Assessing Information in the Social Media Era: How Gen Z Navigates the News

This student-led forum, the last in the 2024-2025 school year, offers an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about social media and political content.\r\n\r\nSocial media has accelerated to become the most preferred news source for teenagers and young adults. Across the board, research concludes that platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube drive youth consumption, often on the most contentious political issues. The resulting content has inspired many sides of debate, including proponents and opponents of moderation, free speech, and fact-checking.\r\n\r\nThis student-led forum offers a rare opportunity to understand how new generations receive their news content. How does, and should, Gen Z critically analyze their political news feed? Is fact-checking a moderate approach to tackle misinformation or does it stifle free expression? Compared to legacy media outlets, in what ways are modern news and content sources better equipped to address the youth?