Gen Z, Social Media, and News
Implications for the Future of News Engagement, Journalism, the U.S., and Democracy
Summary
Born 1997 through 2012, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up when the news engagement socialization process that we took for granted is virtually non-existent. And because Gen Z engages with news on social media where disinformation is pushed, it’s unknown how informed Gen Z is and what that means for the future of news engagement, journalism, the U.S., and democracy. A national survey conducted with Gen Z, Millennials, and older generations addresses these issues and more.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Halftitle Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1. Who Is Gen Z and What Events and Issues Have Contributed to Defining this Generation?
- Chapter 2. Social Media and News in the Lives of Gen Z
- Chapter 3. How Social Media and Smartphones Disrupted the News Engagement Socialization Process and Redefined How Upcoming Generations Get News and Feel about Being Informed
- Chapter 4. Gen Z Report Card on News, Journalism, Coverage of Their Generation
- Chapter 5. The Gen Z Voter
- Chapter 6. Barriers to a News Smart Gen Z
- Chapter 7. The Future of Journalism, the United States, and Democracy Depend on an Informed Gen Z and a Nationwide Belief That Being Informed is Essential and a Responsibility
- Appendix A. List of End-of-Chapter Questions and Reflections
- Appendix B. How The National Gen Z, Social Media & News Engagement Survey was Conducted
- Appendix C. Questionnaire for The National Gen Z, Social Media & News Engagement Survey
- Appendix D. Celebrating 10 Years of News Engagement Day! Souvenir Program
- Appendix E. Voting & Engaging with News about the 2022 Midterm Elections
- Index
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Poindexter, Paula Maurie, author.
Title: Gen Z, social media, and news / Paula M. Poindexter.
Description: New York : Peter Lang, 2025. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2024059626 (print) | LCCN 2024059627 (ebook) | ISBN 9781636676340 (paperback) | ISBN 9781636676333 (hardback) | ISBN 9781636676357 (ebook) | ISBN 9781636676364 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: News audiences–United States–History–21st century. | Generation Z. | Journalism–United States–History–21st century. | Social media–United States–History.
Classification: LCC PN4888.N47 P64 2025 (print) | LCC PN4888.N47 (ebook) | DDC 071/.3–dc23/eng/20250106
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024059626
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024059627
DOI 10.3726/b22611
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
The German National Library lists this publication in the German
National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Cover design by Peter Lang Group AG, with Paula M. Poindexter.
ISBN 9781636676340 (paperback)
ISBN 9781636676333 (hardback)
ISBN 9781636676357 (ebook)
ISBN 9781636676364 (epub)
DOI 10.3726/b22611
© 2025 Peter Lang Group AG, Lausanne
Published by Peter Lang Publishing Inc., New York, USA
info@peterlang.com—www.peterlang.com
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilization outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
This publication has been peer reviewed.
To News Engagement Day and My Gen Z Students
CONTENTS
Chapter 1Who Is Gen Z and What Events and Issues Have Contributed to Defining this Generation?
Chapter 2Social Media and News in the Lives of Gen Z
Chapter 4Gen Z Report Card on News, Journalism, Coverage of Their Generation
Chapter 6Barriers to a News Smart Gen Z
Appendix A: List of End-of-Chapter Questions and Reflections
Appendix B: How The National Gen Z, Social Media & News Engagement Survey was Conducted
Appendix C: Questionnaire for The National Gen Z, Social Media & News Engagement Survey
Appendix D: Celebrating 10 Years of News Engagement Day! Souvenir Program
Appendix E: Voting & Engaging with News about the 2022 Midterm Elections
FIGURES
Figure 3.1News Engagement Routines in Gen Z’s Own Words
Figure 4.1In Gen Z’s Own Words: Reasons for Giving a High Grade to News Media Coverage
Figure 4.2In Gen Z’s Own Words: Reasons for Giving a Low Grade to News Media Coverage
Figure 4.3In Gen Z’s Own Words: What Gen Z Thinks of News Coverage of Their Generation
Figure 5.1Why Gen Z Is Not Registered to Vote
Figure 5.2Most Important Issues Facing Gen Z
Figure 5.3Themes That Reflect Main Reasons Gen Z Will Vote in the 2024 Presidential Election
Figure 6.1Barriers to a News Smart Gen Z
Figure 7.2Gen Z’s News Credibility Quick Check
Figure 7.3News Media Action Plan for Covering and Engaging Gen Z
Figure A.1Click a Topic and Get Answers to Your Questions About Registering and Voting
Figure A.2Candidates and Issues on the Ballot for the 2022 Midterms
TABLES
Table 2.1How the Demographic Portrait of Gen Z Compares with Millennials & Older Generations
Table 2.2Social Media Use by Generation: Gen Z, Millennials, and Older Generations
Table 2.3News Engagement by Generation: Gen Z, Millennials, and Older Generations
Table 2.4Where Gen Z, Millennials, and Older Generations Get News
Table 2.6News Categories Gen Z, Millennials, and Older Generations Pay Attention To
Table 2.7News Topics Gen Z, Millennials, and Older Generations Pay Attention To
Table 2.8News Topics Paid Attention to from the Prism of Gender
Details
- Pages
- XX, 208
- Publication Year
- 2025
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781636676357
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781636676364
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9781636676340
- DOI
- 10.3726/b22611
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2025 (July)
- Keywords
- Gen Z Millennials Journalism News News Engagement News Audience Gen Z Voter Social Media Disinformation News Engagement Day AEJMC, 2024 Presidential Election Democracy Kamala Harris Donald Trump Joe Biden
- Published
- New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2025. XX, 208 pp., 13 b/w ill., 28 tables.
