‘Social Studies’ is an Emmy®-Nominated five-part documentary series created and directed by Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Lauren Greenfield for FX Networks. Filmed over the course of a school year in Los Angeles, the series offers an intimate, character-driven exploration of the first generation raised entirely on social media. Greenfield follows a diverse group of teenagers from public and private schools, granting viewers unprecedented access to their lives and, crucially, their phones.
When director Lauren Greenfield and Institute Pictures embarked on the groundbreaking FX documentary series, they recognized the need for a visual language that could authentically capture the immersive, tech-driven lives of Gen-Z. The series explores the damages and dangers that social media can pose to the children of today’s parents.To achieve their unique approach to diving into the world of adolescent social media, they approached award-winning creative director Eric Jordan to lead the design and animation of the series’ social media motion graphic sequences and title elements. Greenfield and her team specifically sought out Jordan’s expertise to craft not only the look and feel of the show’s animated assets, but also to establish the overall creative direction for all digital interfaces – spanning phone screens, icons, SMS bubbles, and text conversations—ensuring every detail resonated with the realities of today’s digital youth.
Eric helped the director and production team to explore a series of potential conceptual treatment, and then ultimately helped to streamline and simplify the visual language to embody the feeling of social media interfaces and UI screen interaction.
Jordan’s role extended far beyond technical execution. He collaborated closely with Greenfield and the production team on a daily basis for over eighteen months, shaping the animation style, color language, 3D transition effects, and kinetic energy of the series’ visual storytelling. This deep partnership resulted in hundreds of meticulously animated VFX shots, seamlessly woven into over five hours of episodic content. The outcome is a documentary experience where motion graphics don’t just illustrate, but actively narrate the complex interplay between teens’ online and offline worlds – making Social Studies a visually dynamic and culturally resonant series.
Lauren Greenfield’s documentary series “Social Studies” has received significant recognition since its release. It was nominated for an Emmy® award by the Television Academy, as well as Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series at the 40th Independent Spirit Awards. The series also earned a nomination for the Breakthrough Nonfiction Series at the 2025 Gotham TV Awards, as well as a nomination and Honoree distinction at the 2025 Webby Awards for Video & Film Documentary and Best Writing, respectively. In addition, “Social Studies” was an official selection at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and the 2025 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, where it premiered its opening episode. The series also received Common Sense Media’s Seal of Approval for its educational value and impact. In the 2025 Collision Awards, Social Studies won 3 awards – Gold for Long Form Documentary, Gold for Title Sequence design, and the Audience Choice award for Title Sequence design.
