Millennials & Social Media
What makes their experiences unique and significant?
Generation Y—aka millennials—use social media differently from all other generations. They were the first generation to grow up with computers and social media, making them the first group of digital natives. They were the first group to actively contribute, share, search for, and consume content.
A team of researchers reviewed the current literature on this issue, hoping to understand what we do and do not know about Gen Y’s social media use. The collection of information they found has implications for individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.
Who is Gen Y?
The researchers used Brosdahl and Carpenter’s 2011 categorization of generations, classifying Gen Y as anyone born between 1981 and 2000. Generational groups often bond around common events and experiences, meaning they typically share a similar perspective. Therefore, some generalities of this generation were assumed for the purposes of this review.
Three people working at laptops
What Makes Gen Y’s Social Media Use Unique?
Social media became widely available after 2003 when millennials were still young. Because of their relatively early exposure, social media became a way to fulfill social needs. They are now more likely than previous generations to use social media to connect with friends and family. Gen Y also generally enjoys life-long technological proficiency and adaptability.
Factors Contributing to Gen Y’s Social Media Use
Same as any generation, many life factors influence how millennials use social media:
Environmental factors, including individual-level elements such as socio-economic status and national-level differences between countries.
Economic environment can influence social media use as it impacts disposable income, consumer confidence, and employment opportunities.
Technological environment such as government policies and investments into technology impact the availability and adoption of social media.
Cultural environment, for example, is the difference between an individualistic and collectivist society.
Legal/political environments like government support can lead to a societal uptick in social media use.
Individual factors, including socio-economic status, personal values/preferences, and age/lifecycle stage.
The Benefits of Millennials’ Social Media Use
For starters, social media use allows Generation Y to socialize and experience community. Increased social capital, strengthened family bonds, and boosted self-esteem are some of the major benefits of how millennials use social media.
Social media can also encourage improved physical health, as a wealth of health information and resources can be found there. This accessible content is especially impactful in developing countries where healthcare resources are not widely available.
The Downsides of Millennials’ Social Media Use
As we know, the use of social media can have adverse effects on almost all individual-level factors—psychological, emotional, physical, social development—and Generation Y is no exception.
As we’ve already covered, social media use can increase Generation Y’s social capital. However, on the flip side, it can have serious consequences if sharing too much personal information as a way to achieve social approval. This opens up privacy concerns––once it’s out there, you can’t get it back.
Internet addiction is yet another downside of social media use among millennials. Compulsive social media use is highly reported among Gen Y, negatively impacting their sleep, school, and work, which can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
Lastly, social media users are more likely to make risky decisions as a result of a perceived sense of support from online communities, although this is often unrealistic.
The Larger Impacts of Millennials’ Social Media Use
Social media is often used for marketing in today’s society, and millennials’ frequent use makes them perfect candidates for new, targeted marketing efforts.
Woman sitting on a building, social media icons floating around
Gen Y’s social media use also impacts how firms hire, manage, and motivate their employees.
How Can Research Improve?
It became clear in this review that understanding millennials’ social media use is a helpful tool for understanding the current state of social media in society. So, the researchers concluded that more studies are necessary to understand this matter more comprehensively beyond relying on these generalizations of their review:
Most of it focused primarily on the US and/or one other country at a time. This ignored other countries with a booming Gen Y online population.
It relied heavily on self-reports from other generations, based mostly on assumptions.
It often analyzed students who were subject to behavioural shifts due to lifestage.
Millennials have created a whole new world with their social media use! They are a pioneer generation, informed by no one’s experiences but their own. And now, they reap both the benefits and consequences of a heavy social media presence in their lives while setting the tone for coming generations. Gen Z already uses social media as much as, if not more than, Gen Y.
Social media has moulded millennials’ experiences into a collective one—they even have a whole genre of memes based on their shared generational experiences. Social media certainly has its downsides, but it’s encouraging to see it bring together an entire generation like it has with millennials!
Meme of Woody and Buzz from Toy Story
Study Objective & Methods
Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda.
Ruth N. Bolton, PhD; A Parasuraman, D.B.A.; Ankie Hoefnagels, PhD; Nanne Migchels, PhD; Sertan Kabadayi, PhD; Thorsten Gruber, PhD; Yuliya Komarova Loureiro, PhD; David Solnet, PhD
This review looked into previous research on how Generation Y uses social media. The researchers gained an understanding of the gaps in the research, and why it has implications for society. In their review, the group of researchers found that previous research raised more questions than it answers. They took this abundance of information and created a focused set of research questions to inform the future of research in this area.
Social Media and Well-Being Training
This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our 3-course program designed for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.
