Virtual World, Metaverse, and Gen Z's Social Life
Abstract
Research on Generation Z, the latest generation who are active in the use of the Internet and smartphones, has been widely carried out. Several previous studies have shown that Gen Z as social media users who are dominated by teenagers, also experience negative impacts – in addition to the positive impacts that are for learning activities at school – because the use of smartphones dominates their daily activities. The virtual world seems more real than their real social life, with the presence of various virtual friendship applications plus the possibility of the presence of a metaverse, Gen Z's social life is believed to have moved to the virtual world. This research was conducted using a qualitative method called ethnography, in the form of document studies and interviews. This study involved 10 informants from junior and senior high school students and 2 universities in Bandung and Jakarta, West Java, Indonesia. All the transcripts were then validated by the result of interviews with teachers and parents. The results of the study show that the surrounding virtual environment can lead students to smartphone addiction. Baudrillard's concepts of simulacra and hyperreality are increasingly relevant to present and future life when virtual reality technology, i.e., metaverse, becomes part of real life. Without intense communication and attention from parents, a student can be trapped in his own virtual world and unconsciously slowly detach himself from the world of reality around him. This is proof that Gen Z’s social life today is very different from previous generations. The social life in the virtual world for Gen Z is as important as their life in the real world.
Downloads
References
Benn, A. (2020). Empat Tipe Relasi Manusia dan Teknologi Menurut Don Ihde. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from Medium.
Center, P.R. (2020). What We Know about Gen Z So Far. (retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing- an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/, on May 4th, 2022).
Diyanto, V, & Musfi, P, N. (2022). Digitalization of Financial Reports of Village-Owned Enterprises. Indonesian Journal Of Economics, Social,And Humanities, 4(3), 205-210. https://doi.org/10.31258/ijesh.4.3.205-210
Fetterman, D.M. (1998), Ethnography: Step by Step, (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (Preview.)
Hidayat, T. (2021). Manusia, Teknologi, dan Lingkungan: Sebuah Pengantar Filsafat. Retrieved from: https://birokratmenulis.org/manusia-teknologi-dan-lingkungan-sebuah- pengantar- filsafat/
Kartz, R. (2019). How Gen Z is Different, according to Social Scientists (and Young People Themselves). Pacific Standard. Retrieved April 20th, 2022, from: https://psmag.com/ideas/how-gen-z-is- different-according-to-social-scientists
Manurung, E.M., Purwadi, Y.S., and Sugiharto, I.B. (2022). Digital Learning Process: Challenges for Specific Creativity. The Electronic Journal of E-Learning. Vol. 20, No.2. Pp. 112-119. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.2.2107
Nirwana, A. (2014). Virtualitas Game Dalam Pandangan Filsafat Teknologi Don Ihde. Jurnal Ilmiah Teknologi danInformasi ASIA.
Ozkan, M., & Solmaz, B., (2015) Mobile Addiction of Generation Z and Its Effects. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences , 205, 92-98
Piliang, Y.A. (2014). Realitas dalam Dunia Virtual. Penerbit Jalasutra.
PrakashYadav, G., and Rai, J. (2017). The Generation Z and Their Social Media Usage: A Review and A Research Outline. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System. DOI: 10.18311/gjeis/2017/15748
The Website: https://www.insider.com/s?q=gen+z+health, on March 13th, 2022. Because of the pandemic, Gen Z will likely see its mental health deteriorate even further and social life will get even more insular. INSIDER.
Trinko, K. (2018). Gen Z is the loneliest generation, and it’s not just because of social media. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/05/03/gen-z-loneliestgeneration-social-media-personal-interactions-column/574701002/
Copyright (c) 2024 Elvy Maria Manurung, Federika Fransiska Fransiska, Alfonsus Vincent Turnawan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author(s) retain the copyright of articles published in this journal, with first publication rights granted to Indonesian Journal of Economics, Social, and Humanities. All journal content is licenced under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.