Exploration of Generation Z Using Social Media from an Emotion Perspective

Abstract

Social media has been popular for more than a decade. Generation Z (Gen Z) started using social media to build their social networks earlier than any older generations. This paper conducted two studies to explore how Gen Z’s activities on and perceptions of social media connect to their emotional expressivity, emotion regulation, self-esteem, academic achievement, and personality traits. Relationships among these variables were also examined. The first study included ADHD and depression symptoms to understand those relationships. The second study added self-regulation and perceived stress level for further explanations. Both studies demonstrated similar results on common variables. Results suggested that social media activities and perceptions were closely associated with Gen Z’s emotion perspectives. The researcher proposed two models demonstrating these relationships and generated a final model using common variables. Limitations and future directions are discussed.