Social Studies

© Lauren Greenfield

With Social Studies, a five-part documentary series, Lauren Greenfield has returned to the scene of her 1997 photography debut, Fast Forward: Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood, to explore the world of Los Angeles teens. “This time, I embarked on a 21st-century social experiment—a vérité series that shows how social media is transforming the lives of the first generation raised on it. Over the course of a school year, I followed a diverse group of teenagers from public and private schools across LA. I documented their lives in their homes, relationships, schools, malls, parties and, most remarkably, their phones. By capturing real-time smartphone data and using it as both a sociological tool and a storytelling device, Social Studies examines how social media has fundamentally altered childhood.”

Production began in the fall of 2021, coinciding with the return of in-person learning after the pandemic. This period provided the perfect natural experiment to study social media's impact. At that point, young people relied on their devices for learning and social interaction, often 8-12 hours a day.

Through character-driven stories, Social Studies reveals an adolescence shaped by sophisticated online interactions and unregulated exposure. These teens communicate through texts, Snapchat, Discord, Instagram, and TikTok. Their digital interactions are more presentational than intimate, serving as stages for publicly expressing their emerging identities and personal brands. Sometimes their online lives are extensions and amplifications of their real lives. At other times, they contradict, belie, and betray them.

Greenfield informs “My team shot over 150 days, capturing the cohort’s compelling experiences as they navigated challenging situations with outcomes ranging from humorous and heartwarming to alarming and tragic. Age-old teenage problems and concerns are amplified, and new ones have emerged. The innocence once associated with childhood no longer exists. Whether battling bullying, grappling with beauty standards, or confronting self-worth in the face of comparison, their stories show what it means to come of age in the social media era. The episodes cover themes like body image, racism, bullying, identity, isolation, sexuality, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation.”

“The teens yearned for a space to connect in person, away from the pressures of school, peer dynamics, parental expectations, and ever-present phones. So, in addition to following them in their real and social lives, I facilitated group discussions where they shared their experiences with each other. Their reflections, brimming with wisdom and vulnerability, guide us through the digitized world and the series.”

While academics have written about this issue and industry experts have testified before Congress, Social Studies document the effects through vérité filmmaking, incorporating the contemporaneous narrative of thousands of hours of our protagonists’ social media activities. There are no talking head “experts”; the teenagers are the experts, and their insight is revelatory. “I hope Social Studies contributes meaningfully to the urgent public discourse on social media and mental health, as well as the legislative, psychological, and moral questions it raises. To support those conversations, we are making an accompanying educational curriculum and discussion guide with resources for parents, educators, and teens.”

click to access the entire set of stills images
Read the Los Angeles Times article of Aug 30