The Power of Social Media in the Digital Era in Keeping Cultural Traditions Alive

The study explores the ways in which the use of social media facilitates maintenance and advancement of cultural traditions in the digital age, particularly, among the generation Z. The primary aims were to determine how well such platforms as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube supported cultural identity maintenance, to gauge the engagement into cultural contents and to look at the generational applications. Data was collected on 115 respondents all over the world using a quantitative method in the form of structured multiple-choice surveys that were handed out through Google Forms. The results indicate that the majority of the respondents are regularly exposed to culturally related materials on the internet, in particular, food, clothes, and festivals. The best sites of cultural exposure were TikTok and Instagram. Nevertheless, although the consumption of cultural content is an everyday experience, it does not necessarily result in sharing or higher involvement. The paper has come to a conclusion that social media has tremendous potential in the preservation of culture. However, to have significant influence requires proactive and active engagement.