Social Media and the Like Addiction of Generation Z

Abstract

Psychologists and technology experts from all over the world have long warned that the frequent and continuous use of social networks can result in addiction, which, in turn, can lead to anxiety, emotional dependence, loss of motivation, lack of self-control and irritability. A study carried out by the Chicago Booth School of Business (2012) pointed out that social networks have a greater addiction capacity even than tobacco because, among other reasons, accessing these platforms is simple and, moreover, free. With the present study, we propose to analyze the importance and impact of ‘likes’ on generation Z, as well as to study the social context of social networks; we aim to investigate if these ‘likes’ affect generation Z and in what way. A bibliographic review on social networks and the use that young people make of them has been carried out, identifying which are their favorites, how much time they dedicate to them, what activities they carry out and how that affects the human brain. Also, a field study has been carried out in Spain with a sample of 500 young people between the ages of 18 and 26 (those corresponding to generation Z), with the aim of understanding the use they make of social networks and analyze the impact that ‘likes’ have on them. Among the main conclusions of this research, we found out that gen Z uses social networks for more than three hours a day, with Instagram and WhatsApp being their favorite networks. Although some members of this social group claim to feel insecure, angry and even sad if they do not receive the expected response (translated into ‘likes’ or post-publication comments) they do not modify or adapt the type of content they share publicly based on the number of likes they can get. Finally, despite the fact that they say they do not give too much importance to the feedback received, they usually activate their notifications on social networks to be up to date with possible interactions.