“Back in my day…” is a sentence almost every young person has heard when faced with someone older. That familiar feeling of frustration and being misunderstood is something every new generation experiences. We struggle to see eye to eye on many topics. So the question stands: Can the digital era and its fast-paced future bring us closer, or will it only deepen the divide? Our author Nataly sets out to explore just how vast the generational gap is when it comes to social media.
Scrolling Apart
It’s Friday evening, and the sun is slowly setting. Everyone’s already home from school and work, so I head to the living room to talk about our day. After a few minutes of conversation, I sit on the couch and pull out my phone to see what’s new. Each of us drifts into our own bubble for a little while as a tiny escape from reality. While my mom is looking at photos of her dream apartment in a Scandinavian style, my brother is checking out what updates are coming to his favorite game, and I just got an ad for cheap flights to Italy. We are all connected to the same Wi-Fi, and are still so far apart. We all have our own little worlds now, our own truths that are harder to question when we see plenty of others online who seem to think the same way.
These days, digital platforms are one of our primary sources of information. They give us the latest news and various opinions on worldwide events. “More than 75 percent of respondents in all age groups said they use and check social media sites at least ten minutes a day“, states a 2022 article from the McKinsey Health Institute. Every day, we scroll through a mix of facts and half-truths and end up choosing what we want to believe. And maybe that’s one reason why opinions between generations feel even more different now. But aren’t we all at least a little bit curious about where this is going?
Slightly Lost
Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996. They experienced the rise of social media only after reaching adulthood. Many look back with nostalgia for their younger years spent outside, surrounded by friends, living through small everyday adventures without screens constantly around.
Today, platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become a part of their daily lives. For them, social media was a way to stay in touch with family, be part of different communities, or browse the local marketplace. They discovered many of its features gradually and often learned how to use them from their own children. Still, the stereotype of writing posts full of emojis or sharing photos their kids wish had never been posted will likely stick with millennials for a while.
Filters, Followers and Figuring It Out
As someone born between 1995 and 2010, I belong to what’s now called Gen Z. We’re the generation that still had to ring our friend’s doorbell if we wanted to hang out at the playground. We had to borrow our parents’ phones to play a game for a few minutes. An online adolescence quickly replaced an offline childhood. We dove into every social media platform like Facebook, Instagram, and even the now-defunct Musical.ly. School conversations revolved around filters, followers, and who liked whose post. And the deeper we got into it, the more problems started.
But no one warned us about any of it — cyberbullying, the misuse of photos and personal info, or creepy things like the Blue Whale challenge. We were figuring things out as we went, learning by doing. If I had to describe our journey through social media, it would be one big trial and error.
Masterminds or the Vulnerable?
Illustration of social media (Illustration: Freepik, pikisuperstar)
Generation Alpha includes kids and teenagers born after 2010, in the middle of the social media boom. Many of them had mobile phones or tablets in their hands before even starting preschool. Their presence on social media often began before puberty, and platforms quickly adapted by creating more child-focused content.
From my perspective, this generation definitely has an advantage: they’re more informed about using social media correctly. Many schools now offer talks about cyberbullying and hoaxes. In some ways, they’re even more skilled than previous generations in using the platforms. But that doesn’t mean they’ve avoided all the risks.
Whether they intended to or not, Influencers have become role models for this new generation. And that hasn’t always ended well. There have been cases where a child sent money to their favorite online personality without their parents’ knowledge. Then there are the dangerous TikTok challenges, where kids seeking attention sometimes risk their health. In Slovakia, for example, there have been cases of children swallowing magnets they were told to place in their mouths as part of a trend.
How much time do you spend on social media daily, and what kind of content do you usually look for?
Petra (44): I spend about an hour to an hour and a half on social media daily. I try to spread it out throughout the day. The only platform I actively use is Facebook. I usually look for inspiration for home decor, recipes, celebrity news, and I keep up with my friends and family.
Boris (19): The amount of time I spend on social media varies, but it’s usually around five hours a day. Most of that is spent watching YouTube while doing something else. I look for entertaining, educational, and scientific videos, as well as nostalgic content I grew up with. I mainly follow humorous and sports content on Instagram, and lately, more and more political content too.
Matúš (13): I spend about two hours a day on social media because I have other after-school activities. I mostly watch funny videos or reaction content.
What worries you the most about social media?
Petra: I worry that the information and photos I share on social media could be used against me. I’ve read many stories about pictures being edited and ending up on websites where they clearly don’t belong. It makes me uncomfortable to think someone could damage my reputation through social media.
Boris: What worries me most is that many young people are becoming chronically online. They believe the whole world exists on social media. These people will eventually find themselves in situations where behaving the same way they do online could get them into real trouble. I’m also concerned about how easily misinformation can spread on social platforms. It can seriously harm someone or even spark a conflict.
Matúš: What worries me the most is how easy it is to find personal information. People can lose their privacy very quickly. Also, there are lots of new viruses and malware.
Do you think social media has the power to change public opinion?
Petra: Absolutely. People are highly influenced by the content they consume most frequently, since it’s often their main source of information.
Boris: Yes, unfortunately — and in my opinion, it’s often being misused. Since almost everyone has a social media account and regularly consumes content, it’s very easy to spread information that can influence public opinion.
Matúš: Yes, definitely. Many people see something online and immediately assume it must be true.
Do you see value in sharing your opinion on social media? Why or why not?
Petra: Personally, I don’t share my opinions on social media. I don’t see the point, since I feel they would end up being misinterpreted or twisted by others anyway.
Boris: Yes, I do. One of the most common examples I see is when an influencer says or does something their followers don’t agree with. They get critical feedback in the comments. Often, the influencer actually takes it to heart. I think sharing opinions online is important because it allows us to give both criticism and praise to people we might not reach otherwise. I also believe that expressing your opinion on social media is a healthy part of a democratic society. It supports freedom of speech and can encourage others to speak up
How do you imagine the future of social media?
Petra: I think people will become oversaturated with social media and stop seeking out that kind of content over time. Eventually, we’ll realize how important face-to-face conversation is, and people will start to value different things.
Boris: I believe we’ll eventually reach a point where people who know how to manipulate social media algorithms will start abusing AI, especially deepfake videos, for political warfare and to influence public opinion in harmful ways. This could lead to even greater polarization than we already see today. But I don’t see the future as entirely negative. I also think there will be more opportunities for people to make a living through social media and find ways to express themselves, which, indirectly, contributes to the economy as well.
Matúš: I don’t think it’ll change that much. Maybe content will shift even more toward short videos like “Shorts” or “Reels”. I guess long videos will eventually disappear.
Social media mind map (Illustration: Author, created by Canva)
The Future Hides Everything
The truth is that social media influences every generation, though we each see it differently. No one holds the absolute truth or the perfect approach to this issue. However, all generations agree on one thing: social media brings both benefits and many of the concerns mentioned above. And as technology continues to evolve, the negatives may only increase. So will social media divide us further, or bring us closer together? The honest answer is that only time will tell.
So… what does the future hold for us?
