As defined by Merriam-Webster, a paradigm shift is, “an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way” (Merriam-Webster). I believe that The Atlantic’s article Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation is one of the best definitions of such societal shifts.
When I was growing up, I would spend the majority of my time outside playing with my friends. Each day as school ended, and I had finished my homework, my friends and I would all bike to each others homes and spend hours on each other’s trampoline. Every single day. Nowadays, this is not true. The featured girl in the article states that the majority of her time, specifically summer when she has the most free time, is spent inside on her phone, and that constitutes her social life. Social media has entirely taken over the lives of young people, changing practically every aspect of their lives. This is why the article discusses a paradigm shift. I am a direct witness to it.
Based on the Merriam-Webster definition, I believe that a paradigm shift must be a change that affects the entirety of one’s life, and The Atlantic article shows just how smartphones have affected so many areas of an adolescents upbringing. First, it includes data that shows how in 2012, when the number of Americans who owned iPhones passed 50%, serious teen behavior and emotional shifts occurred. Teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since this point, and it is due to the isolating and belittling nature of social media.
The article also states how even slight differences in language choice indicate a paradigm shift between the millennials and iGen (current adolescents). Instead of referring to a crush as someone that you “like,” the article states how “talking” has become the new word. People use this when discussing couples who have gone on a multiple dates and act as if they are together, but have not officially labeled themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend.
The article mainly upholds the disposition that this specific paradigm shift has only harmed our society, but they do state that because teens are becoming bigger home-bodies, they are having less sex at an early age. This has caused the teen pregnancy rate to decrease by 67% from 1991 to 2016. Though modern-day teenagers are not developing the needed social skills due to social media, at least they are making fewer bad choices that would have lifelong effects, like having a baby.
Overall, the article details many reasons as to how our smartphones and social media usage have completely changed the way of life for young people, thus defining it as a paradigm shift.