From Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?
Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation is a thought-provoking article written by Jean M Twenge – a psychology professor at San Diego State University – that provides a substantial overview of growing technology’s impact on the latest generation. Twenge explains through various data sets and anecdotes that”iGen” is less social, less well-slept, and ultimately more psychologically distressed then prior generations. Given this, we notice that there is a likely paradigm shift occurring due to technology’s unprecedented influence over a generation. This generational metamorphosis is particularly apparent through the notable rise in depressive symptoms amongst teens, the unique spike in isolation driven by social media, and the decline in involvement in traditional teenage activities (i.e. less likely to date, and driving’s loss of appeal).
Social media’s borderline domination over many teen and adolescent social lives has only made children more susceptible to depressive symptoms. Since 2012, boys’ depressive symptoms increased by 21%, while girls’ have increased by an alarming 50%. These increased symptoms have been linked to entire changes in social dynamics. When teens do come together, the documentation through various social media outlets only powers the influence of Snapchat and Instagram over the iGen. Such a shocking rise transcends subtle generational shifts seen prior, thus giving rise to the idea that technology’s immense impact has initiated a paradigm shift within iGen.
As aforementioned, teens will often show off their time spent with one another, though data referenced by Twenge suggests that this time spent is not so often. Teens have evidently changed the nature of traditional teenage social life, leading today’s generation to be more likely found in their bedrooms on their phones than out and about. Consequentially, this has lead to teens feeling more isolated, and in many cases excluded, with a considerable 48% increase in girls and 27% increase in boys feeling “left out” of social gatherings in 2015 than in 2010. Such reported data can continue to evidence a paradigm shift occurring, as these feelings are derived from social media’s dominance over one’s feeling of social worth. Such a power held by a just of handful of factors in not only unheard of, but indicative of a textbook paradigm shift.
Close analysis of social media cause-and-affect leaves the subject of lost traditional activities in the air. The iGen has distinguished itself from the former generations by abandoning various commonplaces of teen life. iGen teens no longer value or seek independence as much as prior generations, and are also less likely to date. Even driving, a once incredible milestone, has more or less lost much of its former appeal, likely linked the unsually lessened care for independence.
As Twenge words it, “the twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a while, if ever.” Despite overwhelming evidence of the technological rise being for worse, it is undeniable that the “iGen” paved the way for the increased interconnectedness of people by way of innovative technology. This, as well as the various aforementioned points, all points to the occurrence of a large-scale social and cultural shift that’s impact will be far from short-lived.