Members of Generation Z (people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s) are regarded as digital natives. They are the first generation to have grown up with smartphones and with access to a wide variety of social media. Inevitably, this has shaped the way they perceive the world. Yet a recent survey has found something unsettling: a third of American Gen Zs want to become social media influencers. 20% of males and 13% of females even declared that it was their only career choice. These youngsters believe that being an influencer means earning lots of money, getting free sponsored products, and becoming a ‘celebrity’. Gen Zs’ parents are not happy about all this. The survey says that only a meagre 8% approve of their children using social media. The survey also states that almost 50% of parents would prefer their children to go to college rather than become influencers.
The dangers of social media
It is understandable that parents are concerned about how social media affects their children and their future aspirations. Several studies have pointed out the inherent dangers of social media. Digital technologies are designed to trigger our impulses and take advantage of our psychological weaknesses. Anxiety, depression, stress, and shorter attention spans are all linked to social media use. In addition, social media algorithms tend to favour content that upset us (which maximizes clicking and scrolling), making us more hostile, suspicious and angry. None of this is a secret for the creators of these products. Dr James Williams, who worked for ten years at the heart of Google, asked a tech conference audience: “Is there anyone here who wants to live in the world we’re creating?” Nobody put up their hand.
Academia reflecting
Dr Williams quit Google and now works for the Digital Ethics Lab at Oxford University (DElab) which aims to “enhance the positive opportunities of digital innovation as a force for good, and avoid or mitigate its risks and shortcomings.” Institutions like these have been studying the challenges posed by digital innovation for decades: the problems faced by Gen Zs are not new. For example, in 1985, the academic Neal Postman published Amusing Ourselves to Death, a book about our tendency to exchange our personal rights for consumer entertainment. He emphasised how visual images sell vacuous lifestyles and tend to reduce everything to fragmented and superficial entertainment. Postman was talking about television, but the same can be said about more recent media.
The Luddite Club
While professors are formulating solutions, some youngsters are taking action, such as New Yorker Logan Lane. When she was 11, Logan got her first smartphone and began using social media. After a few years she realized she was spending far too much time online. “I became completely consumed,” she said. So, she closed her accounts and gave up her smartphone. At first, she felt bored, but soon realized she could use her time more wisely. She now reads extensively, keeps a journal, runs, and makes clothes. With like-minded teenagers, she founded the Luddite Club (a reference to the Luddites, a group of 19th century English textile workers who opposed industrialization). Its members spend time together in person. They read, draw, play music, sing and talk. They report feeling more present, connected, and engaged in their daily lives compared to when they were using social media.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development
These young new Luddites might be onto something profound, in line with the findings of the amazing Harvard Study of Adult Development, the world’s longest study on happiness. The outcome of its 75-year-long research is very simple: social bonds are the biggest predictor of happiness and longevity. “Good relationships don’t just protect our bodies, they protect our brains,” said Robert Waldinger, the current director of the study. Warm, close connections, guarantee contentment and health more than money or fame. It would be wise for young people to take this into consideration when planning their lives and setting their career goals.
1) Here’s the research mentioned at the beginning of the article:
https://www.highervisibility.com/ppc/learn/gen-z-and-the-rise-of-influencer-culture/
2) Watch Dr James Williams talk on how to deal with social media and reclaim our attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaIO2UIvJ4g
3) Here’s Wikipedia’s page on Neal Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusing_Ourselves_to_Death
4) Read and watch the video about the Luddite Club here:
https://parents-together.org/the-anti-social-network/
5) Read the New York Times article on the Luddite Club:
https://dnyuz.com/2022/12/15/luddite-teens-dont-want-your-likes/
6) Read this reflection on the Luddites:
https://calnewport.com/on-teenage-luddites/
7) Watch the video of Robert Waldinger explaining the findings of the Harvard Study of Adult Development:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI
1) Read the article and complete the sentences with the correct alternative.
1. Gen Zs want to become influencers
a. to become popular and rich.
b. to access a wide variety of social media.
c. to make their parents happy.
2. According to the survey, Gen Zs parents
a. are supportive of their children wanting to become influencers.
b. are not interested in their children going to college.
c. are not happy about their children using social media.
