Beyond the Screen: Understanding Gen Z’s relationship with social media

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This story is jointly published as part of the Utah College Media Collaborative, a cross-campus project bringing together emerging journalists from Salt Lake Community College, Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah Tech University and Weber State University. The collaborative is an Amplify Utah project with support from PBS Utah and POV.

SUU students Nathaniel Buck, left, Brynn Smith and Gabriel Small
SUU students host “CTRL+Z” — a five-part podcast series about the complex relationship between Generation Z and social media. From left to right: Nathaniel Buck, Brynn Smith and Gabriel Small. (Courtesy of Utah College Media Collaborative)

You’ve probably been holding the internet in the palm of your hand since you were a baby, the first generation in human history to do so. Yet your parents likely remember a time before TikTok and Instagram, even before 4chan and MySpace.

The internet’s evolution has been rapid and transformative. Beginning with ARPANET in 1969, university researchers created a proto-internet for electronic communication. This evolved into chat rooms and email, revolutionizing how people connected across distances.

The early 2000s saw an explosion of platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, all designed to connect users in innovative ways. But in the timeless words of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

In this five-part podcast series, CTRL+Z, Southern Utah University students explore the complex relationship between Generation Z and social media. Each episode examines a different aspect of this digital experience.

In episode 1, the team discusses a digital detox, and finding balance in a connected world.

  • In episode 2, Nathaniel Buck investigates how social media positively affects users’ lives through research and interviews with SUU students about connection and authentic self-expression online.
  • In episode 3, Gabriel Small delves into the negative impacts commonly associated with excessive social media use, featuring perspectives from both students and professionals.
  • In episode 4, Brynn Smith explores how Gen Z can build healthier relationships with technology, offering practical tips for digital balance.
  • CTRL+Z concludes in episode 5 with the team discussing how to apply these insights to their own digital lives.

The series aims to provide a comprehensive look at how the first truly digital generation navigates the online world they’ve inherited—for better and worse.

This story was reported and produced by communication students at Southern Utah University.

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