I have a confession. I’m a Gen Zer, a member of the so-called “digital native” generation, but I’m not social-first. In response to the detrimental impact social media can have on mental health, I’m not social-anything because I choose not to engage with it anymore.
If you find this surprising, don’t—because I am one of a growing number of Gen Zers actively rejecting social media. Consumers—Gen Z in particular—placing greater importance on brand purpose means a social-first strategy is increasingly risky for brands.
Gen Z is often portrayed as fully immersed in the virtual world, a generation unable to last five minutes without checking phones and socials. But the reality is somewhat different.
An increasing backlash against social platforms means three in five Gen Zers now regularly undertake a social media detox to reconnect with the world around them, according to a recent study. Meanwhile, a recent report from McKinsey found that one in four Gen Zers associate spending lots of time on social media with a deterioration in their mental health. It’s no wonder stress is encouraging some of us to ditch smartphones for dumbphones.