Twenty years ago, platforms like MySpace and Facebook marked the beginning of a transformative era in social media. Today, the pervasive nature of online interactions highlights both the advantages and downfalls of such connectivity. Significant changes have occurred since those initial years. In June, US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy advocated for implementing warning labels on social media platforms, citing their role in the mental health challenges faced by young people. Social media has been identified as a significant factor contributing to these issues. The new FX docuseries, Social Studies, by documentarian Lauren Greenfield, sheds light on the unsettling impacts of this crisis.
The aim of the series was straightforward. Greenfield sought to document the experiences of the first generation for whom social media is an ever-present part of life. From August 2021 to the summer of 2022, she spent a school year embedded with a group of teenagers at several Los Angeles-area high schools, primarily Palisades Charter. The series captures their journey as they navigated relationships, college applications, prom, and personal interests.
Greenfield, an experienced filmmaker known for works like The Queen of Versailles and Generation Wealth, described the project as a unique endeavor. She explained that the students were actively involved in the documentary process. Alongside 1,200 hours of primary footage filmed by Greenfield and her team, the students contributed an additional 2,000 hours of screen recordings depicting their daily phone usage. Combined, the footage explores the complex and ongoing challenges faced by teenagers, including body dysmorphia, bullying, social acceptance, and suicidal thoughts. Greenfield noted that this aspect of the documentary is particularly groundbreaking, as it presents previously unseen perspectives.
The comprehensive five-episode series benefits from Greenfield’s detailed approach, offering an in-depth portrayal of Generation Z’s interaction with social media. With the final episode now available for streaming, Greenfield discussed the often harsh and seemingly boundless online experiences of today’s teenagers in an interview.
In one episode, a student remarks on the dangers of logging into TikTok. Greenfield, having immersed herself in this environment for three years, reflected on whether social media is inherently negative. She pointed out that it’s not a simple binary issue. Approaching this project as a social experiment, Greenfield noted that this generation is the first to grow up entirely with digital technology. Despite the longstanding presence of social media, they are the first true digital natives, making it timely to examine its effects on childhood. Greenfield emphasized that social media is now the most significant cultural influence on this generation, surpassing parents, peers, and schools, especially in the aftermath of Covid. Although she did not start the project with a specific viewpoint or agenda, she was deeply affected by the experiences and insights shared by the teenagers, which depicted a rather troubling situation.
