It is no secret that technology is on the rise. With apps like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter (‘X’ if you want to get technical), it is hard for people of any age to stay away from technology. “Doomscrolling,” a term used to describe the act of scrolling on your phone or computer for a large amount of time, seems to be making its way around the internet every so often. Even the people who recognize their bad habits of scrolling endlessly seem to make few, if any, changes.
The question ‘Does technology make us alone?’ is a loaded question as it is subjective to your own life. Some argue that after downloading social media, they feel disconnected from the “real world.” Therefore, they find themselves taking frequent breaks from those same apps to reel themselves back into reality. On the other hand, some may argue that they have an array of friends—whether they be online or in person—after downloading social media and think it was truly the best choice for themselves.
Some adults experienced life before modern technology such as cell phones or social media, so it may be more apparent to those people when they see a group of teens on their phones instead of interacting with each other in person. I am sure I am not the only student at Wayne Valley who can argue that they cannot go one day without hearing “back in my day…” from a teacher or a relative. While those comments can seem annoying, sometimes you have to change perspectives and see it their way. From walking 20 miles to and from school each day in the treacherous winds (as they say), being sure that no one would pick up the landline and listen in on your conversation, and having to wait 30 days and 30 nights for their TV guidebook in the mail, I’m sure they can notice a major difference in technology today!
Now, for teens today, it seems like we have everything at our fingertips. Google, games, maps, and anything else you can imagine! With other factors such as AI or quarantine when all we relied on was online interactions, it seems like our whole lives revolve around technology. During quarantine, most people resorted to making online friends since it was the only way to continue their social life but that had its own downsides. People who struggle with social anxiety could have appreciated being at home and solely communicating online while those who thrive off of face-to-face interactions may have felt isolated.
The idea of technology making us feel isolated is truly just an opinion question since people have different life experiences. Not everyone is the same, so not everyone will have the same opinion on the matter. However, this topic can be a friendly debate between groups with differing opinions.
The views in the editorials do not necessarily represents the views of Wayne Public Schools.
