Social media, mind wandering, and creativity: The Gen Z perspective

The study explored the effect of mind wandering on the creative capacities of Generation Z, particularly within the context of social media usage. As digital natives, associates of Generation Z are frequently visible to vast and often overwhelming digital content, which can induce cognitive overload and impair their creative output. The research examined how mind wandering frequently spurred by excessive social media engagement affects self-reported creativity. Further, it explored the moderating role of the cognitive closure between mind wandering and self-reported creativity. Focusing on the Indian Generation Z population, this study intended to bridge the gap in existing literature, which was largely based in the Western contexts. Results highlight that mind wandering has a notable effect on creativity, and this relationship is further shaped by an individual’s level of need for cognitive closure.