The Hybrid Culture of Generation Z: Digital Identity and Community Construction through TikTok, Discord, and Twitch

Abstract

This study examines how Generation Z constructs identity, culture, and social relations through new media platforms with a focus on the Turkish context. The study adopts a qualitative document analysis approach, examining academic literature, official reports, and platform-based data related to TikTok, Discord, and Twitch between 2019 and 2025 to identify recurring themes in Generation Z’s digital identity and community formation. Platforms such as TikTok, Discord, and Twitch are not tools of entertainment and communication but hybrid spaces where young people perform identities, strengthen community bonds, and engage in cultural production. Findings reveal that Generation Z reproduces their offline experiences in online environments, while simultaneously transferring their online identity performances into everyday social life. This dynamic indicates that youth culture should be understood not as a one-dimensional process of digitalization but as a hybrid form shaped by mutual interaction. The study also highlights challenges faced by young users, including risks of addiction, algorithmic inequalities, and privacy concerns, which coexist alongside opportunities for individual expression and collective creativity. In conclusion, the digital practices of Generation Z embody both opportunities and risks, making new media culture a multidimensional phenomenon that requires critical analysis within the fields of youth sociology and communication studies.