Youth in Artivism break down social media, nostalgia and the pandemic’s lasting effects

“I learn more from TikTok than I do from my classes.”

For the young creator who made this observation, and for much of Gen Z, social media is more than a tool—it’s a central component of their lives. While it’s a source of education and entertainment, it’s also a source of connection and community.

This spring’s Artivism intensive focused on breaking down social media. The intensive, titled “Spring Cleaning,” challenged youth to answer the question “What do you want to keep, and what can you let go of?”

The young creators who participated in the program—which blends social justice activism and art—spent their spring break dissecting social media, examining their relationship with it, and creating art inspired by those conversations.

The week began with a discussion surrounding the magnetic pull of social media. Youth were quick to note the start of the pandemic as a turning point, when social media and streaming service use surged and a curious media trend emerged: people couldn’t stop watching old sitcoms.

When nostalgia came up in conversation among the youth in Artivism, they uncovered another concept worth “breaking down.” The young creators then identified their own go-to, feel-good piece of the past.

Big Thought’s Creative Lead and Artivism Director, Sasha Davis, explains, “The prompt was to break down the things that give them nostalgia, finding the good that they wanted to pass along to their audience and capturing that in their writing to be able to give to whoever’s watching.”

Each participant wrote a script inspired by their particular source of nostalgia, from Matilda to Fairy Tail, from a grandmother’s house to a stuffed animal named Eeyore. Their writings and visual representations were then compiled into a short film.

The week culminated in a celebration and exhibit for friends and family. In addition to viewing the short film, attendees were able to use the original TikTok audio the group created and arrange their own “shelfie,” a visual representation of an internal spring cleaning.

The evening also included a panel discussion with Artivism program participants. The conversation kicked off with descriptions of their relationship with social media as it was in March 2020. The group was honest and vulnerable.

“Extremely dependent,” one young creator said.

“It became an addiction,” another said.

There was a comparison to social media as a “toxic friend who is kind of dangerous and not good for you, but a little fun.”

There was also commentary on life in the pandemic era.    

“I used to be an extrovert before the pandemic,” one participant said. “Then, I got really comfortable being by myself. I didn’t know how to interact anymore. I had to relearn how to be my previous self.”

“In my mind I’m 17, even though I’m 20. I missed my prom, my graduation. My friends and I didn’t have closure to who we were when the pandemic started.”

The group acknowledged that amidst the isolation, social media provided much needed communication.

“It was connecting when you couldn’t connect; traveling when you couldn’t travel.”

Still, as another young creator pointed out, “It’s just not the same. You can’t replace face-to-face interaction. It’s important to humanity and any mammal in general.”

Social media is nuanced, and the pandemic seems to have emphasized the complexity. While the young creators in Artivism didn’t hesitate about its drawbacks, they also credited its ability to provide connection.

Reflecting on the Spring Cleaning intensive, Davis notes, “What I saw was that, for good or for bad, everyone can find a place on social media and everyone can connect with somebody on social media. And I think that for kids that have been locked up in their houses for two years, that is important.”

To learn more about Artivism, click here. To view the short film, click here.