- Welcomed N'DIGO STUDIO, I'm Hermene Hartman.

We hear so much today about the various generations.

So Millennials Generation X, Generation Z.

Now we hear about social media having a negative impact on young women.

Facebook is growing and it's here to stay.

A recent report on Facebook said that 76% of people thought Facebook had a negative effect.

Well, today we're going to talk about social media, dating and adulting with three young women who are 20 something, recent college grads, beginning their careers, and we wanna see how they are affected as they live in this brand new world.

Cozy conversations drop The knowledge that for real.

Funding for this program Was provided by The Chicago Community Trust The Field Foundation, Common Wealth Edison, BlueCross BlueShield, The MacArthur Foundation, And Governors State University.

Hi, I'm Hermene Hartman with N'DIGO STUDIO, and today we're going to have a Chicago conversation with some young women, young women in generation Z social media era.

We're going to talk to Taylor Coward, who is a graduate of Governors State University, and Braylyn Brown.

She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carpendale.

And we're gonna talk to Jasmine Roberson graduate University of Illinois Chicago campus.

Okay, so ladies tell me how social media influences your lives.

What's the interaction.

And I asked you that question, given that we've seen in the news lately, how social media, particularly Instagram was affecting young girls, younger than you kind of tweens, to the point where some of them actually committing suicide.

Tell me about, 'cause you are the first generation where social media has been a factor, an element of life.

I didn't have social media when I was your age.

So tell me about how does social media influence and interact the dynamics of social media in your life?

- If you let it it'll dictate your whole day.

You'll say, "You know what?

"Maybe I'll go to this Starbucks "instead of this one because it's cuter, "and I can take a picture of the cuter one, "than at the one that's less cute."

- Because you saw that Starbucks on social media?

- On TikTok or Instagram.

I feel like most restaurants that I go to now are from TikTok, and it's just based on how it looks.

- So look is important?

Okay, then how are you... Wow, that's interesting.

And so Braylyn, what about you, how does social media influence you?

- Well, since I'm also a content creator, it affects me every single day in every aspect.

Like when I actually wake up in the morning, I think about how I'm gonna look and what picture I'm gonna take or what selfie I'm gonna take, how I'm gonna look on camera on my phone.

So I feel like it deeply affects you.

Like I always think about.

- [Hermene] It's always there.

- Yeah, it's always there.

It's never been there for me so- - It's always been there?

- [Braylyn] Yeah.

- Okay, so Jasmine, what about you?

- I would say I go to Twitter to stay abreast what's happening in the world, it's definitely where I get my daily news.

Instagram, I tend to set more boundaries with because it gets competitive, but yeah, Twitter, I definitely go there every day to stay abreast of what's happening in the world.

- What about Facebook?

- Not so much Facebook.

I would use that to keep in contact with family members I don't really see, but yeah, mostly Twitter.

- Mostly Twitter for you and for you it's all of it?

- All of them, but mostly Twitter and Instagram for me.

- And Facebook for you?

- No, probably Twitter.

- So wait a minute, what happened to Facebook?

- It's for our parents.

- It's for the parents.

- For your parents?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Okay, so you're Instagram people.

What about TikTok?

- I love TikTok.

- I love TikTok.

- Why do you love TikTok?

- I feel like you can get really creative on TikTok.

When it comes to TikTok, it's like, I can just fill my day with it.

Like whenever it's times of space where I'm just like, okay, I just need to have a creative moment, I can look at TikTok, and look at makeup artists and producers and videos of different things to inspire me to create.

So I really like it.

- You like that, that's your favorite?

- As of right now.

- So, what are your career aspirations?

- So right now I'm considering becoming an attorney.

- An attorney?

- Yes, Ma'am.

And so I'm looking for legal experience before law school.

And so actually because TikTok collects so much data, from your phone and your messages or Google searches, it curates to what you probably wanna see.

So if you really like makeup and you look up makeup all day, you'll get TikTok about makeup.

