"Digital Autism, Anthropophenomena, and Depression among Generation Z in Media and Communication Studies"

 

Citations: Jinadasa, M (2025)."Digital Autism, Anthropophenomena, and Depression among Generation Z in Media and Communication Studies. Manoj Jinadasa Blog.https://manojjinadasa.blogspot.com/2025/12/digital-autism-anthropophenomena-and.html

Abstract
This article investigates the psychological, social, and pedagogical ramifications of pervasive digital media engagement among Generation Z students in Media and Communication studies. Framing the discussion through the concepts of digital autism, digital anthropophenomena, and digital depression, it highlights how immersive digital practices reshape cognition, emotional well-being, and social relationships. The study argues that digital immersion produces structural vulnerabilities—such as social withdrawal, emotional exhaustion, and cognitive overload—while simultaneously marginalizing traditional, indigenous, and historically grounded knowledge systems in academic inquiry. Drawing on Foucault’s power-knowledge nexus, Bourdieu’s theory of academic capital, and contemporary empirical research on digital behavior, the article emphasizes the urgent need for pedagogical strategies that integrate digital innovation with cultural, intellectual, and historical depth. By fostering a holistic approach to learning, universities can mitigate the adverse effects of digital immersion while cultivating critical, socially engaged, and culturally literate graduates.

Keywords: Generation Z, digital autism, digital anthropophenomena, digital depression, Media and Communication studies, pedagogy, digital immersion, cultural knowledge, emotional well-being

 

Introduction

 

The rapid proliferation of digital media has transformed not only communication practices but also how young people learn, engage socially, and experience the world. In university contexts, particularly within Media and Communication disciplines, platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok increasingly dominate students’ research, creative projects, and everyday attention. While digital engagement offers unprecedented opportunities for expression and connectivity, it also produces profound psychological, social, and cultural consequences.

This paper explores the phenomena of digital autism, the digital anthropophenomenon, and digital depression among Generation Z university students, examining how immersive digital practices shape cognitive, emotional, and social well-being. Furthermore, it interrogates the pedagogical and disciplinary implications of this shift, highlighting the potential neglect of traditional, indigenous, and culturally grounded knowledge systems in contemporary academic practice. 

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Theoretical and Contemporary Research Context

The phenomenon of digital immersion among Generation Z students can be analysed through a combination of classical theoretical frameworks and contemporary empirical research in media, communication, and psychology. Michel Foucault’s concept of the power-knowledge nexus is particularly relevant, framing universities not merely as educational institutions but as arenas where knowledge production and power are inseparable. Foucault (1980, Power/Knowledge, p. 27) observes, “there is no power relation without the correlative constitution of a field of knowledge, nor any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute at the same time power relations.” Applied to digital media engagement, this suggests that students’ epistemic environments are profoundly shaped by digital platforms that govern both attention and the legitimacy of knowledge.

Pierre Bourdieu’s theories on the academic field further illuminate the structural dimensions of digital engagement. According to Bourdieu (1988, Homo Academicus, pp. 12, 84–86), intellectual authority and academic capital are traditionally derived from cultural and scholarly distinction. In contemporary Media and Communication studies, the prominence of social media topics and online metrics may convert digital visibility into symbolic capital, displacing engagement with deeper cultural, historical, and theoretical knowledge. Consequently, the field risks privileging superficial or performative expertise over critical intellectual labor.

Empirical research highlights the psychological and social implications of pervasive digital immersion. Twenge and Campbell (2018, The Narcissism Epidemic) demonstrate that Generation Z exhibits higher rates of anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal than previous cohorts, largely correlated with intensive digital media use. Similarly, Orben and Przybylski (2019, The Association Between Adolescent Well-Being and Digital Technology Use, Nature Human Behaviour, 3:173–182) provide evidence that frequent engagement with social networking sites is associated with reduced subjective well-being, increased emotional distress, and social isolation. These findings align with the concept of digital anthropophenomenon, wherein virtual environments fundamentally reshape perception, identity, and affective experience.

Shapiro and Margolin (2014, Growing Up Wired: Social Networking and Adolescent Development) emphasise the risks of “online-mediated socialization,” arguing that constant connectivity reduces opportunities for real-world social interaction, mindfulness, and resilience. Developmental psychology frameworks, such as Vygotsky’s (1978, Mind in Society) theory of social learning, underscore that authentic cognitive and social development depends on embodied interaction within cultural and environmental contexts. Digital-only engagement may limit such development, contributing to what can be conceptualised as digital autism or digitally mediated social-emotional deficits.

Postcolonial and media studies perspectives further elucidate the structural dimensions of digital knowledge practices. Scholars such as Appadurai (1996, Modernity at Large) and Castells (2011, The Rise of the Network Society) emphasise that global digital media networks are embedded within cultural, economic, and political structures, which influence how knowledge is produced, circulated, and valued. Students’ preference for digital-only topics may reproduce inequities in epistemic access, marginalising indigenous knowledge systems, historical media practices, and non-digital cultural literacies.

