Likes For Love – This Generation’s Compulsive Need To “Post” Everything
Technology and social media can be used for positive reasons, such as raising money for charitable organizations, or increasing awareness for important social issues. This current generation has developed an obsession with being “liked”, as opposed to being respected or genuinely listened to.
To start with, these forms of technology that are used specifically for communication; smartphones, laptops, iPads, etc, can all cause the exact opposite – a lack of intimacy. This generation does not know how to properly communicate, resolve conflicts, and show appreciation without the use of emoji’s or the time to draft an email. Clever retorts are a thing of the past; now it’s “let me find a meme that is appropriate for this text conversation.“
Thoughts are becoming limited to 140 characters, and some people genuinely believe that it’s necessary that people know what they did today, or what they ate for dinner. This results in self-centered young people with short attention spans, and very little filter.
40 or 50 years ago, having your thoughts heard publicly was a privilege, something that you worked towards by writing novels, poetry, or publishing scientific discoveries. Now, young people feel entitled to have their opinion about everything from politics to someone’s outfit publicly broadcasted throughout different avenues of social media.
Children as young as 5, 6, or 7 are being allowed to use iPad’s or laptops, some even have their own cell phones already. This use of technology at such a young age is damaging to their mental and social growth, and will prove to have a huge impact on their self-esteem as they get older. This generation constantly feels the need to “like” and “follow” everything and everyone. Not only is that unnecessary, but it’s also unsafe and unhealthy.
