Generations use of Social Media

Yasmin Sustaita, MVC writer and photographer

Tik-tok’s buffering screen
Instagram’s loading screen
Twitter’s start-up screen

As time passes, each generation grows up with more complex technology, and with that they often grow up using technology in varying ways compared to the generations before them.
But how do generations use technology and social media in different ways than each other, and why?
Older generations like Gen X and Millennials tend to use older versions of technology that they watched grow alongside them. The technology they grew up with may be easier for them to use, as it does not require them to learn new phrases and uses of technology that younger generations tend to use. Older generations, like Gen X and Millennials, tend to use apps like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, as it is what they are more familiar with.
Younger generations tend to use apps like Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok. On the other hand, most younger generations crave the newer models, most likely as a result of the whole Android versus Iphone controversy.
Younger generations are also growing up with more and more technology that will help make life easier. For example, Gen Z is learning through computers and websites and videos instead of stacks of papers and textbooks. However, this does not mean the entirety of certain generations can’t or don’t use older or younger forms of technology.
According to Statista and InDigital, 36% of Gen Z use apps like Facebook weekly and own flip phones, just like Millennials may use apps like Instagram and Tiktok and own Iphones and Samsungs. In February, 2022, according to Statista, an average of 50% of Gen Z use social media daily, while other generations like Millennials are at a 44% average or lower usage of social media. About 6% of Gen Z never use social media, while other generations rank at 13-43%. In total, 80% of every generation use social media at least once daily.
This does not mean that generations can’t use technology in the same way; some adults in Gen X use technology to relearn things they may have forgotten, or maybe even things they need to figure out how to use. They also may be just listening to music on a phone, an Ipod, or even a MP3 player.
Most generations use social media to keep in touch with family and friends, however some generations do use social media simply as a source of entertainment or to learn new things instead of reading a book or going outside.
However, in the end, it does not matter what era people are born or fall into, technology is just one way to learn more and interact with the world, and many people still impact the world with little to no usage of technology.