#rp25 speaker Sabine Trepte: Social Media, Social Supermarkets

01.04.2025 - Social media drives a need for constant consumption - across all generations. At #rp25, we talk to the media psychologist about the psychology of social media and what media literacy means today.
Portraitfoto von Sabine Trepte. Sie steht vor einem Fenster, trägt einen Blazer und lange glatte Haare. Sie lächelt in die Kamera.
Photo Credit
Universität Hohenheim

Two lies, one truth: 

  • Young people are becoming increasingly depressed. 
  • 50-year-olds are amongst the saddest. 
  • There is a correlation between media use and depression for one of the two groups.
     

Do different generations significantly differ in their media usage? When are the slogans for digital transformation and Gen X,Y and Z only hype and marketing gag and when based on real observations? At #rp25, Sabine Trepte will be debunking generational stereotypes and discuss why media  is framed in such stereotypical terms — and when this actually is the case.

Sabine Trepte will attempt to demonstrate that the picture of our society is a little more complex than is often presented. Proven by science, we should move away from stereotypes and come to a less simplified (but more intricate and exciting) view of generational media use — from Alpha to Boomer. One perpetual truth persists, however: that which is new quickly becomes old again. Topics such as consumerism and materialism are particularly relevant when it comes to social media and different generations because social media is increasingly functioning as a ‘social supermarket’. Today, media literacy, thus, also implies understanding how we can get ‘our money’s’ worth in this environment. 

Sabine Trepte is Professor of Communication Science and Media Psychology at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart. Her research is focused on questions of identity, privacy, social support and knowledge acquisition in social media. She is a frequently asked expert in media such as FAZ, SZ, Spiegel, Tagesschau, DLR and the New York Times and has won various  prizes for her work. She is also the author and editor of over 100 scientific articles and ten books.

 

 

The motto of re:publica 25 is ‘Generation XYZ’. What is your message for future generations with regard to the digital society?

Sabine Trepte: ‘A lot more platform regulation and a little less greed, please. Social media must remain cool, fun and a political space – for entertainment, knowledge, identity, activism, and social support.’