It's 2016, a year that has only delved deeper into today's technological world with the newest tablets and Apple products on the very cusp of perfection. Your laptop gets thinner, your phone gets sleeker and, sooner or later, 4G will turn into 400G. Cellular data will be at an all-time high speed, making social media and text messaging a much quicker process. But maybe, just maybe, such a thing is sending my generation (shout out to all my fellow 90's babies out there) and today's teens into a social down fall.
You're waiting in line at the super market and you see a 13-year-old girl with her brand new, rose-gold iPhone 6s, waiting with her mom near the bag boy. Because you are nosey and the line is taking forever because Sally at checkout has $600 worth of coupons, you see her tweeting "This bag boy is just so cute." Now when I was 13, the glorious Tracfone was the only cell phone I was allowed to have, and once my minutes ran out, God forbid I asked mom for more. Teenagers now-a-days are getting so lost in their technology that they're losing the social skill of verbally expressing their opinions and making conversation. Instead, they will post about it on social media behind the safety of an electronic screen. The millennium babies are so accustomed to smartphones and other products that you can be seen as an outsider if one of such things aren't owned. The idea of having a Facebook page and an Instagram are happening so young that I've even had 8-year-olds following and friending me. That's something this new generation knows how to do, they can talk through a screen and keyboard.
But what happens when they're unable to use their phones at a family party or at dinner? They crumble. Their confidence to talk to people and speak their mind suddenly vanishes, and there they are left silent. That's because it's out of their comfort zone. Teens are relying on their cellphones and laptops to help them communicate with others. Whether it's commenting on a picture or liking a post, chances are they would say nothing to the person that posted it if it was in the real world.
A teen's comfort zone in today's world is behind an electronic screen. Texting, instant messaging, "DM"-ing, etc. are all common forms of communication for today's teenagers and something that is common on multiple social media platforms. Teens believe that because social media has the word "social" in it, they are communicating, but that's not even close. A post on Facebook is not the same as calling your family members on the phone and wishing them Happy Holidays. Nor is it the same as saying "Hello, have a nice day" to your friend you run into at the local mall.
Communication is a skill that is being lost within the upcoming generations. With that being said, take the time out of your day to call your grandparents or walk to your neighbors house to say hello. While walking down the street, make small talk with a colleague of yours who you ran into. Instead of taking comfort behind the screen, take comfort in the appreciation of face to face conversation. Im sure the bag boy would love to be told that he is "just so cute."
