A recent dinner at the Cheescake Factory with my roommate
made me think about my generation. And by “my generation” I mean “Generation Y”
or “The Millennials” or whatever else people call us. We sat at the table
before, during eating, and after eating, simply talking. Talking about anything
and everything. We discussed everything from which stores in the mall we would
go to after dinner to why I had ordered Diet Coke instead of regular. After we
ate our mouth-watering meal, I stood up to use the restroom when something hit
me. I spoke my observation out loud to Aryanne: “We didn’t look at our phones
once this whole time.”
I sometimes think my generation has become so full of
ourselves. Why do we feel the need to document every second of our lives while
reciting the phrase: “Pics or it didn’t happen!” Have we become so conceited
that we think everyone on our social media CARES about every action we take? I
sometimes feel that there is no hope for a generation that prides ourselves in creating
a way to make sure we are easily included in every picture we take (aka “the
Selfie”).
This also goes along with the idea that people feel that
they need to match up to others on social media by constantly showing how
awesome their lives are. Carl Richards discusses this concept in his article in the New York Times and talks about how people only derive happiness from the amount of likes they
get on a photo. We put so much time and effort into something that ceases to
exist outside of our mobile phones. It is quite possible just to do
something without needing proof that it happened. I think this trend has just
gotten out of control.
Although I don’t agree with much of what Jennifer Graham
discussed in her article "A Generation of Idle Trophy Kids," I do agree with
her point about how inactive and lazy we are. Why go on a walk
outside when you can scroll through your Twitter feed or play the new Kim
Kardashian game on your phone? Why bother doing something in real life
when the world is at your fingertips? Why? Because it is not real!
I feel so frustrated with the mentality that people cannot
even sit down and enjoy a movie with their family without checking their phones.
Do face-to-face human interactions mean nothing anymore? I think my generation
may have killed this, and I am a little upset about it.
I am not saying that I am completely innocent to any of
these traits. I have done my fair share of Snapchat stories and Instagram posts
to make myself feel better. I have also been culprit to checking my phone
mid-conversation or even during a meal. My main thing is, our time on this
Earth is so precious that we should enjoy every second we have. I won’t
remember that Facebook post I made, but maybe I will remember that debate I had
with my roommate about how race is seen differently around the world. At dinner
last night, I pulled my head out of the technology hole, sniffed around, and
saw that we could still live like we did before the complete invasion of
technology. And I think I might like it better up there.
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