Tag: Kim Sheehan

Generation Z’s Hidden Social Media Rule Book

Presenter(s): Taylor Kissinger

Faculty Mentor(s): Kim Sheehan

Oral Session 3 C

This study explores how Generation Z’s behavioral expectations for each other on social media impact their relationships, health, and overall well-being. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Adolescence, about half of the time that teens spend on the internet is dedicated to social media. Adolescents experience heightened pressure to be active on social media out of fear of becoming “irrelevant” or fading into the background of their friends’ social circles. In addition, previous studies have shown that young people are experiencing heightened levels of depression, lack of sleep, problematic social media usage, and social media addiction. And unlike any previous research, this study looks at the intersection of social media usage with inter/intrapersonal relationships and wellness. Generation Zers who consistently use social media must think about how their online activity could be perceived by their friends. Due to social media’s transparency in revealing real-time activity, the digital landscape has created an authentic level of complexity to relationships and a coinciding unspoken set of social standards to abide by online. I predict that these hidden norms are pervasive and relevant in the minds of Generation Z, that Gen Zers individually hold themselves to lower social media standards than their peers, and that social media expectations negatively impact their real-life friendships. Eighty-six participants completed a scenario-based survey that gauged how they would feel or react in a situation on a given social media platform. The results show that social media is no longer an outside element from interpersonal communication; it is an entangled third entity that can drastically and irreversibly change a friendship. It is imperative to study how online interactions can alter relationships so that we can foster healthy social media usage in the coming generations.

Reflecting a Queer Reality: Understanding Bisexual and Transgender Responses to Mainstream LGBT Advertisements

Presenter(s): Sara Blackburn

Faculty Mentor(s): Kim Sheehan

Poster 120

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Although LGBT consumers have been targeted by various brands and organizations throughout the twentieth century, many scholars cite the 1990s as the era in which the “gay market” truly emerged and mainstream brands increased their efforts to actively and publicly advertise to LGBT consumers. The practice continues today, but such advertisements have typically featured mainly gay men and lesbians, largely excluding bisexual and transgender individuals. My study seeks to understand if modern mainstream advertisements are able to effectively persuade LGBT audiences that are not cisgender gays or lesbians. Through a series of structured, one-on-one interviews with college-aged lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender participants, this study seeks to gain a qualitative understanding of the efficacy of mainstream LGBT advertisements through interpretive analysis. Preliminary analysis indicates that modern mainstream LGBT advertisements are not universally effective for participants of any gender or sexual orientation. Additionally, participants frequently expressed greater desire for actual action on the part of the brands in support of LGBT individuals and communities rather than more or different representation in advertisements themselves. Such work creates a foundation that can give specific recommendations to help brands target LGBT consumers in a more effective and ethical way.