And so I get aspiring attorneys, I get people who work for the government, I get restaurants and things like that.

And so TikTok has been a really good way to see what the life would be like, and it's really something that I'm interested in.

- So, that comes from algorithms?

- Yes.

- Okay, tell me about algorithms, 'cause you are a social media curator.

So tell me about how algorithms works to figure out what your likes are, what you want, what your interests are, and then feeds it.

- So basically with algorithms, it's really up to what you look at and what you like.

So if you're someone who scrolls on any social media platform, and honestly, when you automatically make up your profile and you say, okay, I like food and I like makeup and pets, if you automatically put those things into your drive of anything with your social media, it's gonna automatically feed you those things.

So I think that's just like the basis.

- So it's kind of like watching what you are doing and then it feeds it.

Okay, so you all just got through college, you all just finish college and you beginning your careers.

Did college serve you to the point where you are ready for career?

Or is there a gap between the real-world career and college?

I would... You can go ahead.

No Mis.Robinson I'm asking you that.

That's a good question for you, - I would definitely say that there's a gap.

I think that most people graduating, not feeling ready, and that's been a source of anxiety for me, as I try to enter my career field.

It's really just a matter of getting experience, which is hard, because to get hired, you need experience.

And so it's just like a cycle, but yeah, I don't think most people graduate and instantly ready.

- Not ready.

What's your career aspirations?

- So I would like to go into arts administration.

I grew up in the performing arts.

I would eventually love to get into creative direction or work for theater and in an environment like that.

- You wanna work for theater company?

- Yeah.

- You wanna work behind the scenes or as a producer, as a director, as an actress?

- Mostly like creative direction.

That's what I saw my dance teachers doing, growing up, and so I always really looked up to that, so, yeah.

- Okay, so what about motherhood and marriage and men.

Does social media influence that for you?

- Yeah.

- How so?

- You'll see people in our age group getting married and it makes you question, "Okay, was it the time that I need to get married "or are they getting married too young?"

And I feel like I've been experiencing that a lot actually.

And so it just makes you really think about what direction you want your life to go, and what's the timeline.

And so you have to be careful with social media because you don't want it to push a timeline on you that isn't for you.

- Okay, now what about dating?

About where the men, the guys that you date, is that a social media thing too?

- Yes, I would say because I have had experience of dating someone that I met off of social media.

So it really all depends on what you're looking for, so- - You didn't have any hesitation for dating someone that you did not meet in person, but just on social media?

- Of course I did.

I was like, "Oh, this might be a person "that's gonna harm me in some way."

- [Hermene] Or not.

- Right, of course.

(chuckling) But in this day of like the digital age, I feel like there's so many ways for you not to be like that, like, okay, I can FaceTime, I can call you via...

So it's not that many gateways of where I can't just like contact you.

- But how do you decipher?

So, I mean, I can fool you with Facebook.

I can fool you with FaceTime.

How do you decipher the good guy, the bad guy, strange guy, the nice guy, the guy who you'd really wanna go out with, the guy you don't wanna go?

How do you decipher that?

- Honestly, just talking to them.

- Oh, don't worry about that.

(panelists laughing) - You really shouldn't worry about it too much, because in person they can be exactly the same as that person that you think is a nut off of social media.

- You hope?

- You hope, but they can also be the same.

- What about you?

- So tell you the truth, I don't date too much via social media.

I feel like I'm kind of old school.

I always say if a guy wants to find me, he's gonna have to find me in real life because I don't scroll with the intention of looking for a boyfriend in that way.

My DMs also aren't too crazy.

(giggling) But yeah- - Your what now?

- My DM, so direct messages.

- Okay, y'all gotta talk language to me.

(all laughing) - But my DMs are interesting, to say the least.

- What's interesting about them?

You don't wanna talk about it.

- I'm not sure.

(speech drowned by laughter) - How did you all pick your colleges?

A predominantly White college versus a Black college?

How did you choose the colleges that you attended, from predominantly White school versus a Black college or university?

