Generational Social Media: How Social Media Influences The Online And In-Person Relationships Of Gen X, Gen Y And Gen Z

Abstract

For my Honors thesis, I wanted to analyze the way Generations X, Y and Z interacted with social media and new technology and how it influences their online and social relationships. To study this, I researched previous works that discussed the relationships that each generation had with social media and new technology (such as Alexa and smartphones). After my research was complete, I created my hypothesis that Generation Z, the youngest generation, is the best equipped to navigate social media and technology and can build stronger relationships online but lack the social skills that the other generations have, making it harder to read in-person social cues. To find out if my hypothesis is correct, I conducted a series of interviews with members from each generation and I posted an online survey for my personal Facebook friends to take about the subject. I asked one person from each generation about their experiences using social media and if they noticed their social skills changing because of their use of social media. With these results, I hoped to find that Generation Z is the generation that uses social media the most and the have superior skills to navigate the online world, but they struggle to communicate efficiently in-person.