Gen Z’s Digital Revolution: Reflections from ZCON on Social Media, Activism and Political Awakening

A few weeks ago, I attended ZCON, a conference led by UTA’s Next Gen practice. The conference platforms exclusively Gen-Z speakers for conversations on everything from content creation, sustainability, voting and future of work. Many of the panel discussions covered topics that are relevant to our work investing in progressive media infrastructure and civic engagement tools in order to build both social and political power. What I found specifically interesting was the focus on our generation’s intrinsic understanding of social media and justice and liberation work. Specifically a few key takeaways stood out to me:

• Gen Z has been able to use social media to create all kinds of nontraditional paths into careers like design, organizing, acting and more.

• Our generation has been fundamentally shaped by the Trump presidency, a moment where our generation was exposed to violent far-right rhetoric and dangerous misinformation in a way that emboldened us to fight back.

• Many of us also grew up in a world where we became increasingly radicalized as we saw  issues such as the climate crisis, police brutality, houselessness, lack of access to reproductive rights and the rise of fascism get more serious in front of us.

Gen Z is the first generation that has not known a world without smartphones and social media. I was on Facebook as early as my parents would let me and added Instagram and Snapchat accounts quickly thereafter. Growing up with a deep familiarity with the internet has given my generation an ability to adapt easily to new and emerging technologies. This adaptability was a recurring theme at ZCON, where many of the conversations were centered around the creator economy and social media. Many of these conversations showcased the unique ways that young people have been able to carve out careers for themselves that otherwise may not have been possible. We got to hear from Joe Ando, a popular fashion TikToker, who was studying design shortly before the world went into lockdown, which subsequently made the fashion industry much harder to break into. He started making videos highlighting his creative process, eventually leading to designing outfits for celebrities, including a viral moment for Ella Emhoff at the DNC. These kinds of moments point to an interesting facet of emerging social media platforms — their ability to create alternative entry points into otherwise inaccessible careers. Building a successful career in fashion, like many other careers, is incredibly difficult and often requires a series of connections, unpaid internships, formal education, not to mention the finances necessary for all of that. TikTok’s algorithm, while unpredictable, levels the playing field for emerging designers to showcase their work to people. There are so many other creators, in fields such as music, food, and comedy, that have benefited from the democratization TikTok allows for.

While some of us were building creative careers on social media, we have simultaneously been experiencing pivotal political moments shaping our generation. On a panel on voting, speakers talked about the moment that catapulted them into political work. Half of the panel mentioned the election of Trump in 2016, which for a room of older Gen-Z and younger Millennial people, came at a significant moment in our transition to adulthood and for me and many others, was the first presidential election we could vote in. The 2016 presidential election was radicalizing for our generation for a variety of reasons. First, his presidency brought far-right rhetoric and misinformation to the surface in a new, bolder way. Because of the rise of misinformation during the Trump presidency and election cycle, our generation learned quickly not to trust institutions, and especially mainstream media. This distrust in institutions made it easier for us to look at issues like police brutality and the climate crisis and question whether corporations and law enforcement really have our best interests at heart. I’m writing this less than a month after our country elected Trump a second time. It may be too soon to know how a second Trump presidency will undoubtedly shape our generation, but it is certainly a reminder that many things have not changed since 2016, and in fact in some cases have gotten worse.

Another insight the conference highlighted was that, as a generation, our interest in social issues came early. Deja Foxx, a content creator and digital strategist, has been working in activism since she was 15. Foxx was the youngest staffer and first content creator on VP Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign. This year she became the first content creator to speak at the DNC. Sofia Ongele, who was also on the voting panel, couldn’t pinpoint a specific moment she was radicalized, but described how learning about politics and systems was a part of her childhood from an early age. Ongele builds tools for civic engagement through her work at our portfolio organization, Gen-Z for Change, and also is a content creator in her own right, sharing news from on the ground at the Columbia University pro-Palestine protests during her time as a student there. 

How Gen-Z uses social media, and how we engage with social issues around us were two of the biggest topics tackled at ZCON. The panels certainly covered a lot of ground here, but I found the same themes in conversations with people I met throughout the conference. Many of us had work that touched the creator economy, whether it was investing, marketing or building a platform themself. Many of us are also thinking about how to drive impact in our spaces, whether it’s helping Asian Americans learn more about their ethnic identities, pushing corporations and leaders to join the fight against climate change, or developing civic engagement tools. 

This was the second year of ZCON. I’ve attended both years and have been so grateful for the UTA Next Gen team that gathers a safe, diverse group of young people each time. Besides the people in the room, one of the best parts of the conference has been hearing conversations that centered radical ideas. There was a panel in 2023 on climate that particularly radicalized me, and in an era of a second Trump presidency, I’m hopeful that ZCON will continue to be a safe space to have these conversations as we will have to fight even harder for the change we want to see.