- Well, my father went to SIU, before he went to the Air Force, so I automatically was like, "Okay, I'll go to your alma mater."

And he told me it would be a great space for me creatively, since I wanted to go in for a journalism, specializing in advertising and integrative marketing.

It's like this amazing place for you.

- So Taylor what about you How did you choose your college?

- I mean I been to both, I went to a historically Black college first And then I graduated from A PWI.

- Jasmine, tell us how you chose your school.

- So my senior year, I only applied to HBCUs.

I knew that I wanted to see Black faces on my campus every day.

My mother had also went to Spelman, so I wanted that experience for myself, and I ended up going to Hampton in Virginia.

And it was a pretty good experience while I was there.

I ended up graduating from USC, obviously, just because I wanted to be closer to my family, but- - So you transferred?

- Yes, but I had a great experience.

- And you went to SIU because your dad went there?

- Yes.

- I graduated from Governors State.

Initially I went to Howard and then I transferred as well.

I also wanted to be closer to home.

And I think once you get there, you get to see what teachers you get along with and experiences you'd wanna do.

And I knew I wanted to be around family.

I really love Chicago, and so I decided to come back home.

And we have a lot of different industries here.

So even though I was unsure about what career I wanted, I felt like I'd still find it here.

- Big city.

- Yeah.

- Pretty city, active city.

So what would you tell a high school student looking to go into college?

What advice might you give them to tell them what to look for?

- I would say just mentally prepare yourself for everything.

If you go down to school, make sure that you have a good friend group, that's gonna hold you down throughout the whole time, it's just like really stressful, because college is stressful, honestly.

Like whether you have a liberal arts degree or you're in engineering, college is stressful because you have to balance so many things at once.

So I would just say, keep a good unit around you.

- Okay, Jasmine what would you say?

- I would say be honest with yourself about the college experience that she wanna have, and consider whether or not the size location and culture of that school is gonna allow you to have that experience.

But wherever you go, make it your mission to find community on your campus, 'cause that's, what's gonna sustain you, when your college journey gets difficult.

- Taylor, what's your advice?

- I would say, look at student organizations.

If there's some- - On Campus?

- Yeah, on campus, if that's something you're really into.

I remember a recruiter told me, "We have a Quidditch team, and I said, "I don't know what that is."

And he was like, "It's a game from Harry Potter."

And then someone lit up behind me because she loved Harry Potter.

And so that may be something that a lot of schools don't offer.

- Did that mean something to you?

- Not at all.

(all laughing) It didn't at all.

- Whatever that is.

- Exactly, but if it's something that really lights your fire, then that'll really give you a really valuable college experience.

And so I think student orgs can be a big part of that.

- So what is it?

This is what my producer wants me to get to, this is the meat of our conversation.

So what is it that you wanna know from older people that they don't necessarily tell you?

As you are formatting careers, marriage, relationships, financing.

- Does it ever get easy?

(Jasmine and Braylyn chuckling) - Does it ever get easy?

- 'Cause it seems like it's hard to adult.

- Adulting is hard?

Well, it is, but it gets easier, after you get established, in profession and family and whatever your income level is, then you become comfortable.

I don't know if it gets easy, but it gets comfortable.

- I would say, I wanna know the real T, about how people got to where they are in their careers, 'cause people are quick to say, "Oh, work hard, "just stay down and you'll get where you're going."

When they won't say, "Oh, I knew this person in this position, "I had a good relationship with that person."

And I just wish that people were more open about what connections they had before they stepped into their roles.

- So networking is important, mentoring is critical.

You cannot do anything by yourself.

So along the way, you've got to identify mentors.

Now mentoring works in two ways.

One way is, I want to mentor you because I might see something in you.

But mentoring also works in, you want somebody to mentor you because you want to follow their path.

And you gotta hook that up.

And it's not one mentor.

It's not that you're going to have one solo mentor, who's gonna change the world for you.

Sometimes you have a lot of mentors.