Integrating these theoretical and empirical insights, it becomes evident that contemporary university students face a complex nexus of cognitive, emotional, and cultural challenges. Digital platforms simultaneously offer new epistemic opportunities while producing structural vulnerabilities in social cohesion, mental health, and critical engagement. Understanding these dynamics is essential for designing pedagogical interventions that foster not only technical competence in digital media but also holistic intellectual, emotional, and cultural development.

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Discussion

Patterns observed within my department and closely affiliated Media and Communication institutions indicate that most undergraduate and postgraduate students increasingly select research topics focused on digital social networks and virtual media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. This raises the question: why has digital media become the dominant intellectual focus for this generation?

While these topics are academically significant, there is a growing experiential and psychological distance between younger students and older generations of teachers. Generation Z students, born from the 1990s onward, appear to inhabit fundamentally different cognitive, emotional, and social worlds. Many exhibit challenges in social closeness, emotional intelligence, sustained interpersonal relationships, mindfulness, and resilience. They also face difficulty coping with uncertainty, risk-taking, and unexpected life scenarios.

Increasingly, students struggle with psychological and emotional well-being, including stress, anxiety, panic disorders, and depression. From my observations, these challenges are structural rather than individual, emerging from what may be described as a digital anthropophenomenon—a lived condition in which digital environments profoundly shape perception, interaction, identity, and emotional regulation.

This phenomenon can also be conceptualised as digital autism or digital illness, characterised by cognitive overload, social withdrawal, reduced emotional resilience, chronic mental fatigue, and persistent feelings of isolation despite constant digital connectivity. These conditions are often accompanied by headaches, emotional exhaustion, diminished happiness, and heightened psychological vulnerability.

Within this context, digital media is not merely a research object or communication tool; it is an embodied psychological environment that reshapes how students experience relationships, manage stress, and understand themselves. While digital platforms provide visibility, expression, and participation, they also intensify emotional risk, insecurity, and mental pressure. Consequently, happiness appears fragile, while stress, anxiety, and depression become normalised features of student life.

Notably, immersion in digital environments has contributed to physical and social remoteness, reducing engagement with others and weakening connections within communities. Both students and teachers often experience diminished cultural proximity and social closeness. This overexposure to digital environments—the “digital autism” phenomenon—erodes freedom, leisure, and meaningful interpersonal connections, affecting both younger and older generations.

A further consequence is the neglect of traditional learning practices. Students often bypass reading textbooks, observing their environment, and learning from direct experience. Instead, they engage in imitation, fragmented consumption of content, and superficial learning. Within Media and Communication departments, the focus on digital platforms and peer interactions often overshadows engagement with broader intellectual and cultural knowledge systems.

Consequently, students increasingly avoid research on non-digital, indigenous, or historically grounded topics such as printed media, television, radio, magazines, classical literature, media narrativity, traditional dance, music, art, ritual practices, and other social and cultural aesthetics of communication. The exclusive focus on digital platforms represents a substantial loss for disciplinary inquiry, especially in terms of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Integrating knowledge from traditional, archival, and indigenous systems alongside digital scholarship could yield a more comprehensive understanding of media and communication. Postcolonial and postmodern theorists emphasise that meaningful research emerges from dialogue between historical legacies and contemporary knowledge systems, underscoring the importance of bridging past and present epistemic practices.

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Conclusion

Digital media has transformed university learning, offering both opportunities and risks. Generation Z students’ engagement with social networks and virtual platforms fosters visibility, creativity, and connectivity, but also produces structural challenges in social, cognitive, and emotional wellbeing. Digital autism, digital anthropophenomenon, and digital depression exemplify the psychological consequences of pervasive digital immersion, affecting students, teachers, and institutional cultures.

Moreover, an overemphasis on digital research topics marginalises traditional, indigenous, and culturally grounded knowledge systems, narrowing the scope of disciplinary inquiry and intellectual rigor. To address these challenges, universities must integrate digital innovation with historical, cultural, and indigenous knowledge in pedagogy and research. By doing so, academic power can be reclaimed not merely as institutional visibility or digital popularity, but as the capacity to generate rigorous, socially transformative, and culturally grounded knowledge. Such a reorientation is essential for sustaining the intellectual, emotional, and cultural vitality of Media and Communication studies in the twenty-first century.

References

Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. University of Minnesota Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1988). Homo academicus (P. Collier, Trans.). Stanford University Press. (Original work published 1984)

Castells, M. (2011). The rise of the network society (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge: Selected interviews and other writings, 1972–1977 (C. Gordon, Ed.; C. Gordon, L. Marshall, J. Mepham, & K. Soper, Trans.). Pantheon Books.

Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(2), 173–182. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1

Shapiro, L. A. S., & Margolin, G. (2014

). Growing up wired: Social networking sites and adolescent psychosocial development. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 17(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-013-0135-1

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). The narcissism epidemic: Living in the age of entitlement (Updated ed.). Atria Books.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.