What People Who Grow Up in Today's Digital World Will Never Get
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These days, it's hard for me not to contemplate what technology has done to the awkward phase of teen angst. I recently came back from a weekend at home, where I watched my 16-year-old sister constantly use her phone, and was inspired to think about the effect smartphones have had on that sweet spot between your teens and 20s. You know, the age when everyone is trying to figure out if it's still OK to wear flip-flops with jeans or if crop tops were really left in the '80s. This common coming-of-age tale is now totally different.
I grew up in the '90s, which was flat in between Richard Simmons's aerobic videos and the invention of high-speed internet. It was an honest time where your parents really didn't know where you were because no one had a cell phone, GPS, or iMessage. During those days, the Summer nights felt like forever and you knew when to come in for dinner . . . when the front porch light started flickering. Since that time, the rise of technology has drastically changed our lives, and everyone is a victim. Gone are those carefree days unencumbered by digital crutches. Today, we depend on our pocket-size gadgets to guide our daily routine, from exercise apps to music suggestions. Even the most basic tasks, like going to sleep, are affected digitally in some way.
While all of us have been affected, this weekend with my sister made it clear to me that the digital age has had its greatest impact on the adolescent experience of generation Z, where life is lived through a curated stream of "likes", follows, and filters.
After observing my teen sister and scratching my head at her digital life, I started reminiscing about my own teen years and compared it to my sister's. As you'll see ahead, these differences totally define our two generations.
Then (Gen Y): First Phone
The oh-so-cool flippy Sidekick thing was your first badass mobile device.
Now (Gen Z): First Phone
Now, kids can't remember the first time they got a mobile device — because they were that young.
Then (Gen Y): Watching TV
Everyone hung around the TV to try and sing Will Smith's The Fresh Prince of Bel Air's opening theme song.
Now (Gen Z): Streaming TV
You plan a night with the crew to download the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Amazon Prime because apparently Will Smith used to have a TV show! Oh, and the theme song is so great that you look up the lyrics — instead of listening to it.
Then (Gen Y): Using Your Phone to Talk
You used to call your friends on the house phone and talk for hours — until your mom kicked you off of it.
Now (Gen Z): Using Your Phone to Do Anything but Talk on It
Never call any of your friends; only message or text them.
Then (Gen Y): Use AIM For Everything
All you wanted to do after school was get on AIM and tell all your friends what happened that day but dial-up took forever.
Now (Gen Z): Use Social Media to Communicate
Snapping, DM'ing, and GChatting your friends the moment something happens at school or work. No phone, no problem; just pull out a tablet or laptop and you're set.
Then (Gen Y): Buy a Disposable Camera
You would bring all of those incredible party pictures from disposable cameras to show your friends.
Now (Gen Z): Use a Filter That Looks Like a Disposable Camera
You spend time tagging your friends in party pictures — but with a filter that makes it look like the photos were taken on a disposable camera.
Then (Gen Y): Make Mixtapes
You recorded your favorite songs on a mixtape to give to a significant other.
Now (Gen Z): Make Playlists
Make a playlist on Spotify and text it to your significant other.
Then (Gen Y): Fight Over the Game Boy
Nothing compared to fighting with your sibling to play Pokémon on a Game Boy.
Then (Gen Y): Watch Music Videos on MTV
You used to race home from school to watch the music video countdown.
Now (Gen Z): Watch Videos Off of YouTube
You spend a Saturday night trying to learn Beyonce's "Single Ladies" dance straight off YouTube.
Then (Gen Y): Wait in Line For a New Book
You waited in line at your nearest Barnes and Noble or Borders for the next Harry Potter book to come out.
Now (Gen Z): Wait in Bed For a New Book
Downloading any book within seconds — and without midnight lines to wait in.
Each of these comparisons made me sad, knowing that my sister won't experience that analog version of adolescence. If I'm completely honest, however, I'm just as sad for my current self as I also struggle to keep up with the digital Joneses on a mass and impersonal level. The new normal for teens and adults alike is conversations getting belittled to 140-character blasts and keeping in touch is now reduced to "liking" #sundayselfies. It's an existence that leaves little room for the human connection, like those late-night three-way phone calls with friends that I took for granted so many years ago. I guess the saying is true — you don't know what you've got till it's gone.