When it comes to sex and romance TV and film, Gen Z has had enough of it, according to new research. The ‘Teens and Screens’ study from UCLA collected responses from 1,500 Zoomers aged between 10-24 who believe there is too much of a focus on romantic relationships - 47.5 per cent to be exact. In fact, over half (51.5 per cent) of those surveyed said that they would like to see more platonic relationships being depicted on screen. Meanwhile, many (39 per cent) would like to see asexual relationships being represented in media. “We know that young people are suffering an epidemic of loneliness and they’re seeking modeling in the art they consume," Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, founder and director of CSS and co-author of the study said. "While some storytellers use sex and romance as a shortcut to character connection, it’s important for Hollywood to recognize that adolescents want stories that reflect the full spectrum of relationships." Uhls also referenced the fact that young people nowadays are having less sex than their parents did at their age. Stephanie Rivas-Lara, CSS youth engagement manager and a first author on the study (and a fellow Zoomer) provided some context as to why her generation are seeking friendship over romance in their entertainment. “As a member of gen Z myself, I wasn’t surprised by some of what we’re seeing this year,” Rivas-Lara told IndieWire. “There has been a wide-ranging discourse among young people about the meaning of community in the aftermath of Covid and the isolation that came with it. She added: "Adolescents are looking to media as a ‘third place’ where they can connect and have a sense of belonging – and with frightening headlines about climate change, pandemics and global destabilization, it makes sense they are gravitating towards what’s most familiar in those spaces.” Meanwhile in the battle between old and new, 56 per cent of respondents said they prefer original content over franchises, remakes or adaptations. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Tucker Carlson is back and proving precisely why he doesn’t belong on mainstream news. Fans will, of course, view that as a compliment, but it’s not intended as such. His new Twitter show, the first episode of which aired on Tuesday night (UK time), managed to pack a staggering amount of conspiracy and dangerous conjecture into 10 minutes and 27 seconds. Addressing his 7.9 million followers on the platform from the inside of some sort of log cabin, he launched into a jaw-dropping monologue, covering topics from the destruction of a massive dam in southern Ukraine to an alleged alien coverup by the US government. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The launch of ‘Tucker on Twitter’ comes just weeks after Fox News “parted ways” with its top-rated host. He has clearly kept hold of his loyal fanbase, with episode one of his new low-budget series racking up 44.9 million views in less than 10 hours. And yet, Carlson has made it clear that Twitter shouldn’t get too comfortable: proclaiming that he’ll ditch the platform in an instant if anyone dares call him out on his wild and problematic comments. “We’re told there are no gatekeepers here,” he said about Elon Musk’s social media stage. “If that turns out to be false, we’ll leave.” However, he added: “In the meantime, we are grateful to be here. We will be back with much more very soon.” If the first instalment is anything to go by, we should be concerned by this promise of “much more”. He began his tirade by accusing Ukraine of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam, and describing President Zelensky as looking like a “sweaty and rat-like a comedian-turned-oligarch”. He then claimed that the US government is essentially strong-arming its citizens into backing Ukraine against Russia, suggesting that the overriding message is: “Shut up and support Ukraine or else you are in trouble.” He went on to describe Americans as “the least informed people in the world” before accusing the media of “ignoring the stories that matter.” “What's happened to the hundreds of billions of US dollars we've sent to Ukraine? No clue,” he went on. “Who organised those BLM riots three years ago? No one's gotten to the bottom of that. “What exactly happened on 9/11? Well, it's still classified. How did Jeffrey Epstein make all that money? How did he die? How about JFK? And so, endlessly, on. “Not only are the media not interested in any of this, they are actively hostile to anybody who is in journalism. Curiosity is the gravest crime." He went on: “Yesterday, for example, a former Air Force officer who worked for years in military intelligence came forward as a whistleblower to reveal that the US government has physical evidence of crashed non-human made aircraft, as well as the bodies of the pilots who flew those aircraft. “The Pentagon has spent decades studying these otherworldly remains in order to build more technologically advanced weapons systems. OK? That's what the former Intel officer revealed, and it was clear he was telling the truth. “In other words, UFOs are actually real and apparently so is extraterrestrial life. Now, we know in a normal country this news would qualify as a bombshell, the story of the millennium, but in our country it doesn't.” He ended his diatribe by insisting that “most” people in the US live “manipulated by lies and silenced by taboos”. “It is unhealthy and it's dehumanising, and we're tired of it,” he stressed. So what is the antidote to all this state-sponsored “secrecy”? Why, to tune into ‘Tucker on Twitter’, of course. Plenty of people will, inevitably, and Musk himself has promoted the series’ release. Retweeting the episode, he wrote jovially: “Would be great to have shows from all parts of the political spectrum on this platform!” All we can say is, more sanity, please. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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