Social media is no stranger to the average person, and many enjoy scrolling through it on a day-to-day basis. However, Gen-Z specifically, the first generation to grow up on social media, is starting to show signs of a cultural shift off the screen.
It is pretty well-known by now that social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and many others are meant to keep you scrolling. TikTok specifically is best known for being loved by many all over. TikTok, formerly Music.ly, has a model that many other social media apps began to imitate as early as 2016. Short-form videos, the average length of a TikTok video being 42.7 seconds. A quick laugh bundled into one short video quickly spread across all apps, and many of them began to lose their individuality. This style of media is what took many viewers down the road of a shortened attention span, specifically Gen Z. A study done by Keystone Education Group found that, “the average attention span of Gen Z individuals was only about eight seconds, four seconds less than that of millennials. This study attributes this decrease to the generation’s constant exposure to digital content and multiple screens.”
Gen Z knows this, though; they aren’t oblivious to the effects, and many either don’t care or want to create a change in how they use social media. Recently, many think-piece videos on TikTok cover this topic, typically using the phrase “it really is that damn phone” playing off an older internet meme poking fun of how parents would blame everything on phone usage. Older Gen Z seems to be the majority of this shift in attitude, but kids born later in this category also find that they are growing tired of social media too. An example of this is a video posted by Nadia (@nadismediacorner on TikTok), where she speaks on how social media has ruined the attention spans of the youth. In the caption below the video, she states, “Our attention spans have gotten so bad to the point that we can’t even properly enjoy movies, shows, and books.” Many of the comments under the video agree with this sentiment and even mention not being able to complete the video itself, despite it only being one minute and twelve seconds. This is mainly due to the fact that many of us are used to “longer” videos being at 2x speed. A response to many users becoming disinterested in a video if it had been over a few seconds long.
With this recognition of the effect social media has on our brains, digital media has been on the rise. TikToks showcasing their digital cameras, PSPs, digital cameras, pods, CDs, records, DVDs, and more indicates that people are actively trying to combat short-form content. Reading has become cool in some spaces, people are collecting digital media, but it seems to be for aesthetic purposes. This leaves us with the question of whether or not this self-awareness and adoption of physical media will be short-lived, as if it were another trend.
