Despite its age, 'Generation Like' remains relevant

SLCC COMM 2400 Blog

Sep 16

Generation Like is a 2014 Frontline documentary that explores the new ways social media allows teenagers to interact with brands and content and how corporations use these new tools to market to teens and even utilize the teenagers themselves in their ad campaigns. It also shows how these new dynamics provide the potential for people to become internet celebrities through Youtube and vlogging, and the like. The documentary also features internet celebrities like Tyler Oakley, Oli White, and Steven Fernandez. One thing that stood out to me is that I don't recognize any of these people. Now, I'm certainly out of the loop regarding all things popular, but this also gave me the sense that this documentary might be a little dated.

One way the documentary shows its age is that all the real teen users in the movie use Facebook to build their social profiles. I don't know much about young folk, but if my little sisters are any indication, teenagers had a mass exodus from Facebook long ago. Indeed, internal documents from the company said that teens see Facebook as "boring, misleading and negative." And teens have now gravitated toward Youtube and Tiktok. Despite this, however, some of its underlying themes remain relevant. The role influencers like Tyler Oakley play in marketing campaigns have become more critical. Companies strive to make their hyper-targeted ad campaigns stealthier and seem"authentic," making it so young people will wish to identify with the brand. For these reasons, I think Generation Like remains an insightful look into the changing dynamics of marketers and young people. However, it may soon need an update in the constantly evolving social media landscape.