Photo Credit: Getty Images
Jenna Ortega is reflecting on the challenges today's youth face in the age of social media. The 22-year-old actress, who stars in Netflix's Wednesday, opened up in a recent BBC interview about the isolating effects of online life and how it impacts young people's sense of identity and community.
"I wasn't around in the '70s, but I hear stories of people knocking on their neighbours' doors, and the bikes going all throughout the city, and just expecting to meet someone at a certain time on a certain location," she said, contrasting the past with today's more digital reality. "People don't talk to each other in person. They're interacting and finding their community online, which can be very isolating."
Ortega believes that the online environment floods people with constant content and opinions. "Also, there are so many voices and so many opinions that you're exposed to, much more than you would typically be, or that humans are kind of meant to be exposed to," she explained. "So I think it's harder to find a sense of self."
This lack of clarity, she says, is especially affecting the younger generation. "Young people are struggling to find, 'What makes my voice stand out? What is it about me in this world and this society today that gives me a sense of purpose or control or authority?'"
The Wednesday star also addressed her own difficult experiences with social media. Speaking on The Interview podcast by The New York Times, she recalled being exposed to disturbing content as a teen. "I hate AI," she said. "Did I like being 14 and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to, and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It's terrifying. It's corrupt... It's wrong. It's disgusting."
Despite these issues, Ortega sees the success of Wednesday as a reflection of the public's desire for authenticity. "There's great comfort in seeing people who are so obviously themselves, freely, and place priority where it matters, and that's your family, that's who's in front of you, your special interests," she noted. "That's your strength and your courage and your confidence in your voice. It's very easy now to get swept up in some sort of sheep mentality, and I think it's so important for young people to see this family now more than ever."
Season two of Wednesday premieres in two parts, on August 6 and September 3, on Netflix.
