Why frown, the social-media generation are a product of their times
If you feel there is a serious problem with present-day kids, count me among those who share your thoughts. Many children are becoming obsessed with taking photos and videos of themselves.They look for Wi-Fi everywhere, as if it is oxygen required to brea
Like you, I’m annoyed, too. But let’s just calm down and see things in perspective. The thing is this is a generation that has grown up with hero lists like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg while their routine “outings”, unlike that of their parents, is to browse the Internet and connect with others via social media. They chat with circles of friends without leaving the comfort of their homes, and when they step out, they had better make sure they are equipped with their smartphone. To this generation, forgetting to take their phone along may be a greater pain than leaving behind their wallet.
I’m in favour of technology too, and consider it a friend. Many times I feel thankful to Zuckerberg for giving me a chance to reconnect with my long-lost primary school friends. Think about it, I share with kids out there a dependence on social media and smart devices. But should I pat myself on the back because I’m in a better position to be in control of these technologies instead of letting them control my life?
Kids can argue, too. They are social media addicts as it is the just-in thing of their era. Their lifestyle is pretty much dictated – or should we say assisted – by technology. Their “strange” behaviours may be an eyesore when we compare them to our times. No wonder many adults recently enjoyed the viral illustration series “#This Generation” by artist Ajit Johnson. The mocking of teens heading to a sign showing Internet instead of water in the desert, or using a selfie stick to take a photo in a toilet has struck a chord with adults. The illustrations make us laugh, as we are judging them based on our pre-Internet era.
It’s true that they love taking selfies. But why not? The cameras and smartphones offer that function and their peers love looking at them. “Would you have done the same if the selfie facility and social media had been available during your teens?” kids may ask. No kidding, my answer would be absolutely yes.
In the absence of technology, we used to pen letters using a writing instrument, talk on landline phones and meet at shopping malls. Today’s kids can enjoy a group chat without leaving their homes. They can tweet their whereabouts by checking in the places and then friends in the nearby area can come to meet. We actually did the same. In our teens, we would do anything to gather with friends and in that sense the new generation is no exception. They just do it faster.
At times, I feel jealous as these kids have greater opportunities to do anything faster and better. But really that is a result of the rapid mushrooming of new technologies, and you can’t fault them for that. There are jokes about their excessive dependence on smartphones and Wi-Fi. But hey, who isn’t in today’s world? Maybe we are unfair in picking on the kids when we give them iPhones and iPads as presents.
That's right. They are not born with these gadgets. We are the generation that create them and hand them to the kids. Now, if they are turning into narcissists, and becoming addicted to smartphones, the blame shouldn’t be pinned entirely on them. We adults should at least be honest enough to accept that we are a part of the problem – if it’s a problem at all.
Or, maybe there is no problem at all. We probably think the kids have a problem because we are using our generation’s yardstick to measure them. We did not have access to the technologies they enjoy now from early in childhood. Before handing them a harsh verdict, we should ask ourselves whether we would have followed a similar course if we too could indulge ourselves with all the smart devices and speedy Wi-Fi.
This article was motivated by a viral cartoon series poking fun at teen behaviour. But come to think of it, without smart devices, Facebook and Wi-Fi, the funny cartoons would not have reached us in the first place.
