Social Media Should Feel Like Minecraft, Not Instagram: Youth Visions for Meaningful Social Connections through Fictional Inquiry

Abstract

We conducted co-design workshops with 23 participants (ages 15--24) to explore how youth envision ideal remote social connection. Using Fictional Inquiry (FI) within a Harry Potter-inspired narrative, we found that youth perceive a disconnect between platforms labeled ``social media'' (like Instagram) and those where they actually experience meaningful connections (like Minecraft or Discord). Participants envisioned an immersive platform prioritizing meaningful social connection through presence and immersion, natural self-expression, intuitive spatial navigation leveraging physical-world norms, and playful, low-stakes opportunities for friendship development. We synthesize these visions into six themes articulating relational needs that current platforms systematically marginalize. The FI method proved effective in generating innovative ideas while empowering youth by fostering hope and agency over social media's future. Our findings challenge ``doom'' narratives by reframing social media's harms as outcomes of specific design choices, demonstrating how design research can reopen space for imagining more supportive forms of mediated connection.