Youth and Technology

in the 21st

Century

By: Jack Zhu Image: Courosa

what it means to be young today

has been drastically altered by the technology of tomorrow

Image: Emmanuel Huybrechts

from childhood to

young adult hood

Image: Troy McClure SF

generation z has become

digitalized

So adept and technologically fluent that they have been dubbed

‘digital natives’

Image: Ransomtech

while the rest of us have been

left behind as ‘digital

immigrants’,

Image: Dietmar Temps

struggling to

comprehend their world

Yet within this digital fluency lies a

double edged sword

Image: Marsmet481

“ “Technological

competence and sophistication have not,

for parents, translated into comfort and ease. They have

merely created yet

another sphere that parents feel they have to navigate in exactly the

right way”-Hanna Rosin

Image: Doviende Source: Hanna Rosin, The Touch Screen Generation

these days, the pacifier has been

replaced by the ipad

Image: Demandaj

the millennium cohort study found

that those who watch 3 or more hours of television, videos, or DVD’s

a day had a higher chance of

conduct problems, emotional symptoms, and relationship problems by

the time they were 7 than those who did not

Image: Camknows Source: Matt Richtel, Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say

“Learning about solitude and

being alone is the bedrock of

early development, and you don’t

want your kids to miss out on that

because you’re pacifying

them with a device.”-Sherry Turkle

Image: Wayan Vota Source: Sherry Turkle, The Flight From Conversation

“there is mounting indirect

evidence that

constant use of technology can

affect behavior, particularly

in developing brains

because of heavy stimulation and

rapid shifts in

attention”-Matt Richtel

Image: Cea

Pew Survey of more than 2000

teachers found that almost 90% said that digital technologies were

forming “an easily distracted generation with short

attention spans”

Image: Anomalily

“ the heavy technology use makes

reality by comparison uninteresting.”

-Dr. Dimitri Christakis

Image: Mulad

and while reality has steadily become

digitalized for the generation z,

Image: Anomalily

so too has its

problems

a lack of online privacy, the

prevalence of cyber bullying,

and a digital history have become a reality for many

Image: Marsmet549

poll from MTV and the Associated Press

found that digital histories, invisible

audiences, and the permanence and persistence of things put online are not being considered by a majority of

young people

Image: FindYourSearch

Source: Kashmir Hill, How to Teach Kids ‘Digital Literacy’? Build a Private Social Network Playground for Them

however, the world of technology is not a

zero sum game

Image:Derrick Coetzee

connection and communication are

not mutually exclusive, and the costs of technology amongst generation z are

often times outweighed by the benefits

Image: Mikecogh

“Benefits like developing empathy, engagement in education, and

giving voice to the introverted are

too easily discounted”-Kevin Makice

Image: Mark Sebastian Source: Kevin Makice, Coming of Age in the Digital Age

kids these days are being born into a

rich world of communication,

information, and education

Image: MaineDOE

of the same Pew survey interviewing over 2000

teachers, roughly 75% say that the

internet and search engines have had a positive

effect on student research skills

Image: Dmee

and while technology may serve to

distract, it can be a powerful force for

engagement amongst

generation z

Image: Roberto_Ventre

the advent of smart phones

has given rise to the revolutionary platform of

mLearning

Image: Neeravbhatt

a combination of education that is

accessible, affordable, and relevant has already begun changing the global educational landscape, bringing about

meaningful educational equality

to developing regions of the world

Image: CGIAR Climate

through it all, generation z has become

more enabled and

empowered

Image: Sean Dreilinger

there are consequences and

there are rewards, yet in the midst of it all,

we must remind ourselves that as the digital natives of their generation, generation z is both

living and shaping the future. And

while that future may hold obstacles, it also

holds potential for promise

Image: Ushtey

Credits

All images licensed under creative commons attribution license and

sourced from Flickr

Sources http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/the-touch-screen-generation/30925 http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/disruptions-what-does-a-tablet-do-to-the-childs-mind/0/ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/hessie-jones/teens-oversharing-internet_b_2923694.html http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/10/13/how-to-teach-kids-digital-literacy-build-a-private-social-network-playground-for-them/ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?_r=0 http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669896/10-ways-that-mobile-learning-will-revolutionize-education http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2013/02/coming-of-age-in-the-digital-age http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/01/20/from.bullying.relationships.mapping.our.online.communications http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?pagewanted=all