ArticleFrontiers in artificial intelligence2026
Social media distrust and turn to artificial intelligence among generation Z: a qualitative model linking digital minimalism and financial discipline with social policy recommendations.
Article in Frontiers in artificial intelligence, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Purpose: This study examines how Generation Z navigates social media distrust and turns to artificial intelligence (AI) tools within the broader contexts of digital minimalism and financial discipline. By developing a qualitative thematic model, we aim to elucidate the motivations, behaviors, and interrelations among these phenomena and derive actionable social policy recommendations. Materials and methods: A semi-structured interview process was conducted with 27 Turkish Gen Z participants (ages 08-28), who were recruited via university mailing lists and social media groups. The interview guide combined demographic and socioeconomic items, fixed-response usage metrics (platform preferences, screen time), and open-ended prompts on experiences with misinformation, minimalist practices, budgeting behaviors, and AI adoption. Data were exported to NVivo 12 and analyzed using a six-phase thematic analysis framework (familiarization, coding, theme development, review, definition, and reporting). Inter-coder reliability (Cohen's Findings: Four primary themes emerged: (1) pervasive skepticism toward social media information, with only 11.1% expressing high trust; (2) widespread adoption of digital minimalism practices by 59.3% of Participants to mitigate cognitive overload; (3) mixed engagement with formal budgeting tools, as only 37.0% employ systematic expense tracking despite high economic uncertainty; and (4) strong confidence in AI-generated recommendations by 70.4%, highlighting AI's perceived impartiality and data-driven value. These domains intersect dynamically: distrust of social feeds often co-occurs with minimalist routines and AI reliance, while reduced screen time supports clearer financial decision making. Conclusion: Generation Z demonstrates a proactive stance toward reclaiming agency in digital and economic spheres by combining minimalism, selective use of financial-tech tools, and emerging AI platforms. To support balanced technology engagement and financial resilience, stakeholders should integrate media-literacy education, promote transparent algorithmic governance, and design accessible, ethically aligned AI-and fintech solutions.
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