Muddled Generation

Though digital technologies allow us to accomplish many things, we also have lost the ability to give each other our full attention. We prefer texting rather than fully engage in a conversation. An example in the book is Aubrey. Aubrey believes that texting allows her to stay in contact with more people at once because she can bounce from conversation to conversation. We as human beings, both children and adults, have identical patterns of compulsive disorders. We are obsessed with our devices. We never leave the house without our cell phones and what’s worse, we text or call people who are in the same house as us. While we are with our family and friends, we are also living in another world, where everyone accepts us for who we are through our cellular devices. Using our mobile devices, we can transport ourselves to different realities that we wish to have. These are online games that allow us to create our own avatar and live the life that we want to live. In that world, no one will be able to judge us for how we are. We are embracing ourselves through simulated lives with avatars and simulated relationships through virtual connections. Digital technologies have become the center of our social, economic, and professional

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.

“The arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health” (Twenge). In her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean Twenge discusses how the new generation of teenagers is becoming highly dependent on their smartphones. Twenge calls this new generation born between the late 1990s and early teens “iGen” after a recent survey found that the majority of teenagers owned an iPhone. She argues that with every new generation, new habits form, both good and bad. The technological developments that have occurred throughout the last ten years, Twenge argues, is not a bad thing; it is how the “iGen” teenagers are becoming reliant on their phones and use them to avoid social interactions. According to her article, teenagers choose to stay home alone in their rooms and talk to their friends virtually on social media versus actually leaving the house and doing something face-to-face with their friends. Twenge argues that if teenagers decide to leave the house, phones still have a strong presence, often not leaving the hands of its owner for longer than a couple minutes with social media like Snapchat and Instagram tagging along. Twenge worries that the strong dependency on smartphones and increasing rates of obsession with social media are a couple of the largest contributors to the rise of depression and suicide among the teenagers of “iGen”.

In her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean Twenge discusses how the new generation of teenagers are becoming highly dependent on their smartphones and need them alongside them at any given point in time. Twenge calls this new generation born between the late 1990s and early teens “iGen” after a recent survey found that majority of teenagers owned an iPhone. She argues that with every new generation, new habits form, both good and bad. The technological developments that have occurred in the last ten years Twenge argues are not a bad thing, it is how the “iGen” teenagers are becoming reliant on their phones and using them to avoid social interactions. They would choose to stay home alone in their rooms and talk to their friends virtually on social media versus actually leaving the house and doing something face-to-face with their friends. Twenge argues that if teenagers decide to leave the house, phones still have a strong presence, often not leaving the hands of its owner for longer than a couple minutes with social media like Snapchat and Instagram tagging along. Twenge worries that the strong dependency on smartphones and increasing rates of obsession with social media are a couple of the largest contributors to the rise of depression and suicide among the teenagers of “iGen”.

In her article “Growing Up Tethered” Sherry Turkle explores how the constant connection to the Internet is negatively affecting the development of adolescents, and postulates that growing up “tethered” to their cell phones, is interfering with their normal psychological progression into adulthood. Referring to the idea that the ubiquitous cell phone allows teenagers to contact their parents’ at any time, she states that “adolescents don’t face the same pressure to develop the independence we have associated with moving forward into young adulthood” (Turkle 431). Additionally, the author touches on aspects of the lack of privacy and time adolescents have for themselves, asking “When is downtime, when is stillness?” (Turkle 430). While the

People use technology like the smart phone apps in order to interact and communicate with friends and families. The You and Me Application among others, is a popular mobile dating app used by people who are potentially seeking partners or friends. Others object that this kind of communication refrains and hinders strong face-to-face communication. The many authors and researchers share their views that technology will be a barrier to real life communication because technology users are less likely to be engaged and interact face-to-face with current or possible partner. In the essay “I Had a Nice Time With You Tonight On the App.”, Jenna Wortham contends that smart phone dating apps allows people to meet and communicate, and is also effective in maintaining healthy relationship. In order to entertain and convince her readers, Wortham begins by sharing a personal story about her experiences with communication apps in order to lower her readers so they don’t get thrown off with her credible resource, and

“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

many times. As a result, it destroyed the Whig Party, and was on the verge of finishing off the Democrats. Some of these abolitionists joined a new Republican Party (Henretta 2011).

