The evolution of social interaction, like so much of human existence, usually takes place over multiple generations. However, the advent of mobile cellular devices and their proliferating ownership and use has altered social interaction dramatically in the last decade; communication never stops. Instead of looking ahead while walking and engaging with other pedestrians, many people are looking down and interacting with their mobile device. Texting while driving is such a significant problem that 48 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have laws banning and/or restricting it (Cellular p2). The sight of a group of people enjoying a conversation without using their cellphones is virtually obsolete. …show more content…
In January 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone and declared that “this will change everything” (Planet p1). This tautology, as it turns out, may have been more prophecy than mere introduction and begs the question of whether those involved in its infancy critically and judiciously thought through all potential ramifications of the technology on our society. Today, approximately 77% of Americans own a smartphone, an increase from 35% in 2011 and in the 18-29-year-old age group, that statistic soars to 92% (Smith p3-4). Interestingly this age-group encompasses the Millennial generation who are often thought of as “digital natives,” those who grew up with this kind of available technology. Among this age-group, over 80% use texting as their first choice in contacting friends (Hyman p5) and approximately 90% have one or more social media accounts (Meyer p5). With the onslaught of instantaneous digital communication available every moment of every day, it is not surprising to see adaptation. When texting, the English language has changed to such a degree that, visually, it barely resembles its origin. Writing for Parenting Magazine, Tahnk gives us an all-to-real example of this: “UGTBK, OMG! ALOL!!! GTG, MOS…TMB L8R, K?” (p1). Initially unintelligible, this communication strand “translates” to: You’ve got to be kidding, oh my God! Got to go, Mom over shoulder…Text me back later,
(Introduction) “Put down the phone, turn off your the laptop, and do something-anything-that doesn’t involve a screen” (Twenge 63). It is astonishing the amount of time teens spend on phones. Jean Twenge discusses the effects smartphone usage has created among the younger and past generations in the article, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation”. The purpose of Twenge’s article is to aware readers about the many consequences the smartphone usage has impacted generations.
In her article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean M. Twinge discusses the effects on “generation i” through rising smartphone and social media usage. In the article, she provides many statistics to support her claims on what’s happening with the “i generation” and generations past through social media use. She concludes that while smartphones have some positive social impact on the generation (like lower teen pregnancy rates), there has been real damage to the generation as well. I have concluded that, our generation has been more negatively impacted through smartphone usage than positively impacted. This is a strong point to make but through my own experiences and after reading Twinge’s article I find myself truly thinking about what smartphones have done to us as a growing generation. I have witnessed firsthand many downsides to having a smartphone that Twinge reports on.
In “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” , Jean Twenge presents the negative impact smartphones have had in this generation. According to her, the rise of technology has shifted the way teens live and interact with other people, ultimately leading to self-destruction. Twenge’s thesis is supported by statistics that may or may not be completely linked to the use of smartphones.
“We didn’t have a choice to know any life without iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people,” (Paragraph 2). The upcoming growing generation Mrs. Twenge discovers that they are growing up with a smartphone within arm’s reach. She talks to this little girl she calls Athena and asks her if she goes to the mall with her friends alone. Athena tells her no, that when she goes to the mall with her friends its always with her mom and brothers, but they stay a little behind. She says that she had to check in every 30 minutes with her mom and let her know what they are doing. As Mrs. Twenge is talking to Athena she starts to find out how teens today communicate. She finds out that snapchat is one way they communicate and according to Athena it’s also another great way to blackmail someone to. Jean M. Twenge paints a frightening picture of how smartphones are destroying the upcoming generation.
Jean M. Twenge despises smartphones! That is the initial reaction to the title of her article “Have Smartphones Destroyed A generation?” . This will be an analysis of the effectiveness of the article written by Jean M. Twenge about the effects of smartphone usage on younger generations. With modern reliance growing more heavily on smartphones and younger generations being born with these devices around them, Twenge has gathered information pertaining to this new generational adaption that began to show signs around 2012. “Around 2012, I noticed abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states. The gentle slopes of the line graphs became steep mountains and sheer cliffs, and many of the distinctive characteristics of the Millennial
Jean M. Twinge proved that showing the bar graph of using smartphones during the day and night; they found lots of impact. Smartphones have defined the characteristics of the millennials; this is why it has led to changes in the society. The author has been researching the use of smartphones with this generation for 25 years and has found that this characteristic has come to define this generation. This generation has been increasing since the “baby boomer “era that occurred after World War II, which started in 1939. Twinge was interested in studying the millennial generation to find as much information as she could. She explains that she found out that the excessive use of smartphones changes teen behaviors and emotional states. She also showed us her analyses data to show us the differences. She explains there is a big difference between the millennials and the predecessors like the way they view the world. It is not about only their behavior they had that was the difference but also how they spent their time. “In 2012, Americans
Although people of all age-ranges use their smartphone device daily, people are more concerned of those who are younger. Adults born before the 2000s were raised in a world and society that was not technology based, so seeing the first generation to experience it can be unsettling. It is quite evident that almost every teen has a smartphone, and will use it at any given opportunity. The problem is teenagers actually use it anytime, even if the time is not appropriate. Many teens from the ages sixteen through eighteen are receiving their driver's license, but have a hard time not using smartphones while driving. This causes great dangers to everyone else on the roads. In some cases, people have been in accidents caused by people texting while driving. Unfortunately, many individuals have lost their lives because of someone texting while driving. In Turkle's’ piece “Growing up Tethered” she includes student testimonials such as Roman’s. “Roman, eighteen, admits that he texts while driving and he is not going to stop. ‘I know I should, but it’s not going to happen. If I get a Facebook message or something posted on my wall . . . I have to see it. I have to’” (Turkle 236). Though teenagers are very aware of circumstances when texting while driving, that still does not stop them from doing so. The constant “need” of being connected with friends and others on social media is what keeps teenagers from not
Ever since smartphones were created, they have changed teenagers’ lives entirely. The article Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? by Jean Twenge, shows the ways the invention of the smartphone has changed recent generations. The article mentions the rise in teen depression and suicide, cyberbullying, and teen safety. It also mentions the decline in our social abilities, dating, and sleep. Smartphones have had both negative and positive affects on teenagers, but the negatives significantly outweigh the positives, which points to the need to put down the smartphones, as the article suggests.
