Exemplification Essay: The Need to Improve the Apathetic Attitude of Young People

Entertainment has become predictable and boring that we resort to another form of entertainment to amuse us. For example, whether it's on television or a conversation, we automatically pull out of phones because the other form of entertainment is too dull. Our minds need something fun and exciting to stimulate our minds, but with today's entertainment we have become numb to the fact that we're throwing away our life to something so unsurprising and unoriginal.

In the article entitled “Screen Addiction Is Taking a Toll on Children” Jane E. Brody discusses how the youth is facing a problematic issues with electronic media causing them to become unhealthy and hindering their normal development. First, Brody points outs that a great deal of electronic media usage can conflict with children’s schoolwork. The writer also indicates that adolescents who spend a great deal of their time playing video games tend to block out the outside world and become anti-social. In addition, she states that “young children under the age of two should not be exposed to electronic media because a child’s brain develops rapidly during the first years”. The author also indicates that young children learn more efficiently by

Furthermore, today’s youth feel pressured by the problems left by older generations. Our country’s massive, growing debt, nuclear warheads, decade-long

* Television watching also promotes lack of creativity and enhances passivity. The child shies away from mental and physical workout.

People in this society tend to not go outside and enjoy the fresh air but instead spend most of their day watching the tv walls for entertainment. For example, Mildred would invite her friends over to watch a tv program. It was such a big event that she did not want her husband, Montag, to interfere with it. Mildred loves watching the tv wall so much that she wanted a new one, but she did not care about how much it would cost. In the summer when I do not have school, most of the time I will go outside and do something. Sometimes, however, I just want to stay inside and watch tv. Due to not having anything to learn, people have to rely on entertainment to fill their

Robert Putnam wrote on how young adults report less civic engagement than prior generations. Although true, one should also understand volunteer work has risen significantly since the late 1980s. Arnett suggests young adults, rather than selfish, demonstrate self-focus, (pg. 26). Finally, some assert emerging adults refuse to grow up.

A common sentiment among the older generations is that the youth of today have stopped caring. The youth of today are almost always disengaged with politics and world issues (K.), and it seems that apathy has taken hold of the new generation. However, youth apathy should not be blamed on the youth themselves, as this apathy comes from a culmination of pressures and circumstances beyond their control. This is due to popular shows promoting the message of apathy, the biology of young adults and teenagers, and the oversaturation of world issues in the media. Instead of pushing blame on youth for their apathetic leanings, it is time to examine the core of why youth begin to feel this way.

Technology throughout the past 30-40 years has become more advanced and accessible than ever. The television specifically has developed extremely since its beginning. What started off as a single camera caption, has developed into a full fledge worldwide availability. Within the United States, the TV is a normal everyday object common in households, hotels, schools, and even restaurants. There are approximately 118.4 million household in the United States that own a television set ( The Number of TV Households in the United States from season 2000-2001 to season 2016-2017 (in millions)).However, the increased amount of time spent watching TV has had a tremendous impact on people, especially kids. The differences in generations throughout the development of the TV has led to many questions, all revolving around whether or not the televisions has had a good or negative impact pertaining to children. Time spent watching television affects the brain, ability to learn, and skill levels in different areas (source. In the book “Last Child in The Woods,” Richard Louv discusses how children in the 1940’s would watch out the window at the scenery and have conversations, while children now sit and watch a movie on a flip-down video screen without knowledge to the outside world (Louv 16-17).

One example why today’s youth is being hooked on media is the TV channel, Adult Swim, which is the nightly block for the channel that most kids watch during the day, Cartoon Network. I can say, from personal experience, that Adult Swim is the first broadcaster to truly embrace the digital platform of the internet. When we look back on some of our most cherished forms of media content from our childhood, we don't just think about the music or the laughs or the rest of the emotions that they evoked. We cherish these films, TV shows, and bands because of their ability to capture the spirit of our youth. Not everyone looks back on The Beatles and wonders what the 60’s were like or you don’t look over The Breakfast Club without constantly thinking

Student apathy grows depending on the relationships between teachers and students and student to other students. These relationships prove to have an influence with student apathy at all grade levels, especially elementary. Students either develop closeness or a conflict with their friends and teachers throughout the year. People are social and they prefer to relate to others. Bad relationships hurt the student’s psyche. When conflicts occur, a student’s engagement decline, and they do not feel successful and do not contribute with ideas in the classroom. Teachers, who do not relate and work with their students, fail to keep students interested. Students will not listen to a teacher who is not their friend. When conflict arises with friends, a student will fail to be active with their education. Friction acts as a major distraction for students and increases student apathy (Hosan, Hoglund).

Anyone who has children, or who is often interacting with children, will recognize that childhood is not the same or how they remembered. The popularity of technology and especially social media has changed what it means to be a child. The largest problem told by care givers of children is that they participate less in imaginative play. Modern technology means that their devotion is being demanded by more and more things, so they don’t have the inclination to play.

1. Read to kids: Too many parents thoughtlessly park their children in front of the television

I spent my free time outside with my siblings, trying to stay out for as long as we could, until we heard my Mother whistle to us at exactly 6 o’clock every day; that meant dinner was ready, on the table, and we needed to hurry inside. I grew up on a cul-de-sac, our house over looked the entire street. The neighborhood kids, my siblings, and I would spend our time exploring and going on adventures. Hardly ever did we sit inside the house all day, consumed by television or playing video games. It seems as if children in today’s society have been forced into becoming dependent on technology and overly stimulated structured schedules, which could severely affect our future generations.

What is the true meaning of Apathy? Well, if one were to search the definition of apathy on google they would probably get something like, “lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.” It is but it also isn’t the definition of apathy. The whole meaning behind apathy is more than just a lack of interest it’s simply the explanation of today’s society.

With the advancement in technology it has become common for infants, toddlers, and young children to be exposed to electronics such as televisions, computers, and videogames for hours at a time. Environmental factors affect children in significant ways. The effects the media and screen time children are revealed to influence their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Television and media can both hinder and encouraging their growth. It is important for guardians, caregivers, teachers, whomever has a child they look after or care for, to make accommodations to construct the best possible environment for children to flourish in. At such a young age, these young humans are like sponges, they absorb much of what surrounds them. Because of this, the importance of trying to make it possible that they are mainly witnessing things helpful to the development of the child and thereby, benefiting them later in life.