Sometimes you're being mentored and you don't even know that you're being mentored.

You all have had a professor in school that you really liked, that you went to beyond classroom work.

It works the same way career wise and in your profession.

And I'll tell you who your best mentor is.

I know y'all don't wanna hear this, but you want me to tell you who your best friend and your best mentor is?

Your mom.

That's your girl.

You might not like what she's saying all the time, but older people can kind of forecast.

That makes sense?

Okay, so now here's another question.

So for your generation, how do you identify?

What would you say are the key words, the key descriptions about Generation Z.

- Enterprising.

- Enterprising.

- Yeah, everybody has a something that I do.

Whether it's hair, eye lashes, content creation, public relations firms on the side- - Entrepreneurship.

- Yeah, I feel like we all have a thing that we do.

- Definitely, it's a lot more like innovative.

- Innovative.

- Yeah, Taylor took the words out of my mouth.

(all laughing) - What else?

I - would say self care.

I feel like our generation is learning more and more that, we're being diagnosed with anxiety and depression and all these things, and we're learning how to take better care of ourselves.

And sometimes detaching from social media is a part of that.

So, yeah, self care.

- So when you know, Naomi, the tennis player?

I thought that was profound, when she stepped back and stepped away and said, "I have to take care of myself, my mental."

Okay, career-wise, you're pushing, pushing, pushing, but it's like, "Stop, I need a break."

I thought that was a very brave thing, but a very mature thing.

And I think that is a sign of your generation.

You all are not...

I mean mine neither, but your generation is not gonna work for the gold watch.

You're not gonna be going to the factory every day for 50 years and then get to gold watch at the banquet.

It's a whole nother world.

How do you see the world changing?

I mean like every day there's a new something, Facebook TikTok, Snapchat, something, every day there's something new.

Is that good?

Does that settle you or does it make you anxious?

- It excites me.

- It excites you?

- Yeah.

- 'Cause that's your field, that's what you like to do, that's your marketing field.

- And what's your career profession?

- I would like to go Into arts and administration's.

- Art and administration, I ask you that already I'm Sorry!

- So now that's a changing world to Because you know you Seeing so much of theater Transferred to social media Transferred to episodes from Facebook and all that.

Are you looking at it kinda like that?

- Shifting in that way - uhm I... well to answer your question I see the world right now It's Like.

we're very spaced out and very far apart, but still extremely connected via social media.

Specifically like TikTok you see people taking videos in their home of their children and things like that.

So it's kind of a contradiction, but it's a wonderful time to be alive I guess.

(giggling) - Every time it's a wonderful time to be alive.

Now let me tell you what I don't hear you ladies talking about, and I wanna ask about.

What about marriage and parenting?

To do not to do, good, bad, maybe so, maybe not?

- The way that we just talked about how the world is expanding and industries are growing, there's more for women to do.

Than to have kids and get married.

And so I think that some people Are a bit hesitant!

Because it, Like for example.

If I wanted to be a attorney At a huge firm.

I have to do early family planning in my head.

Because there's work I can't miss.

There's cocktail hours I need to go out too To be close to people.

Golfing.

Golfing.

(Laughter).... You know what I mean?

And so I think because.. the industries That were going too, may not adapt as well To... traditional traditional family life.

Like women who have to travel all the time anything's like that It's difficult now, And it may not be at the top Of your mind.

-Ok It's not on my mind at all.

I hear you saying maybe?

Maybe yeah.

I hear you saying no?

I feel like honestly, It's not on my mind right now, Ok.

But maybe in a few years When I'm with a partner I feel like I'm secure with It's al about the other person to me.

I feel like...

I'm not ready for that.

Ok not now... Not now.

Ok later maybe Catherine what about you?

I defiantly want marriage and children one day Its not on my mind right now Because with who!...

"Laughter" School is important!

Yeah!

It's very important.

I need a stable friendship And partnership before I can even think about that So... that's where I'm at with it - Is social media racist.

