With the continuous development and popularization of social media, the social attitudes of young people are also constantly evolving and changing, and showing a diversified trend. Social media remains one of the most important social tools.
At the same time, the younger generation places more emphasis on self-management and is more cautious and rational in their use of social media. They are beginning to realize the impact of false information and excessive advertising on social media, so they will be more conscious of maintaining their social status.
The social radius is compressed, and young people are trapped in the dilemma of making friends
In real life, completing a fingerprint payment may only take one second, but finding a likeable partner seems like a daunting task.
According to the 2023 Young People's Social Attitude Report released by the social media platform Soul App, young people have an average of 2.5 friends. Among them, nearly 60% of young people have less than 2 close friends, 42.47% have more than 3 friends, and 12.04% have not met close friends at this stage.
The fast-paced life and compressed social radius, in this era of per capita social anxiety, young people are trapped in the dilemma of making friends. Data shows that over half of the surveyed young people find it difficult to meet new friends in reality. And compared to first tier cities with more diverse cultural and entertainment, young people living in third and fourth tier cities have a stronger sense of this.
The reason why it is difficult to make friends in real life has become a "common problem" is due to various reasons. Among them, over 70% of young people point their finger at the solidification of social circles. In addition, poor socializing, pressure from offline socializing, and high time and economic costs of participating in offline socializing are also the two major causes of difficulty in making friends.
The reality is difficult to meet the needs of making friends, and young people are beginning to explore more ways to expand their circle. Data shows that 66.49% of young people choose to meet new friends through social apps, which means that "online socializing" has become one of the main channels for young people to connect with friends.
Is there pressure to play social apps? Post 00s carry the banner of "social freedom"
Although social apps have made it easier for young people with similar magnetic fields to meet each other, for a long time, people have turned pale when talking about "social apps". They neither want the other person to know "who I am" under the mask of the internet, nor do they want people around them to know "what I'm playing with". It seems that in many people's minds, playing social apps has long been classified as "shameful behavior".
A survey shows that 65.13% of young people do not care about others knowing they are playing social media, but 26.51% of young people feel "a bit ashamed" when using social media.
Social shame still exists and varies among different groups. How to view girls playing social media has become a hot topic of discussion, and women seem more likely to be labeled as biased. The report data shows that compared to men, women are more likely to experience shame when playing social apps, accounting for 28.1%.
Differences in social shame are not only reflected in gender, but also in professions. Legal practitioners, retail practitioners, and financial practitioners are the top three professions that are most prone to concerns. For them, social freedom seems to require a higher price to pay.
In fact, the report also shows a positive trend. What is the image of someone using social media in the eyes of others, beyond their personal subjective feelings? Data shows that the majority of people hold a positive view, with 66.14% of young people believing that this is everyone's freedom. In addition, the younger one is, the more open their attitude towards online socializing is. The post-00s, who have grown up on the internet, are carrying the banner of "social freedom".
This indicates that the attitude of the outside world towards social media is open, and young people should not be limited by "social biases" and set limits on themselves. Let go of the "cage" in your heart and embrace a larger world.
Social purposes revolve around "interests" and "intellectual charm" as the best attraction
The generation of shame mostly stems from misunderstandings about social platforms that have not been resolved yet.
There is a sound that people who play socializing often have impure intentions. But the fact is that young people's social interactions generally revolve around "interests", with about 80% of young people choosing to use interest social apps. When using such social media products, 62.99% of them met friends with similar interests, 62.13% shared their lives, and 58.47% expressed their emotions; Falling in love is not that important, accounting for only 36.72%. For young people nowadays, the emotional value provided by showcasing their true selves as "cyber friends" is becoming increasingly important, and they look forward to more distracting interactions and emotional resonance.
According to data from social media platforms, the top 5 most popular user types on social media today are: lifestyle foodies, sports/travel enthusiasts, knowledge giants, fashion trendsetters, and workplace elites. In real life, many of the "influencers" on social media are also "charismatic players" in real life. They love life and constantly light up their skill points, making online social platforms a place for "great gods" to hide and hide.
'Negative energy' recedes, young people are 'up' to humorous jokes
Some voices believe that young people have nowhere to vent their dissatisfaction with reality and instead dump emotional waste online. The report lists eight "minefields" for young people's online socializing, with "complaints and negative energy" being the top priority, with over 60% of the lightning protection population. In addition, gender disputes, fan circles, soft writing with goods, wealth photos, sentimental copywriting, body photos, and showing off their love status are all the directions they choose for lightning protection. In the eyes of young people, those who seek a sense of existence on social media will be directly overlooked, and those who export extreme ideas are not necessary.
When socializing, there are always behaviors or content that touch the "alarm bell" of young people. Among them, "gender disputes" are a common "high-voltage line" between men and women, with nearly 60% of women taking a detour. In addition, women are more reluctant to touch the food circle, while men are more concerned about showing off their wealth photos and showing off their love status. Everyone hopes that online socializing is an energy refueling station, not an emotional trash can.
Social content is either interesting or meaningful in order to attract the attention of young people. Data shows that in the top 5 most popular social media content among young people, regardless of gender, content such as "mood records, humorous jokes, and travel records" is preferred. Unlike traditional cognition, men tend to record more love and affection than women, while women are more interested in humorous jokes. Regardless of their age group, young people have a higher preference for hot comment content than good product recommendations
