Evolution or Devolution?
Youth on social media & the internet: Step forward or step back?
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This was a topic of conversation that was posed by the Asbury Park Press in its monthly
Student Voices contest and circulated on the Sunday, February 26, 2017.
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The Question: What would like be life be like for high school and middle school students without the internet and social media?
I thought this was particularly interesting since we've had a few conversations in class on the subject. Of the many interesting points made by the students that participated in this contest, the most moving one, which I will caption for you briefly is the one written by Molly Griswold, a senior at Freehold Township High School, who won the contest.
Within she writes "The internet allows us to put on a façade and exhibit our extremely fabricated and false personas in a narcissistic and self-consumed virtual reality. . . . Without 'the world at our fingertips,' life would be filled with embracing personal connections, conquering missed opportunities and overcoming our worst insecurities. Instead of staring at a phone or a computer screen, we should be staring into the eyes of the people we love. Rather than sending a mindless text, we should express our feelings through words. Maybe, one day, society will realize the difference between living through a lens and living in the moment."
If you would like to read the full version and those of others, which was also quite impressive and touching, you can do so by clicking on the following link below:
I definitely agree that life would be extremely different for teens and kids if the internet was not available to them. At first, it may seem harder. But, I truly believe that the kind of human connection this article delves into would actually allow teens and kids to have MORE fulfilling lives and relationships. The internet, while an incredible source for connecting with humans, does little (in my opinion) to establish healthy and long-lasting relationships. It takes humans meeting and spending time together, face to face, to understand that kind of love, and to truly understand each other.
ReplyDelete-Julie
Yes, I definitely agree with you Julie. I strongly believe the same. I also thought it was quite touching and interesting that someone so young could have such insight to the barriers of living in a technological society. Being connected starts with the actual encounter of being with someone on a face-to-face basis and sharing the experience of their presence through expression and interaction. I was especially moved by the last part of her [Molly Griswold] quote, when she states "Maybe, one day, society will realize the difference between living through a lens and living in the moment."
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