Netflix's ‘The Crash' Shows Key Difference Between Millennials and Gen Z

A recent true crime documentary documenting a car tragedy turned double‑murder case has sparked a wider cultural question about online social media footprints.

The Crash, directed by Gareth Johnson and produced by Angharad Scot, aired on Netflix on May 15. The movie recounts the events that led to the deaths of Dominic “Dom” Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, on July 31, 2022, in Strongsville, Ohio.

A car traveling at around 100 mph crashed into the side of a brick building, leaving one survivor-Mackenzie Shirilla, 17-who had been driving her boyfriend Dom and their friend home. Filmmakers ask the audience: “Was it an accident?”

The documentary leaves viewers grappling with a broader question: how much can we really understand about a person from their social media? Shirilla had a significant online presence.

The months‑long investigation transformed what was first treated as a tragic mistake into a murder case. The documentary centers on courtroom footage, emotional interviews and-perhaps most strikingly-cellphone recordings taken by Shirilla and her social media output.

At the center of the drama is the tumultuous four‑year relationship between Shirilla and Dom, who had moved in together weeks before the crash after she graduated from Strongsville High School.

Dom's brother, Angelo Russo, told detectives that his sibling had attempted to break up with Shirilla multiple times that July, while another source told the police she had threatened to crash the car with Dom in it just weeks before the fatal collision.

Shirilla was later found guilty in August 2023 and sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life.

A Life Lived Online

Shirilla shared online videos of outfits, partying, taking drugs, smoking while driving and even dressing in a corpse costume for Halloween shortly after the crash.

In one moment that particularly jarred with viewers, she also attempted to secure a brand deal with the help of her mother days after the incident.

The footage raises uncomfortable questions about authenticity-are these posts glimpses of real life, or carefully cultivated personas designed for an audience?

A Far Cry From the ‘Digital Footprint’ Warning

For millennials, the idea of a digital footprint came with an extremely loud claxon.

Everything you posted could last forever-even deleted content-and future employers might uncover pictures of parties, drinking or bad behavior.

In 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported on employers vetting candidates' social media for foul language, drunkenness and inappropriate jokes.

By 2014, Time was covering services like Social Sweepster, which promised to scrub incriminating content from graduates' profiles.

But Gen Z appear to operate under a different set of assumptions.

Gen Z’s Attitude Towards Sharing Online

Researchers suggest Gen Zers aren't necessarily more reckless online, but are shaped by a different set of social norms. As the first true digital-native generation-born into a world of smartphones and social media-they use these platforms more frequently and more instinctively than older cohorts.

Statistics show they are the heaviest social-media users globally, spending 3.2 hours online per day - more than twice that of baby boomers – and engaging more actively across multiple platforms than previous generations.

Gen Zers are also more likely to share everyday experiences publicly as part of their online identity. Research suggests social media functions as a key space where young people construct and express their sense of self, interacting with others, sharing personal content and seeking feedback in real time.

This reflects a broader shift toward self-expression online, with Gen Z using platforms not just to connect, but to document their lives and communicate who they are.

TikTok, which was first launched internationally in 2017, plays a central role in this shift. According to Exploding Topics, the largest proportion, 40.3 percent, of U.S. TikTok users is 25 to 34 years of age, followed by 25.6 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds.

Unlike older social-media platforms built around curated profiles, TikTok's design encourages short, immediate videos that capture everyday life.

Research describes the platform's content style as “raw” and “in-the-moment,” with users sharing personal stories and experiences rather than polished, edited posts.

Its algorithm also plays a role. The “For You” feed surfaces videos based on engagement rather than who you follow, meaning even low‑production, highly relatable content can reach large audiences.

This has helped establish a ‘just be yourself’ culture on the app, where authenticity-or at least the appearance of it-is prioritized over perfection.

For many users, posting can feel less like publishing and more like documenting-a kind of ongoing, diaristic monologue.

What Shirilla’s Social Media Presence Showed

However, it was not Shirilla's online presence that led to her prosecution, though it helped investigators and filmmakers build a picture of her life.

What ultimately led to her conviction was surveillance footage and black-box data from the car.

The footage showed a deliberate turn before accelerating at full speed toward the building for around half-a-mile. Data revealed the accelerator had been pressed to 100 percent for several seconds, with no attempt to brake.

Still, the documentary underlines a haunting image of how social media can shape narratives-not necessarily as proof of guilt, but as context and is an interesting signal toward how a new generation document their lives online.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:26 AM.