The Wayward Generation: A Portrait of America's Youth

What does it say about the current state of affairs when the younger generations are aptly named "The IPhone Generation"? The moniker suggests a hip, trend setting youth that defines what sort of direction we're going, both on a technical and cultural plane. However, as the world becomes more connected with each and every invention that allows us to communicate from the comfort of our homes, the world becomes that much smaller. We lose the ability to 'touch' and feel one another on a physical basis and become so detached from the desire to go out in the world and make connections on a 'person to person' scale. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, make it so effortless to immerse oneself  in the day in and day out happenings of complete strangers. What used to be private has now become public, with such sites become hubs of social commentary and pop culture mavericks. We are a society bombarded with screens and ads that dog us at every step, telling us what to like and reminding us of our exposure just through a simple click of a mouse.

The internet has become the new area to showcase one's talents, for better or worse, and a stage for the ego to elevate itself above its peers. It is almost impossible to be on facebook, twitter, or instagram and not find countless images of friends and acquaintances misadventures that are updated at a seconds notice. I find myself going from amused to overwhelmed, to finally disgusted and mortified at the sight of what some people find to be necessary to share. Is it really necessary to post pictures of your pregnant stomach every few days just to remind your friends and family that 'you're really a mature woman, ready for the responsibility of "adulthood"? It is imperative that young girls no younger than 13 have such shallow impressions of themselves that they have to uphold 'racy' pictures of themselves to their facebook wall just for the reassurance that they are indeed 'attractive' and worthy of the men they aspire to be with. We are a people that are slowly finding it increasingly difficult to maintain concentration at even the most serious of moments. I find myself ranked and riled at the sight of a young person sneaking a look at their phone during a college lecture or writing a status that degrades the persona of a friend or classmate.

Perhaps I am indeed a fighter of the future that pines for a return to a time when people wanted to be out and about and learn for themselves rather than aspire to have every answer at the press of a button. When I hear individuals stumble at even the most obvious of questions that should be taught at a grade school level, it frightens me to think where we are and where we are headed.