3. Social media tend to favour content that upsets us in order to
a. give us a realistic image of what happens in the world.
b. increase our time spent online.
c. make us more socially engaged.
4. At the tech conference, Dr Williams discovered that those who created digital technologies
a. were proud of their work.
b. were working to create their ideal world.
c. were probably ashamed of their work.
5. The objective of the Digital Ethics Lab at Oxford University is
a. to enhance the risks and shortcomings of digital technologies.
b. to find a way to use digital technologies effectively and safely.
c. to discover the problems faced by Gen Zs.
6. Neal Postman’s research suggests that
a. Gen Zs are facing new problems.
b. television is more dangerous than social media.
c. we are extremely attracted to entertainment.
7. When Logan Lane realized she was spending too much time online she
a. opened several social media accounts.
b. began to reflect on how to use her time more wisely.
c. felt completely bored.
8. The members of the Luddite Club are
a. English.
b. textile workers.
c. New York teenagers.
9. The Harvard Study of Adult Development is
a. a. a 75-year-long study on the effects of social bonds.
b. a 75-year-long research on happiness.
c. a study on longevity.
10. Young people should learn from the Harvard Study of Adult Development that
a. social media contacts are an elixir of long life.
b. to be happy one needs to be famous and rich.
c. close, social bonds are extremely important for a long and happy life.
VOCABULARY
2) Complete the sentences with the following words. Put the verbs and nouns in the right form, if necessary.
inevitably * unsettling * youngster * meagre * inherent * shortcoming * to give up (something) * engaged * outcome * wise
1. I’m always texting and answering emails, and the ……………………………... is that I can’t concentrate on my work!
2. Nobody is perfect. ……………………………..., we all make mistakes.
3. I don’t like horror movies. I find the sight of violence …………………………….…
4. I can’t help it; I have an ……………………………... distrust in all things new.
5. Nobody is perfect, we all have our …………………………….…
6. To achieve your goals you must never ……………………………... hope!
7. It’s lovely to see you so deeply ……………………………... in reading that book.
8. Young people, whether male or female, can be called …………………………….…
9. At the moment, I have a really ……………………………... salary that doesn’t allow me to live comfortably.
10. Old people are often ……………………………...; their many years of experience have given them a deep understanding of life.
GRAMMAR – Adjectives and adverbs
3) Complete each sentence with one item from the list (use both the adjective and the adverb).
proud/ly * strict/ly * dangerous/ly * recent/ly * quiet/ly * free/ly * brave/ly * incredible/ly * responsible/ly * wise/ly *
Ex. I’ll be with you shortly, as soon as I finish writing this short essay.
1. …………………………….., I was reflecting on my career options. That’s when I found that a
…………………………….. survey says that many young people want to become influencers.
2. You are …………………………….. not to take part in the survey. If you do, please express yourself
…………………………….. when answering the questions.
3. My parents …………………………….. monitor how I use my smartphone. I think they are too
……………………………..!
4. I don’t think that social media are …………………………….. . Would you say that I live
…………………………….. if I use them?
5. I am …………………………….. of the job I do, and I can …………………………….. say that what I
do is useful for the community I live in.
6. I want to use my time …………………………….. . For example, I don’t think it’s
…………………………….. to spend hours on end on social media.
7. Logan Lane …………………………….. gave up her smartphone. I don’t think I can be as
…………………………….. as she was.
8. Please be …………………………….. ! If you want to listen to music on your phone, please do it
…………………………….. .
9. It’s …………………………….. that the Harvard Study of Adult Development began in 1938.
…………………………….. , some of the very first test subjects of the study are still alive!
10. “To live …………………………….. means to follow your intellect, not your impulses,” said the
…………………………….. old woman.
SHORT ESSAY
4) Do you use social media? How do you use them? Carefully reflect on how they make you feel. (60-80 words)
5) What would you like to be when you grow up? Write about your career goals and how you intend to achieve them. (60-80 words)
DEBATE
6) Pair up with one of your classmates and look at the proposition below; one of you will argue in favour of it and one of you against it.
Proposition: In today’s world it’s neither possible, nor desirable, to live without social media.
(Carlo Dellonte)
(Image: Pixabay)
