Download pdf
Social media communication and shifting attitudes toward social change across generations: a comparative study of Gen Z and older cohorts
- 1 The University of Queensland
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Based on media influence theory and generational difference theory, this study reveals behavioral differences between Generation Z and older groups in their participation in digital protests through a combination of questionnaire surveys and text sentiment analysis. Data analysis shows that Generation Z displays a stronger emotional resonance with content disseminated on social media, is more inclined to trust content generated by users of the same age, and is accustomed to participating in public affairs via visual platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. In contrast, the older group has a cautious attitude towards digital resistance, prefers traditional media channels, and has a lower level of emotional investment. Emotional analysis of over 8,000 social media posts confirms this generational difference: Generation Z frequently uses emotional terms such as “rupture” and “empathy” in their tweets, while the older generation tends to use more rational, argumentative language. The research confirmed that intergenerational media usage habits, shaped by differences in growing-up environments, have a profound impact on the construction of citizenship in the internet age. These findings provide empirical evidence for formulating intergenerational communication strategies and suggest that public issue communication must design differentiated plans based on the characteristics of different generations.
Keywords
social media, generation Z, civic engagement, digital activism, generational differences
[1]. Alfred, R. J. J., & Wong, S. P. (2022). The relationship between the perception of social media credibility and political engagement in social media among Generation Z. Journal of Communication, Language and Culture, 2(2), 18–33. https://doi.org/10.33093/jclc.2022.2.2.2
[2]. Clements, J. (2020). Social media and political engagement across generations (Millennials, Generation Z). University of Delaware Institutional Repository. https://udspace.udel.edu/bitstreams/b8ebaf4f-7dea-42b4-97c4-ca4f8828fcd4/download
[3]. González, A. M., & Rodríguez, J. C. (2021). Activism and social media: Youth participation and communication. Sustainability, 13(18), Article 10485. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810485
[4]. Sánchez, M. C., & Pérez, L. R. (2024). Gen Z and digital inclusion: Moving beyond digital natives to digital citizens. Digital Future Society. https://digitalfuturesociety.com/app/uploads/2024/08/DFS_GENERACION_Z_ENG_FINAL.pdf
[5]. Smith, J. A., & Lee, K. (2023). Analyzing how millennial and Gen Z Latinx engage in digital activism. Iowa State University Digital Repository. https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/4e7838de-2240-40b5-ae31-ae3d4e35f885/content
[6]. Thompson, R., & Nguyen, T. (2023). TikTok, social media, and democracy: A study on Generation Z in Australia-Indonesia Youth Association (AIYA) Yogyakarta. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387652706_Tiktok_Social_Media_and_Democracy_A_Study_on_Generation_Z_in_Australia_Indonesia_Youth_Association_Aiya_Yogyakarta
[7]. Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2022). Advocacy and activism online: Youth engagement in the digital age. Digital Wellness Lab. https://digitalwellnesslab.org/research-briefs/advocacy-and-activism-online/
[8]. Janicke-Bowles, S. H. (2024). How does social media boost civic engagement? The Panther Newspaper. https://www.thepanthernewspaper.org/news/how-does-social-media-boost-civic-engagement
[9]. Theocharis, Y. (2020). Generational gaps in political media use and civic engagement. Routledge. https://vbn.aau.dk/files/468959299/Open_access_version.pdf
[10]. United Way National Capital Area. (2023). The Gen Z activism survey. https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/gen-z-activism-survey/
Cite this article
Zhou,X. (2025). Social media communication and shifting attitudes toward social change across generations: a comparative study of Gen Z and older cohorts. Advances in Social Behavior Research,16(4),1-5.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Journal：Advances in Social Behavior Research
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).