Tapping into content creation and influencer vibes to achieve learning outcomes with Gen Z students

Generation Z students have never known a world without social media, and many actively create online content. Rather than relying solely on traditional essays or response papers, this activity leverages students’ familiarity with content creation and influencer culture to demonstrate comprehension of course material. Students apply media literacy concepts through multimodal projects such as TikTok-style videos or four- to six-panel comic strips that explain media concepts and historical developments. The assignment encourages students to demonstrate understanding of theoretical concepts while communicating effectively across digital platforms. In doing so, students cultivate technical and creative communication skills that align with participatory learning approaches and contemporary media literacy practices.Courses Although developed for an introductory media literacy course, this activity can be for courses such as Introduction to Mass Communication, Media History, Communication Theory, Social Media Strategy, and digital literacy–related courses in education or library science.Objectives Upon completing this activity, students will be able to analyze media messages within cultural contexts, compare historical developments in communication technologies, identify bias and misinformation in digital environments, apply major mass communication theories to real-world examples, and distinguish factual information from persuasion strategies.