Facebook and Crackberries: Breeding A Disconnected Generation

I must be an old foagie at heart. Am I really going to protest the evils of Facebook, the problems with iPods and Crackberries and instant email and internet access? I guess I am. I agree (mostly) with people who warn that all these devices and technologies may be better at disconnecting people than bringing them together. But what's even more worrisome is that there's a whole generation out there that doesn't know any other way.

Communication technologies now seep into every tween, teen, and college student's daily life. And kids just can't imagine being without these things. I tried to explain to a good friend recently that the point of having a cell phone isn't to be accessible to anyone and everyone at all times. She freaked out and shouted: "YES IT IS!" Her manic expression was both comical and scary.

And it's not just us college students (or recent grads, alas) that are getting hooked. My younger sister complained to me the other day that one of her friends already has an email address, an iPod, and a cell phone. My sister wanted to know why she doesn't have any of these things. My sister and her friend are both nine years old.

I wouldn't be so worried if instances of technologically-inspired anomie weren't popping up everywhere and becoming more widely recognized: spontaneous, frantic text messaging; the answering of phones in the middle of face-to-face conversations; so-called Facebook friending of people one barely knows; validating romantic relationships on social networking sites to make them "official"; the incessant "hahaha" or "lol" in Instant Messenger conversations where neither conversant is actually laughing or even slightly amused.

None of these things is a big deal in itself. The problem is that everywhere, it seems, technology is acting as an intermediary in increasingly casual communication between people. And yes, I see this as a bad thing, especially for younger people who know no other way.

How could you test this out? You might ask college students what they could do with all the hours they spend on Facebook instead of studying. Most of them would smile awkwardly and shake their heads in embarrassment. But, mid-response, they'd get a text message. And then the track on their iPod, still plugged into one ear, would change to something that doesn't really please, so they'd have to attend to that too. Hang on a second, they'd say, my totally mediated life is calling. Hold that thought. Okay, now where were we?

Young people are on a media binge diet and I'm worried about it. I'm worried about a country where young people function through websites as intermediaries to declare their relationships valid, or where people use a text message to ask a friend, "r u alrite?" If the whole point of many of today's technologies is to connect people, it would really suck if we ended up disconnected. And when technologies insist in being our social intermediaries, that's a result we should expect.

I am far from the first in expressing worry about these things. But I do have a different perspective than many commentators. I'm twenty-two, among the oldest of a generation that have always had the internet (that is, among those who could afford it and the requisite equipment). We have this weird relationship with technology now that is both parasitic and symbiotic. We need it, and it needs us to consume and operate it, but we're also addicted to it.

Something has to be done before a whole generation of youngsters grows up with a crackberry habit and realizes one day that they've become disconnected from other people because they were so constantly plugged into a virtual reality. So, call me an old foagie, but I think Facebook and crackberries may be breeding a whole generation in need of some serious technology rehab.

Comments

[Mark701]

I can proudly say I don't own a crackberry, don't have a facebook page and forgot my cellphone at home today ( I do own a computer). I was born in the mid-fifties when these things weren't even a twinkle in anyones eye. I spent my time face to face with my friends. If we used an electronic communication device it was a phone to get people together for a football or baseball game.
I had a lot of time to myself that was spent observing, thinking, exploring and questioning. Time that was uninterrupted by someone calling or texting me or otherwise placing disruptive demands on my attention and activities. It saddens me to see young kids walking down the street preoccupied texting or yakking on the phone, ignoring the flow of life going on around them. I doubt there will be many scientists in the upcoming generation. It also makes me wonder, are they so afraid to be alone with their thoughts? Do they really have that much to say? Can ANYONE really have that much to say? Or are we simply observing the results of a brilliant multi-billion dollar marketing campaign, the social consequences of which will not be seen for years?

[robin50]

There is a whole generation it seems that have absolutely no social skills when it comes to actually having to deal with people "live". Right now my car is sitting in my garage when it should be sitting at the station to get all it's bodily fluids flushed and refilled. Why, because the young man couldn't greet me when I came in, just a "yeah?" He never looked up from text messaging while trying to get my info and filling out the service form. Why hasn't his parents or even his current employer explained basic rules of how a customer is treated? Why aren't they given a list of "rules" they should know by the time they get their first job. If you are cashier, know how to make change. You will screw up on the register sooner or later and it won't give you the amount of change. I don't want to stand there while you try to fix your mistake. When you have a customer at the counter you speak to them. And finally the biggest rule... "no cell phones etc.at work" when you are working around customers.

I know many of the people involved in retail are part time until they get a "real" job. Will they act this way at an interview?

