? The generation of smartphones is a label that, in a way, encompasses all people born since 1995 in a Western country, they are so called because most people of this generation spent all their adolescence with the cell phone in hand. For them, it is difficult to imagine how it would be possible to move in a world where this technology did not exist.
They are part of what might be called ‘hyperconnected youth’. Jean Twenge, Ph. D. in Psychology and Professor at San Diego State University, has just published research on this subject, she was able to conduct a survey of 11 million young people in the United States with in-depth interviews, her conclusion being that these young people are more tolerant and less rebellious. They are also more unhappy and less prepared to assume the responsibilities of adulthood.
- Is it possible that the mere existence of smartphones has thus marked people’s thinking and behavior?The data says yes.
- The generation?Detached from many of the traditional media with the world.
- They are more static.
- They have the illusion of managing reality on their mobile phone.
- In fact.
- They have disturbing features.
- Here are five of them.
“Youth is not a stage of life, it is a state of mind. -German Matthew-
The members of the generation? They spend a lot more time at home. Unlike their predecessors, they leave little and less interested in seeking independence. They don’t rush to have their first sexual experiences. They’re not very attracted to starting work, learning to drive, either. or drink alcohol.
They grow mainly in the safe environment of their home and are almost always surrounded by adults. Therefore, they are more cautious and less exposed to risky situations, that has its positive side. However, they are also less independent, have decision-making difficulties, and have a harder time changing.
On average, the members of the? Smartphone generation spends 6 hours a day connected to the Internet. Most of the time, they send messages and play games. As a result, they spend much less time with their friends in face-to-face meetings.
Technology therefore plays a central role in their lives, one of the most feared punishments against them is that of not having a mobile phone or banning the use of the Internet, make sense over time through connection.
The fact that members of the ‘Smartphone’ generation spend less time with their parents has several effects, the first is that they develop their social skills on a limited basis, it is one thing to have a mobile phone in hand to communicate and another. communicate face-to-face. They express some apprehension in doing so.
At the same time, according to Dr. Twenge’s research, they seem to have fewer reading and writing skills, this may have to do with the little semantic wealth they use in their messages to communicate, and in many situations, they communicate using incomplete sentences.
The same researcher draws attention to a disturbing fact: these young people appear to have higher levels of anxiety and depression, indicating that suicide has tripled among young people in this age group over the past 10 years, which may be related to the lack of social contact they have and a lower level of physical activity.
In fact, these effects of anxiety and depression do not appear because they have been connected for so long, but because they do not because they are connected, if the balance between the two aspects were better, they could certainly enjoy greater stability.
Unlike ‘Generation Y’, members of ‘Smartphone Generation’ are more realistic, do not create high expectations and mainly value security, are more willing to work hard. They are not attracted to high-risk activities.
It should be noted that these young people are also more aware of their situation. They know that spending too much time on the phone doesn’t have many benefits. However, they also claim that they do not know how to live differently.
The generation? It is the product of cultural changes induced by new technologies. They may need more for their parents to become familiar with other lifestyles. As they themselves claim, they do not know how to live any other way, they know no others. alternatives and therefore cannot consider them. At the end of the day, these young people may not pose a problem as obvious as their previous generations, but they also seem to have lost some of their energy, their willingness to experience or change the world. They are sad and have no choice but to passively adapt to the reality they have.