Today, he says the two spend more evenings staring at their phones than they do at each other.” (Morris). The article provides information that families are affected by technology and can not keep conversations or continue relationships. Similar to Montag and his wife being so intrigued in their technology they forget about each other and the bond they could have if they had conversations after work or at the end of the night rather than making their devices seem more important to them. “If one partner in the relationship disengages from a face-to-face interaction while engaging in technology...the other person may experience a sense of threat to their need to feel attached and in control in that relationship.” (Morris). The lack of communication in a relationship due to technology seems to push away others in the friendship or relationship, the article proves that when others are more interested in their phone or other devices other party/parties feel distant and pushed away and do not want to continue the relationship.People can start building stronger relationships by putting down their pieces of technology and making time to have a real conversations with the people they

Sherry Turkle's article "Growing Up Tethered" exposes the change in adolescent's demeanor while growing up in a technology-fueled world. This modern world inhibits growth towards independence, causes psychological problems, and an intense amount of pressure to uphold online identities. She opens up with various experiences today's youth have gone through trying to stay connected. Some go as far as to risk their own lives and the lives of others to check their phone.

Cell phones and the computers are similar to each other in many different ways. One of the most common similarities is the internet aspect. With everyone connected to the internet, the adverse effects can spread throughout like a virus. “A Nielsen study released in 2010 indicated that texting was the primary reason for purchasing mobile phones and that text communication had become a "’centerpiece of mobile teen behavior.’" The modern smartphone of the 2010s is a powerful computing device, and the rapid and ongoing development of new applications provides users with a growing number of ways to use mobile phones for recreation, productivity, and social communication” (Issitt 2016). In the following Issitt states, “however, as smartphones have become more common, concerns about the detrimental effects of smartphone use have also increased.” (Issitt 2016). Issitt expresses the large growth of people with smartphones has its positives and negatives. The positives being the ability to communicate, but the negative being the effects on relationships with one another. An example of the negative side of things is the lack of interaction with people. People are more likely to call or text instead of interacting with one another. The lack of interaction can ruin relationships, or make people feel unwanted. In the article “Eurasian Journal of Educational Research,” the writer states that the internet, “can transform into an addictive instrument in excessive usage situations.” (Gunduz 2017). The statement explains the issue of the unnecessary use of the internet as a growing addictive process that is taking over more and more

There is an ongoing curiosity about why electronic devices are so irresistible. It is flabbergasting and utterly disappointing that people of all ages, including hypocritical parents lecturing teens about their texting addiction, “would prefer to communicate over text rather than meeting face to face”(mobile commons). Although technology has its benefits of quick communication and always staying in touch with others, the amount of common sense lost to technology has a stronger and more detrimental effect on one 's future. As people become more dependent on the technology that sits in the palms of their hands, the social skills one

It has become common today to dismiss different perspectives, such as Danah Boyd’s, that teenagers aren’t the ones responsible for themselves constantly being on the internet, but society is the one to blame. Many people assume that teenagers have put themselves in the position of being addicted to the internet, yet Danah Boyd complains in her article, “Blame Society, Not the Screen Time”, that, “We put unprecedented demands on our kids, maxing them out with structured activities, homework and heavy expectations.” In making this comment, Danah Boyd argues that adults continuously add stress and pressure to teenagers, which then results in teenagers resorting to the internet as a way of socializing. For many, the internet is simply an escape.

How do digital technologies affect human interactions and personal relationships in our society? Will they completely affect intimacy, self-reflection, and face-to-face communication in the bad ways?Within this topic, we need to explore the idea of technology and social media bringing people together.In the article '' No need to call'' which is written by Turkle, she focuses on the way people communicate with phones and how its bad influences with our relationship; whereas, in another article ''I had a nice time with you tonight, on the APP'', Wortham-the writer, explains that having a smartphone helps shorten time and space from one another through using apps on the phone.Although digital technologies have some drawbacks, when they come

Everywhere you go teens seem to be glued to their phones, tablets, or computers. Technology is an addiction that does not seem to be going away any time soon. According to the Washington Post, teens can spend up to seven or more hours on their digital devices a day and the usage is still increasing. Not surprisingly enough, more than a third of all teenagers own a cellphone, ranging from a smart phone or just a plain old-school flip phone. But can spending all that time on their computers and smart devices be such a bad thing? Today’s easy access, always on world presents a wealth of opportunity for teens as students, but also challenges them to retain them essential humanity and unique personalities.