Dominic was shamed on social media about his size and his perceived sexual orientation. A “diss track” rap tune slamming Sydney made the Insta rounds, recorded by a jealous ex-boyfriend. Bella found herself attacked on social media after she “stole” another girl’s high school crush.
These are some of the disturbing experiences shared by teenagers in Lauren Greenfield’s groundbreaking documentary series Social Studies, an examination of the impact of social media immersion on the lives of young people. As Primetime Emmy voting continues, the five-part FX episodic has emerged as a strong contender for recognition as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
On the new edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, Greenfield joins us to discuss what she learned while making Social Studies, winner of Breakthrough Nonfiction Series at the Gotham TV Awards and a nominee for Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards.
“Eight hours, 10 hours, 12 hours a day,” Greenfield says of the average time kids spent on social media during the pandemic, and that number may not have decreased any post-Covid. Many girls are feeling pressure to send out sexualized images of themselves to grab “likes” and feel validation. Some kids find a supportive community online or build a brand that can translate into cash, but others find themselves sucked into a mental health spiral. Shockingly, high schoolers affirm a trend of BDSM and choking of sex partners that has become popularized through social media channels.
Greenfield explains why she wanted to shoot the series with high schoolers from across Los Angeles, kids from a stratum of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. And she tells us about the reaction she got when she screened the series in March for teenagers in Greece.
Doc Talk cohost John Ridley calls Greenfield “one of the most talented writers, producers, directors, creatives” working in nonfiction film today. On the new episode, we also hear from John Ridley V (aka “J5”) — son of our cohost John Ridley IV — the engineer and a producer of Doc Talk who is a member of Gen Z himself – the first generation to grow up with social media. J5 tells us to what degree he identified with the experience of kids described in Social Studies.
That’s on the latest edition of the Doc Talk podcast, hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley IV (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
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