The concept of growing media refers to the various platforms, technologies, and environments in which people, especially youth, interact, engage, and form their identities. This term has evolved significantly over the years. Traditionally, growing media might have referred to physical environments-such as families, schools, or communities-that shaped young people’s growth and development. However, in the modern context, “growing media” has largely come to refer to digital platforms and the media technologies that facilitate them. This includes social media platforms (like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat), video-sharing sites (YouTube), messaging apps, video games, and other interactive digital spaces where young people are spending increasing amounts of time. These technologies have become central to the lives of many youths.
Today’s generation or what we call GEN Z has become so trapped in the deceptions of social media that the real world has become a struggle. Mental well-being is a serious topic and isn’t stressed on enough in this society along with the constant jokes of trauma that the youth makes in order to feel better or in other words “relatable” has become a huge issue in our world. Media is the way that the people all around the world connected in order to make a positive impact, but isn’t it time to take a step back and reflect on the impact of this unhealthy overconsumption of “fakeness”?
It is common for the young people to be overly consumed by this unrealistic standards of capturing moments instead of living in them, why is this. More common than not this generation is subconsciously tricked into believing that living an “aesthetic life” is the only way to project. These days the younger generation live a life of fake smiles and aesthetic pictures but don’t enjoy the unpretty moments or things in life that are simpler. Unrealistic beauty standards are put forward by the media for the consumption of very young children incorporating into their minds that often create a feeling of being inadequate or incongruous of their own looks. Certainly there is more to life is their not?
An interview with Dr. Sarah Lambert, Clinical Psychologist and Expert on Adolescent Mental Health where she talks about this topic addresses this topic by saying that this shift to digital spaces has led to increased mental health issues among young people, particularly anxiety, depression, and lowered self-esteem. She pointed out the pressures of unrealistic beauty standards and the constant need for validation on social media, which often contribute to feelings of inadequacy.
Moreover, the addictive nature of these platforms and the constant exposure to idealized lives can exacerbate loneliness and body image issues, particularly among adolescents who are prone to much more changes in mindset compared to adults. It also impacts family life negatively as to how GEN Z wants to be perceived by other people as compared to how they actually are is vastly different. Media might be a place for creativity and self-expression but holds harmful negative impacts of overconsumption, addictiveness and feeling a need to be “chronically online”. It is something that even, I as a person face on a daily basis in my day to day life. Research proves how it was much easier to live in the early days as there was no way for the youth to be such deeply embedded into media and its perceptions.
It is essential to know that the growing media that shapes today’s youth-primarily digital platforms-has both positive and negative consequences. While it offers access to information, connection, and new forms of self-expression, it also comes with significant challenges. The pressure to conform to digital ideals, the erosion of social skills, the rise of mental health concerns, and the addictive nature of these platforms all contribute to a more complicated and often detrimental experience for today’s youth. It’s essential to find ways to balance the benefits of digital media with its potential harms, helping the younger generation navigate their growing years with a healthier, more holistic approach to life.
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