A Study on the Use of Social Media Platforms among Gen-Z

Abstract

Social media plays a significant role that influences perceptions and attitudes, helps in shaping identity, as well as affects the well-being of individuals. It is a digital application and tool that provides users to produce and distribute user-generated content, facilitates interaction, and uses suitable mediums to share or disseminate ideas, information, and thoughts by connecting with others by building virtual networks and communities. Gen-Z is the first generation to emerge and develop in a virtually connected world.  The continuous engagement of Gen-Z in social media for information, to interact with others, and express themselves in the online social sites has become so familiar that it has now become part of the only reality they know. This study aims to find the usage and the most preferred social media platforms, and the purpose for which these platforms are used mostly among Gen-Z. A descriptive survey method was used for this study. The samples were chosen randomly, which consisted of N=120 Gen-Z participants, which comprised males n=60, 50% and females n=60, 50%. Results indicated that the most dominant platforms were Instagram and YouTube among Gen -Z, with high responses on duration of engagement, Facebook and Snapchat had moderate responses, whereas platforms such as X, LinkedIn, and Reddit had fewer responses. Instagram emerges as the clear favourite social media platform, indicating the most preferred social media among Gen-Z. The findings showed that the majority have responded seeking news and information, and entertainment has reported the highest responses as the main purpose for which social media platforms are used mostly among Gen-Z. Thus, social media is an integral component in  Gen-Z’s lives, but extreme social media use can have adverse effects in many ways, such as social media distraction, social media fatigue, and mental health conditions among Gen-Z users.

Keywords: use of social media platforms, social media platforms, Gen-Z