Blog post #2 - SIERRA
It is interesting to reflect on how social media/technology usage has evolved over time and how this evolution is impacting the younger generation. When I think about my own childhood experiences, I notice major differences in comparison to how young children are today and the experiences they have. For example, in her spare time, my youngest sister Reese (age 12), scrolls through TikTok, takes Instagram photos and chats with friends on facetime or text. However, when I was 12, I did not have a phone and instead found myself knocking on the little girl's house next door or walking to the park in hopes that a friend might be there too. Due to the fact social media was less popular and particularly unusual for children to have, we were forced to live in the moment, use our imagination, and interact face to face. Looking back on my life I am so grateful to have grown up when I did as, instead of experiencing life through a screen, I have happy memories of making up games, imaginary worlds, and playing in nature. People are now being introduced to social media as young children who are creating their own worlds and realities online. As seen through the movie 'Eighth Grade' that was introduced in class, this shift has immense impacts on how people view and interact with the world. In the movie, we witness how social media both empowers and controls the life of Kayla. In many ways, Kayla uses social media to build confidence and discover herself, but we also see the negative impacts it can have on social skills, behaviours, judgement, and mental health.
Hi Sierra,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree that I am very happy to have grown up at a time where social media/technology was not a predominant part in our lives, and we were able to enjoy ourselves in real time rather than through a screen. 'Eighth Grade' is a perfect example of how social media impacts our behaviour by trying to change our identity in order to fit in with society. Kayla appears very quiet when she is at school, but when she does her weekly YouTube videos, she comes across as very loud and outgoing. This proves that social media can have negative implications, especially towards the younger crowd, where they are so consumed and reliant on the internet.
Great post Sierra! I agree that the youth is growing up in a different manner in which I did. While we did still use social media messaging applications, or text our friends (SMS), it was still very different. Usually, we would communicate with our friends to make plans, instead of communicate through technology as a method of entertainment. When I was in elementary school, we would have to call our friends house phones, and have their numbers written in a phone book. In comparrison to now, children are able to store, access, and communicate to others all on one singular device. In a way, I do feel as if it is unfortunate that many use social media to build confidence and discover things (qualities, hobbies, etc.,) about themselves while in the early stages of life. To further elaborate, I feel as if social media is a method for making our lives seem “picture perfect” as usually users will only highlight the best parts of themselves. As you mentioned, there are negative implications that can pose to younger audiences, affecting their social skils. behavious, judgements, and mental health. Furthermore, younger audiences may be unable to understand the level of authenicity that is posted on SM, and instead strive for the unrealistic expectations. What do you think the long term effects social media will have on younger generations in their adolescence years?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your discussion post. I agree that we were lucky enough to live a normal childhood without being glued to a phone 24/7. One thing I've noticed more often is that parents offer their children ipads to be entertained, so the parents don't have to bother taking care of their children. In relation to class content, I would like to bring up how technological determinism plays a crucial role in today's society, especially for the younger generation, where you noted that kids heavily interact through screens. Meanwhile, we learned how to communicate face-to-face and have real-life conversations synchronously, an essential aspect of learning social cues and communication. Do you think younger generations may struggle with this in the near future as they have the ability to communicate whenever they desire, asynchronously, which is something we learned about in class.
ReplyDeleteHi Sierra,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post on how the evolution of technology has evolved. When I compare my experience with my niece, she is already using a smartphone at nine, where she browses around the internet and finds information about the world. I could not get a cell phone until I was 11 years old, and it was a Pay-as-you-go LG rumor, only used for emergencies when I was away from home. I feel the younger generation spends a lot more time on devices at home and school compared to my childhood, where he had to write everything down on paper crayons, and we didn't receive pads in class to complete a task. We spend much more time doing outdoor activities than the younger generation does. I feel like the younger generation has been introduced to technology much earlier in their life than our generation did during our childhood, and I believe it has harmed them.