TTYL, 2009

We thought we had entered an entirely new era when the radio was invented; our entire way of life, from communication to technology, evolved drastically with the invention of the computer; and now, according to USA Today, approximately 75% of all teenagers around the age of 17 have a cell phone. The way we live today, where we text our parents asking if dinner is ready or flip through our Ipods to make situations less awkward has created a society where “Google” is a verb and courting has transferred from flowers and chocolates to insinuating texts and web-cam dates. We have entered 2010, and as we enter this decade, we are ambushed by new technologies that are tempting us into a socially stunted personality and unproductive lifestyle.

I believe that teenagers these days are completely desensitized to the amazement of technology. 100 years ago, if someone had pulled out an Itouch and started playing with one of their apps, people would be astonished. Now, an Ipod, Iphone, or Itouch have almost become a basic. While I believe these new inventions will positively influence our unemployment rate and new technology will definitely increase the US’s intimidation factor, I have to wonder if we’re trading in our potential social capabilities for comfort.

Teenagers are often associated with their technology: you can tell if someone is in a sappy mood, or ready for a party just by inquiring what song they are listening to; we’ve traded in laughs for LOL’s; the only farming we do is on Facebook’s Farmville; and when we are away from these technologies, we find ourselves bored. While I am definitely a willing victim of this new technological frontier, I think that the negative side effects are ones that we should learn from.

Instead of going outside for a bike ride, more often than not teenagers would rather stay inside on YouTube or watch MTV. Are we mature enough to understand the balance we need to keep between our technologies and our physical activities? We are a culture possessed by touch screens. Also, we simply need to learn to deal with awkward situations, instead of reaching into our pocket to draft a text that may have been pointless; we need to learn how to be comfortable alone with ourselves, without a technology to distract us from our thoughts. I think the future holds many possibilities, but not every possibility is beneficial to our society.