

Art and post by Grace Walters

By Grace Walters

I love tiktok and twitter. And rarely do I find myself willing to sit through full movies without also checking my phone. I am the scary youth demographic that boomers write Op-Eds about. Headlines about the rising popularity of social media, and declining interest in traditional, longform media tend to elicit hand-wringing responses from other generations. While close to 60% of previous generations rank tv and movies as their favorite pastime, only 10% of Gen Z consider it their favorite form of entertainment, preferring to stream music, play videogames or engage with social media. Cue the facebook comments about shortening attention spans and reliance on screens!

However, as a certified member of the disaffected youth, I want to make a case for my generation and our fascination with social media and videogames. The common denominator among Gen Z’s favorite pastimes is not necessarily the screens on which we consume media, or the shorter format of platforms like Tiktok and Twitter. In fact, many video games and podcasts are much longer than traditional media and these forms of entertainment are only growing in popularity. Add to this, the rise in popularity of tabletop roleplaying games, and it becomes clear that the shift from traditional media is not about ushering in a purely digital age either. Screens and length are not the unifying factor. Rather, I think that my generation’s approach to stories and media is one that is rapidly becoming more collaborative and deeply social. Whether we are playing Call of Duty, retweeting threads on Twitter, or rolling dice at a table, the focus of these new media forms is on other people, and engaging with one another just as much as we engage with story. 

All of these mediums are still being used to tell stories. But the stories are being told and interacted with in a way that is cooperative. The idea that narrative exists only in isolation, that the only way to tell a story is with one voice and one viewpoint is one that Story Jam has always rejected. We know that live storytelling is something that happens in the space between the audience and the storyteller. Artists do not create in isolation, and stories do not need to be consumed in isolation either. All of this to say: the kids may, in fact, be alright. 

And if you also like to tell stories collaboratively, and want to learn new ways to spin tales, consider checking out Story Jam’s workshops and classes!