Sam Schaich ’27 is a Mathematics, Politics and Sociology major at Furman University. She was chosen as a finalist in the Riley Institute’s 2024 student op-ed contest for the following piece, in which she responded to how Gen Z Americans can foster dialogue and collaboration across political differences.

Just a few weeks ago, a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) suggested that Hurricane Helene was a man-made storm targeting pro-Trump areas.

While this statement might be easily identifiable as misinformation, other politically-charged obstructions of truth are less identifiably false. This makes misinformation one of the biggest threats to a tolerant political culture. How can people engage in meaningful discourse when one or both sides are misinformed?

This issue especially plagues Gen Z, given the generation’s excessive reliance on social media for information on major issues. The Kagan Consumer Insights Survey from last year estimates that around 77% of Gen Z adults rely on social media for news.

What’s the issue with that? No individual posting news content on social media is required to be fact-checked, and most users don’t verify facts themselves. Instead, users rely on the platform or other users to flag false information, which can both be unreliable.

Additionally, many social media platforms, such as Tik Tok, use content algorithms that tend to increase polarization on major issues. These algorithms feed users content that aligns with and intensifies their existing views, pushing them toward more extreme positions. As individuals’ viewpoints become more extreme, they become more likely to accept misinformation that supports their beliefs.

This phenomenon is so common that it has inspired some creators to act as news synthesizers reporting unbiased news to their followers. Even accounts like these aren’t perfect though. Truly impartial reporting by a single individual is rare since everyone has implicit biases they might not even realize exist.

So, what’s the solution? Taking control of the content that an individual consumes is the first step. Rather than letting an algorithm control what news one may or may not receive, young people should proactively seek out news from reputable news sites, such as ones that focus on transparency and balanced reporting, instead of social media accounts.

Further, while social media’s accessibility is a strength, it should be used intentionally — for creating dialogue, not echo chambers. By creating or following accounts that encourage bipartisan discussions, engaging with creators from diverse political backgrounds and committing to respectful discourse, Gen Z can transform these platforms into spaces of learning and growth.

This all sounds easier said than done, but being well-informed on issues prior to commenting on them will go a long way in terms of keeping everyone in check. Since avoiding social media as a predominant news source is the first step in curbing consumption of misinformation, Gen Z has to first explore the political world off of social media before diving into a productive political space on Tik Tok.

Gen Z has the potential to be powerful when it comes to making political change, but the first steps to that are agreeing on objective truths and realizing that change requires collaboration from across the political spectrum.