Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

Summer 6-25-2025

Abstract

As social media has evolved into a prominent part of Gen Z’s social interaction, this study attempted to enrich our current understanding of Gen Z’s mental health struggles through their conversations surrounding anxiety on social media. Highlights of the findings included the following. First, the overwhelming presence of fear (83%) illustrates that anxiety is an emotionally draining experience for many Gen Z users. The use of emotionally charged language to publicly share their struggles with anxiety reflect increasing self-awareness and a cultural shift toward normalizing mental health conversations. Second, the open, candid conversations on anxiety indicate that anxiety is experienced as a threat to many Gen Z’s basic life functioning, from financial security to work performance to daily interactions. Third, the viral praises of Doechii’s “Anxiety” and creative fan adaptations such as Joetastic’s “Her Anxiety” illuminate the power of pop culture and hashtag communities to foster meaningful dialogues on mental health.

Publisher

Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication

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