Social Media — The generational divider
What do we really mean by ‘living in a digital world’ ? The digital world is a phrase used to describe the advancement of technology and how it has impacted the way we live and interact as well as everything around us. The Digital World refers to a wide variety of things from the internet to social media, connectivity and data protection.
The Digital world is a double-edged sword, with all the positives and new efficient methods digitalisation has brought about there are also the disadvantages that are negatively impacting the world as we know it. In this blogpost I am going to critically examine the Implications of living in a digital world from the perspective of two different generations: X and Z through the theme of social media focusing specifically on fake news and privacy.
Generation X vs Generation Z: Social Media Edition
The digital world has led to the creation some of the most ground-breaking products and services such as social media. However, social media can be seen as the best thing to ever happen to some and the worst thing to others. The social media age brought about the generational divide which is currently seen as millennials and centennials are ‘social media crazy’ while older generations (Gen X and beyond) are pretty much anti-social media. In ‘The Individual, Identity and Ethics’ seminar the idea of digital immigrants vs digital natives was discussed. This phenomenon acknowledges the digital divide between the generations pre and post the digital revolution.
Social media has made it possible to connect with people from all over the world and engage in conversations and discussions online with numerous people. Social media has been used as a tool to empower millennials and Gen Z’s by giving them a platform where they can be creative, express their true selves and become more aware of their surroundings. For instance, social media has been crucial in; creating awareness about sustainable environments, informing individuals about social issues impacting different places and constructing a generation that is ‘woke’ meaning conscious of the oppression and injustice in the world.
Generation Z are fully immersed in the digital world, although there are some positives as mentioned above, there are also many negative aspects of social media and its impact on the younger generations. Digital Natives were brought up with social media and therefore sometimes find it hard to differentiate between what’s real and what’s fake online. A lot of people especially in the newer generation associate their quality of life and happiness to what they show on social media. This complex can be detrimental to the mental health of young people, because it creates a fake reality as to what their life should be like. Research shows this complex is to blame for increased numbers in youths with psychological distress which are symptoms of depression and anxiety. Social media creates a standard to which people believe they need to uphold and when they can’t because IT ISN’T REAL people self destruct by developing low self esteem and deep insecurities.
Privacy and Data Collection
Privacy is a rather grey area when it comes to the digital world especially in regards to social media. The Facebook — Cambridge Analytica scandal was essentially the beginning of the internet privacy and data sharing conversation. Facebook sold data of millions of user’s data to Cambridge Analytica without the knowledge of its users. Cambridge Analytica then created an algorithm that targeted individuals and released fake news cycles thus directly impacting the US Presidential Election in Donald Trump’s favour.
Do you ever get those annoying pop ups right before you enter a page urging you to accept their privacy and cookie policy?’ This is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it came into play shortly after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. By clicking accept, corporations are given consent to use your data either for targeted advertising using cookies or to share your data with third parties.
Statistics show that generally both digital natives and digital immigrants do not trust social media and acknowledge the importance of online privacy. Millennials and centennials are more susceptible to the threats from privacy breaches and misuse of their data because they are more likely share more of their information online. For instance gaming apps that enable GPS tracking or social media add ons that require access to data, millennials will be less inclined to think about their privacy in these times. In comparison, digital immigrants are more cautious of social media and data protection because it is still a rather complex concept to them, they don’t trust it and are less likely to give up private information online.
FAKE NEWS
The digital society we live in is so interconnected therefore, information can be shared so easily and news can travel as fast as the speed of light. Subsequently, we need to be more cautious as to what we read online and accept as facts. Anybody can create false news and just by 1 retweet it could spread beyond the control of anyone. The digital natives are more likely to be affected by fake news because they believe once they see something online its most likely true.
Fake News has become a very important issue, it is slowly destroying democracy as we know it. For example, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the US elections.Research shows that majority of millennials get their news from social media while majority of Gen X and baby boomers still get their news from the local news channel. The problem with getting news from social media is the fact that anybody can decide to create fake news to influence people or for political propaganda.
World leaders have taken it upon themselves to try and eradicate fake news because they are aware of how much harm it can cause.
Digital Society Reflection
Digital society has made me a lot more aware of the digital world we live in, especially in relation to my personal online presence. Prior to Digital Society I was under the impression that I was a ‘know it all’ in the digital world. I learned shortly after that I know the bare minimum and there is so much more to explore and become acquainted with. Topics such as ‘Digital Engagement’ have had a major effect on the way I perceive everything online now. Being aware of the direct digital marketing strategies being used has given me a deeper insight into how my data is being used and shared online. Before digital society I was always so quick to click ‘agree’ terms & conditions on numerous websites, being ignorant to the level of data I am allowing these companies have access to. However, now I am more cautious and I always think ‘do I really want to give this company access to my data’ before agreeing and I find now more often than not I do not see the need to give certain companies access. Digital Society has made me realize the large extent to which we are dependent on the internet and the potential harms this can cause to society.
I enjoyed almost every single topic and I strongly believe this is the most relevant course for this generation and it should be compulsory for all to take. This is because the information and discussions that were had during the face-face sessions would be extremely beneficial to any millennial living in the modern world where our lives are pretty much controlled by social media and the internet. The internet of things is a very interesting topic, I always thought the idea of our everyday objects having connectivity was fascinating and an added bonus but now I am able to understand the downsides as well as the benefits. Nevertheless, I would have liked to go into more detail on certain topics such as the internet of things and data protection, potentially discovering the more technical aspect about how cookies work.
As an international Business, Finance and Economics undergraduate I am used to writing long academic essays with heaps of referencing using the traditional Harvard Referencing style. The transition to the more ‘modernised’ methods of assessment via blog posts was an initial challenge I encountered. The idea of producing an academic write-up with a more ‘informal tone than an essay’ was difficult for me, however, digital society has enabled me to find the balance in writing an academic piece of work that serves the purpose of critically analysing but still using the informal tone. Additionally, Digital Society has further highlighted the importance of referencing, even online. The method of referencing used differs from the typical referencing styles used at university and as a digital citizen being able to attribute others work appropriately online is very important and is a skill I will definitely use in the future when posting online.
The most challenging aspect of Digital society was the Pecha Kucha presentation. As mentioned by Vicky in her DigiSoc 3 assignment, presenting so much information in a such limited time was very challenging, however the elimination process of selecting precise and concise information has really helped me in other limit restricting work I have to do such as short informative essays.
