Abstract: Submission #123

Abstract To uncover the truth, depth, and richness in researching a phenomenon, a constructivist grounded theory researcher goes to great lengths to delve deep beneath the surface and co-construct emerging insights where there were none before. The phenomena: to understand Generation Z’s dynamic interactions in a dichotomous world where online and offline interconnectedness is a normality. Statistically, they are both the highest users of social media and the most anxious generational cohort. With their overarching pressure to continually engage and interact on social media, this pressure precariously balances on the precipice of being both positive and detrimental to their well-being. A constructivist grounded theory (CGT) research study was conducted in the Buffalo City Metro in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The study selected 12 emerging adults aged 18 – 26 years old in 2023, which fell within the Generation Z age category. Data collection took the shape of in-depth interviews and a seven-day daily diary submission process that was iteratively shaped over three phases. This presentation will provide insight into the core concepts of CGT required to iteratively approach the study, one phase at a time; from data collection and analysis to the final emergence of co-constructed data, which depicts emerging adults' disclosure that social media content heightened their well-being, by experiencing both pain and pleasure while scrolling online. The insightful, rich, emergent findings presented emerging adults as experiencing emotional pain from viewing social media content, detrimentally influencing their offline well-being. This study recommends encouraging social work post-graduate students to embrace CGT as their research methodology to enhance the depth of rich, meaningful South African research, which is desperately required.