Do we find some racial patterns or some racist patterns in social media?

- [Taylor] Of course.

- Of course.

- We do.

What are they?

- So for example, on the dating app, Tinder, there was a study that Asian men and Black women were the least swiped on.

- The least?

- The least.

- Asian men And Black women, - And Black women.

It was just pictures.

It's an app of pictures that you look at.

- Okay, and what do you find.

- Every now and then it's like you see on social media every single day a different headline about this person going missing and in which this person is a Black woman or- - So you see racial in the content.

- Yeah.

- Jasmine, what about you?

- I think that's something content creators experience a lot.

If they're saying certain buzz words in their videos, it's like they'll shadow ban it, and not show that content on people's timelines, so there's definitely racism social media.

- How about politics?

Are you guys political oriented?

- Yes.

- Yes?

So you would vote for somebody for president.

I mean, you all vote, right?

- [Panelists] Yes.

- Y'all, registered to vote, right.

Okay in the last election, who did you vote for?

Did you vote in the last election?

- Yeah.

- Who'd you vote for?

- Are you allowed to ask that.

- I voted for Joe Biden?

- Good for you.

You're not gonna tell me?

(cross talking) - This is very personal.

- It's personal.

Okay, you don't wanna answer it?

Oh, okay, so you take political personal.

Not to answer, not to advocate, not to protest.

- Definitely not to not protest, it's just, I feel like politics is a very touchy- - It is touchy.

- It is very touchy topic.

And when you talk about politics, you get a different view of someone off the bat.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- [Hermene] Okay, as to what their leanings are.

- Yeah, and how they feel about anything.

- Yeah, Jasmine, what about you?

- I agree with Bray.

Like once, you know someone's politics, they can definitely turn you off from them, 'cause they're like, "Oh, you think that way, "you don't advocate for people like me," or you can tend to take it personal.

So, yeah.

- Just because of how polarizing our previous administration was, I think you get to know a lot about someone based on who they picked right away, because it's like, "Well, if those are the things that you stand for, "if you could back that person up enough to vote for them, "then I know enough about you."

- And so that becomes a good dating question, doesn't it?

- Yeah, absolutely.

- It's to who you voted for or what your politics, what's the question?

- I feel like it's more of what your politics than who you voted for, because- So how would you describe your politics?

- I'm very neutral, I don't wanna try to do way too much on politics as of right now.

I'm very power to the people, but I don't push over anything that I'm not too knowledgeable on yet.

- Okay, and what about yours?

- I had an uncle that asked me, how could I be a feminist, but like Megan The Stallion.

(Braylyn laughing) - I'm sorry I had to laugh.

- And I think that that has become political.

I think music has become political.

I remember when I was younger and I would look at artists like Nina Simone, Sam Cook.

I'm like, "Why were they all civil rights activists?"

But I'm like, they had to be because of the time that they were in.

And I feel like that's happening again now.

I feel like we're having some parallels with that.

And so I think that politics are something that can be used to divide people, but they're also very uniting.

And I think young people, especially because of their grasp of social media, really swayed this previous election, in a way that nobody expected.

- And in a way that's not been done before, because of social media.

That's very important.

So the music that you talk about, the Nina Simone, you say they were civil rights, they would called their music message music, that it was giving the strong message.

And you're seeing that when you see these documentaries now.

You see how influential their music were, I think maybe with hip hop music, maybe it's just self-expression.

Would that be a fair analogy?

Okay, I'm a jazz person, so on that note, I think we better leave this conversation.

I'm Hermene Hartman, and thank you very much for watching N'DIGO STUDIO.

We've been talking to the young ladies who are Generation Z, 20 something, to find out what their world views are.

Thanks for being with us.

See ya next time!

For more information about this show, visit or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Funding for this program Was provided by The Chicago Community Trust The Field Foundation, Common Wealth Edison, BlueCross BlueShield, The MacArthur Foundation, And Governors State University.

(upbeat music) - N'DIGO Studio.