In her article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean M. Twenge discusses the effects on “generation i” with rising smartphone and social media usage. In the article, she provides multiple statistics to support her claims on what’s happening with the “i generation”, and generations past through social media use. She concludes that while smartphones have some positive social impact on the generation (like lower teen pregnancy rates), there has been real damage to the generation as well. I have concluded that, our generation has been more negatively impacted through smartphone usage than positively impacted. This is a strong point to make but, through my own experiences and, after reading Twenge’s article I find myself thinking about what smartphones have done to us as a growing generation. I have witnessed firsthand numerous downsides to having a smartphone that Twenge reports on.
“Put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something-anything-that doesn’t involve a screen” (Twenge 63). It is astonishing the amount of time teens spend on phones. Jean Twenge discusses the negative effects smartphone usage has created among the young and past generations in the article, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation”. The purpose of Twenge’s article is to aware readers about the many issues the smartphone usage has created on generations. Twenge narrates different stories about young teen’s experiences with phones and social media. Twenge also provides readers with statistics and some studies of many effects caused by smartphones. Twenge gives emphasize to differences between generations. According to Twenge, today’s
“More than three billion people worldwide now use the internet (Time), and 80 percent of them access if from their smartphones” (Smart Insights). A smartphone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, and much more. There is an abundant amount of smartphone brands out there in the world and while they all cost different prices, they all perform the same job. Each person uses their smartphone for various reasons, whether it’s for work or to make calls or texts. Smartphones have changed society in various ways, both good and bad. Although countless individuals think that smartphones have ruined American society, smartphones have actually benefited society because of more safety precautions, information on hand, and entertainment.
Jean Twenge’s article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, uses multiple points to explain how she believes smartphones are hurting the health of the post-Millennial generation. She repeatedly makes the point that this new wave of teenagers lacks an interest in gaining freedom from their parents and other restrictions in their lives. For example, Twenge wrote that post-Millennials are getting their driver's licenses significantly later than the Baby Boomer generation and often wait to get jobs until after they graduate because they don’t need to physically get away from their parents to connect online with their friends. Twenge also makes the argument that iPhones are causing an increase in depression and anxiety rates among
There is no debate that our generation is the most technologically advanced generation to ever inhabit the Earth. In the last few decades we have literally changed almost every aspect of our way of life. What took people days or months to do can be done now in seconds. There are many new advancement that have had major effects on our society, and (probably) one of the most popular of these advancements is the iPhone. A smart phone that is seemingly capable of almost anything. From instantly messaging and calling people, browsing the internet, playing games, taking pictures/video, buying apps that make life easier, etc. The list goes on and on. This critique will look at current sociology research to see exactly how this
Technology is everywhere and continues to advance every single day. The use of social media and smartphones is said to be destroying a generation, but is it really? Jean M. Twenge informs readers on her research on the effects of new technology and smartphones on the current “iGen” generation in her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation”. Twenge’s article tells readers that smartphones have “radically” changed this generation in every form of their lives. Although I do believe that smartphones have changed the way people live and can be a cause for change in mental health, I do not believe they are the only cause to this change in people’s lives.
Over the past decade, advancements in communication technology have rapidly surpassed our wildest dreams. A particular branch of communication technology known as smartphones, more specifically the iPhone, has encompassed all social demographics with its amazing capabilities. However, through the iPhone’s technical abilities merging with social dynamics creating a socio-technical ensemble; its portrayal in four different forms in the media, as well as becoming naturalized in society and its affects on human anxiety, it is evident that the iPhone has many helpful intended capabilities, but also un-conceived repercussions.