[pineapplegal]

No social skills. You nailed it! My son started texting with a girl moving into the area for school and by the time they met face-to-face, their text "relationship" had nearly moved them to virtual sex but they couldn't even look each other in the eyes and then didn't know how to "break it off". WHAT??? How easy for them to hide behind myspace and facebook "behaviour" - what about doing that or saying that straight to someone in public? More importantly, what is this kind of "confusion" doing to their minds, what are they thinking? My friend works in human resources and she says the up and coming "instant gratification, everyone gets an award" generation is very depressing when she's interviewing them. Writer, you are 22 - young enough to not only do something about it but to make a difference as you are NOT an old-foagie. This topic needs to be addressed on a big, serious level. If not, parents, it's up to you to reign it in.

[voting4BO]

I totally agree!!!! It just upsets me when I'm at the cash register and the cashier is talking on his/her cell phone. No social skills at all anymore!!!!

[jukesgrrl]

In my place of business, I am often approached by strangers and asked to supply information. It's absolutely astounding to me how many times, after I am asked a question, that the person posing it does not then accept my reply without expecting me to wait for them to answer a phone call or send/receive a text message.

They ask me something and when I begin to speak they stop me! They don't even excuse themselves or claim the incoming missive (sometimes one I am unaware of since their devices are on "vibrate") is an emergency. They just rudely hold up their hand to me or wave their device in my face and expect me to hold my reply to them. Yet, they still expect a reply -- AT THEIR CONVENIENCE -- and usually demand I repeat the reply one or more times because they weren't paying attention when I spoke. And if I walk away from them, they shout, "Hey, I asked you a question," as if I am the one being rude.

Truly, this happens to me at least once a week and I find it truly odious.

[CitizenFace]

First I'll diffuse a criticism: yes, I am posting this on an internet blog--but no, I'm not doing so in lieu of having this conversation with friends (which I do, and in physical space), nor am I typing this in a restuarant.

I feel similarly to the author. I'm in my mid-20s, and all my friends are on some social networking site (I forget which is the cool one right now).

Today's youth will not get old and realize they lack human contact as the author speculates; the standard of what constitutes "human contact" and how much of it we should have is shifting.

Whenever I go to dinner with my coworkers, they treat their Blackberries like some sort of Ring of Power--constantly taking it out (if it's not already sitting face-up on the table for them to gaze into) or stopping conversation to answer a buzz that COULD wait until after dinner. Sometimes they give a brief apology with a smile as they set their precious screen back on the table (face up, of course), sometimes they just seamlessly pick up where conversation left off. It's infuriating that such annoying, anti-social behavior can be considered so... ordinary!

My point is that these people don't value authentic human interaction all that much... not when compared to the ease and convenience of virtual human interaction.

If dinner still exists as a real-world experience by 2050, it'll totally suck: "Ma, pls pass d Ps"

[JayinPhoenix]

It seems everybody looks back to THEIR youth and seems to be saying "You know, when I was young, we had it JUST right. But these kids today..." Funny how that works. "If everyone else would just get with the program and stop changing things from how WE did it, things might get back to being better again..." Gimme a break...

Pretty much every technology has both positive and negative results, and which it will be depends more on the user than the technology itself. For those who remember land line phones (there are some out there still!) you will recall when tweens and teens used to talk on the phone for hours all day at home. So why is it suddenly a huge problem if they mindlessly chatter on the phone while at the mall or restaurant? Same net effect if you ask me. It's still mindless. I think the only real difference is that our technology has become progressively more mobile. There are downsides for sure, but there are upsides, and for the mosty part they balance each other out. I say all things being equal, mobility is a nice plus.

Let's stop all this talk. In another 40 years, people in their 50's will be saying the same old lines of "In my day..." and "Kids these days..." And it will still sound just as silly then as it does now.

[mandycat]

You've glossed over what makes public telephone conversations a "huge problem" -- the rest of us are being held auditory prisoners. The tedious chatter of chronological and mental 15 year olds has invaded every inch of the common space. There's no escape.

To make things worse, the chatterers all appear to have vocabularies of around 200 words, one of them "like" and another "awesome."

[vmonter]

Weren't telephones and written letters the prior social intermediaries? And you notably left those out of your critique... but there is no real difference.

If anything, the immediate-contact is a farce, and is actually an immediate-­potential-­contact.

And nobody should shun things that are merely more-efficient versions of the previous things.

Have a variety of emails, websites, and a phone that moves with my person. But nobody can contact me unless I acknowledge that attempt to contact and make the connection. And likewise for contacting other people.

And this has placed me in a position of facilitating all of my personal social nets, to a degree.

