PENGARUH MEDIA SOSIAL TERHADAP POLA KOMUNIKASI GENERASI Z

Abstract

Generation Z, born between approximately 1997 and 2012, has grown up as true digital natives for whom social media is an inseparable part of daily life, fundamentally reshaping how they communicate, share information, and construct social identity. This article aims to examine the theoretical foundations relevant to understanding social media's influence on communication patterns, to synthesize empirical findings on how social media has transformed Generation Z's communication practices, and to analyze both the positive and negative implications of this transformation along with strategies for fostering balanced communication skills. This study employs a qualitative approach using a literature review (library research) method, collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing books, national and international journal articles, and empirical studies related to social media use and Generation Z's communication patterns. The results show that social media has shifted Generation Z's communication from predominantly face-to-face and verbal interaction toward digital, instant, and visually mediated exchange characterized by shortened language, symbolic expression through emojis and memes, and heightened reliance on social validation through likes, views, and comments, a pattern explainable through Computer-Mediated Communication theory, uses and gratifications theory, and McLuhan's medium theory. While social media offers Generation Z expanded social networks, convenient communication, and safe spaces for self-expression, it simultaneously correlates with diminished face-to-face communication skills, reduced family interaction quality, and new psychological dimensions tied to social validation. The article concludes that social media exerts a substantial and multidimensional influence on Generation Z's communication patterns, necessitating balanced digital literacy education that cultivates both digital communication competence and sustained interpersonal communication skills.