Technology is something that I've seen change drastically since I was much younger. I remember when the first iPhone came out in 2007, and I was in 4th or 5th grade. Even then when I was so young, I was absolutely mesmerized by what the iPhone could do. The fact that you could access the internet within a mobile device, to me, was extraordinary. At the time I hadn't even had a cell phone yet, and when I did at the age of 10, it was a Verizon Razor flip phone, in the most horrendous color purple.
I couldn't do anything with this phone really, and I remember one of the coolest things I had was the ability to have so many ringtones to choose from. A few years later, after several updates of the iPhone, I started noticing a popular trend. Children, even younger than 10 years old, had their own iPhones or iPods. Devices that had access to anything, anywhere, in the hands of those who didn't even know how to cross multiply yet. Sometimes I remember that I'm grateful for the time I had before all the technology spiked, so I could still enjoy a childhood properly. I think this sets a negative example on kids of the younger generation, because they grow up and learn to rely solely on the device in their hand, instead of learning to appreciate the things around you.
And, as much as I hate to say it, even though we had some time to enjoy before technology spiked, our generation is by far the most attached generation to iPhones and technology. We NEED our phones present with us at all times. And not just because it provides us with easy communication and internet access -- but because we feel the need to have a social media presence. I've heard people get interrogated because they've said, "I don't have an Instagram", or "I don't use Snapchat". People give them a lot of harsh words for it, but honestly - why? So what if they don't use popular social media applications? Why do people think less of them? Because we are so driven to think that in order to be 'cool', you must have an active, stereotypical social media. And if you don't follow the 'stereotypical' rules, you're considered weird, or out of norm.
For some people, these websites are an ego-booster, and may help some people feel more connected to the world and to their friends. But some may not feel that way. Social media sets incredibly high standards for men and women, especially as they are transitioning into adulthood. Kylie Jenner and the Kardashians, considered sometimes as the most famous family in the world, all have good looks and are in good physique. Kylie herself has 173 Million followers. And, according to Forbes , she is the youngest self made billionaire ever. But did she really get there by herself? Or was she just born into the right family?
Kylie is only 22 years old, which I am as well, and probably half of the school has grown up watching her change. It's no question that herself and most of the family have had a few body alterations, which is always okay, but when you think about how many young girls have watched Kylie transition, it almost seems as though it is drilled into their heads that they have to look like that to be pretty. Which is almost unfair because, she has money unlike any other, and had the money to fix parts of herself that she wasn't happy with. Not every body can do that, and that results in girls losing their confidence and self esteem. I took a sociology course last year, and actually did a project on social medias affect on women. I remember that the number of eating disorders, like anorexia or bulimia, had increased by over 3 times in the past 20 years in young girls.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the amount of false and misleading information that is available online is extensive. Everyone used to believe everything you would see and read on the internet -- until of course the phrase, "Don't believe everything you see online" came into light. It's really sad to say but I find out most of my world information from Twitter. Of course, I do some cross checking but a lot of famous stations, tabloids, and news papers have Twitter accounts, like The New York Times or CNN. At times though it can be hard to tell the fact from the fiction, which can fool those of the younger generation that aren't too familiar with the term 'fake news'. And with the sudden and extreme growth of the app TikTok, considerably almost 1 billion people worldwide have the app. I was against it at first, but then my friends finally convinced me - to which after a few days I was telling EVERYBODY to download it. It's not just for people aged 25 and younger, though. I've seen every age range from 10-80 years old using the app for different purposes. It's actually really helpful, there's cooking recipes on there, DIY's, tips for fixing common appliances, household items, etc. And people can be very nice in the comments; I've seen a lot of art works, people painting or drawing, and there's a lot of positive feedback. There's different trends going on all the time, and some really funny videos come out of it. Other times though, people really roast people to an extreme. And people online can really dig deep too; people with highlighted facial features, autism, disorders, etc, can sometimes draw in really offensive comments. Sometimes, those comments can get upwards of 20,000 likes.
At the end of the day, I will always think that today's technology is not only useful for us, but almost essential to live in the world we do. It will continue to provide us with information and news stories, tips and tricks, and laughs and entertainment. If we didn't have it, we wouldn't be able to call our loved ones that live far away in under a minute. We wouldn't be able to stream our favorite show that we missed on TV. We wouldn't be able to know how many people are sick with the virus. With it, however, will always be consequences. But, does anything ever come without unintended consequences?
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