There are very few things in our world that can inspire a soul. Only seldom cases, such as a piece of iconic literature, music or even humanity itself, have the unique ability to awaken one’s inner self to a deeper spiritual level. However, there is one occasion in which all of these traits collectively emerge on our TV screens, allowing us an escape from reality into a world of possibilities. A chance for us to laugh, to cry, to be terrorized or to take an introspective pause to evaluate the meaning of life.

Behold… the beautiful masterpiece of film.

The unfortunate reality is that younger generations are increasingly diverting from movies. Instead, they are gearing towards social media content, including short skits and online “streams” from their favorite content creators and streamers. A 2025 Deloitte study reveals that 56% of Gen Z find social media content more relevant than watching movies.

However, I’m not saying the timeline leading up to the younger generation’s preference for social media content doesn’t make sense. The spread of COVID-19 led to an era in which Gen Z children had to quarantine in their formative years, resulting in an abundance of time to fill as the days dragged along (triggering, I know). Simultaneously, social media apps such as TikTok skyrocketed in popularity. Suddenly, an era of teenagers and younger children was devoting multiple hours of their day to doomscrolling through mind-numbing social media feeds. Six years later, the result is a generation of people with short attention spans who have lost appreciation for movies.

As a member of Gen Z, I, too, have fallen victim to the temptation of social media content. It is pure mind-candy. There is no need to use any brainpower, and it is another form of dissociating from the world. Many people use it as their primary source to keep up with trending news as well.

Nevertheless, aside from all the negative side effects of social media content preached by parents, the psychological reward that the content offers pales in comparison to films. Watching a movie, especially a more emotionally-charged one, allows for a catharsis of bottled-up emotions that you did not know you needed.

Still, the most important factor that makes watching a movie more productive than watching two hundred Instagram Reels is that a movie will generally offer morals applicable to real life. Realistically, watching some person artificially speed up and slow down their voice while ranting about a silly topic will not provide as influential a message as watching Rocky knock out Apollo in the fifteenth round.

The beauty of movies is that each film is distinct, portraying fundamental truths of life and humanity through each story plot and every character. The tension between harsh motivation and sadistic abuse is excellently depicted by the 2014 film “Whiplash.” Stephen King’s gem “The Shawshank Redemption” emphasizes the power of hope through even the most hopeless of times. And, my personal favorite, the cardinal value of finding your passion to make life extraordinary, expressed in the sentiments of John Keating in the captivating movie “Dead Poets Society” (carpe diem!). It is hard not to be romantic about movies.

The tragedy is that many people have likely never seen these movies. Our generation is missing out on movies that can change their outlook on life, and it must change.

So please, the next time you open social media, consider the opportunity to watch a movie. Put down the phone for a couple hours. See what happens. Who knows, you may even stumble into some life-changing wisdom while you are at it.