On April 7, Her Campus Media hosted 'Hard Reset' with Design It For Us (DIFU), an invite-only technology summit that brought together influential Gen Z voices, advocates, and changemakers. The purpose? To uplift Gen Z voices and 'admit Big Tech is a red flag.'
With more than 50 people in attendance, the event facilitated panel discussions such as "Defining the Relationship," "The Red Flags," and "Setting Boundaries." Attendees heard from activists and policymakers, such as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Whitmer gave a keynote speech where she addressed the impact of Big Tech on Gen Z specifically, ending her speech by saying, "No pressure, I’m counting on you to save the world."
Gov. Whitmer was joined by DIFU Co-Founder Zamaan Qureshi and actress and activist Lexi Underwood for a panel discussion hosted by Windsor Western, the Co-Founder of Her Campus Media.
The discussion defined the relationship between Gen Z and Big Tech. Western began the panel with an interactive poll, asking attendees to raise a red flag in response to toxic experiences with technology and social media.
Whitmer admitted the visual of the red flags was powerful, not expecting so many to raise their flag when asked if they had received death threats online.
Qureshi, a recent graduate of American University who testified as the state’s final witness in the trial of New Mexico v. Meta, said that Design It for Us exists to activate young people, encouraging them to get involved and speak about their lived experiences.
"We know what it’s like to grow up in unregulated social media. So, our experience should be front and center when we’re designing policy around it," said Qureshi.
The panel with Gov. Whitmer, Qureshi and Underwood then focused on how to define the relationship between Big Tech and consumers and find a potential actionable path forward following the verdict of New Mexico v. Meta.
Gov. Whitmer and the panel agreed that federal action and legislation need to be put in place, with Whitmer adding that, "We have taken action on the State level, but we can do a hell of a lot more."