It's when I forceably see people in person that I cringe. Like when you walk down the street and then OH your ex-gf that you hate is walking towards you. That sort of thing.

I was born in the 80s so you might disagree. But I've flirted with girls over our iPods before. It's just more clutter between the flesh. And neither flesh nor clutter matter. We're animals, grow old and die. Just have some fun with the new gadgets, ok? :)

[DMSmith]

I'm SO tired of this type of drivel!

I'm 63 years old, and I use my iPhone and my computer constantly to meet and stay in touch with people. It has done the opposite of what you suggest. I've never been so in touch with people - in the real world, and in a real way - than now.

When I travel to other countries I meet many whom I've met first online. When I first went to London, I met a friend within 15 minutes of arriving, walking past Harrod's. That evening in a bar, I was greeted by name by five people upon entering for the very first time.

I met my partner of 5 years online, and we've been very happily partnered in the real world. Every day I'm more in touch with real people, for real reasons than ever before.

Your use of a blog to make your point destroys that very point.

[pineapplegal]

The biggest point you miss is the fact you were FIRST allowed to develop social skills and interaction BEFORE this technology came available so you know how to "control" it so to speak and use the social skills you were able to develop. These kids aren't developing social skills!!! No social skills. You nailed it! My son started texting with a girl moving into the area for school and by the time they met face-to-face, their text "relationship" had nearly moved them to virtual sex but they couldn't even look each other in the eyes and then didn't know how to "break it off". WHAT??? How easy for them to hide behind myspace and facebook "behaviour" - what about doing that or saying that straight to someone in public? More importantly, what is this kind of "confusion" doing to their minds, what are they thinking? My friend works in human resources and she says the up and coming "instant gratification, everyone gets an award" generation is very depressing when she's interviewing them. Writer, you are 22 - young enough to not only do something about it but to make a difference as you are NOT an old-foagie. This topic needs to be addressed on a big, serious level. If not, parents, it's up to you to reign it in.

[Sumocat]

"Am I really going to protest the evils of Facebook, the problems with iPods and Crackberries and instant email and internet access?" -- Why not? There have always been people in each generation to protest the evils of advancing technologies, such as TV, radio, telephone, phonograph, telegraph, and the printing press.

[burnt]

Part 1

ha! The fact that you are using the same technology to post this blog entry, leads me to believe that you might try a little insight. It's not about any one type of application of the technology... it's about learning how to gain access and applying those skills to gain insight through viewpoint into oneself and the world.

Yes, here you are applying those lessons on a higher lever, but the young have to learn, and the way they learn often leads to innovation and advancement. It's okay to see things from a different perspective. The question you might ask is: if you grew up with the same hardware/software do you believe you might have done the same at their age?

The content of interacting takes a back seat to the fact that they are interacting. They are helping to firmly establish a global connectivity that has immense importance.

[burnt]

Part 2

This primary campaign was essentially lost due to the Clinton Party's refusal to fully embrace the concept and application of connectivity to achieve a political aim. I know for most, that it's early for hindsight, but this is a conclusion that came very early on. Not only was Obama ready, but his staff took full advantage of every aspect of interconnectivity and successfully mined the potentiality to the hilt.

By the time the Clinton Party woke up... it was far too late to make up for the loss. They didn't realize that we could now talk to each other on an unprecedented level. That *anything* issuing from the spin machine would be instantly challenged and laid bare for all to see for what it truly was... never occurred to them. They had discounted that possibility so deeply, that they were caught totally unprepared as how to respond when it happened.

The young instinctively know this. We are at the very beginning of participatory democracy. Just look at the numbers and the results if you find that hard to believe. We've come a long way in a short time.

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

Visit the Robot series from Asimov or Enders Game from Orson Card-- stuff was written decades ago, and now the precursors of them are happening.

On the up note, I can now receive a call, txt, or pic from a far away friend from 10 years ago at 3:24AM telling me he will be in town next week.

[notanumber]

Hey Morgan, Are you using "old foagie" a synonym for Luddite? Similar reactionary responses to yours have been passed from one "concerned" observer to another since before trains and telegraphs were new.

If you haven't already read "America Calling: A Social History of the Telephone to 1940" by
Claude S. Fischer, you might consider it. He opens the first chapter revealing the Knights of Columbus' "very serious" concern in 1926 of the possibility that the telephone might be responsible for "breaking up home life and the old practice of visiting friends". They also explored the possibility that electric lighting kept people home.

In its pages you will discover that for the last few centuries, young people have been on a continual tech binge. For which I am thankful. Behold the wheel ...

[marlovian]

First, congratulations on successfully employing "anomie" in a sentence. Next, your concerns will be proven during every extended, large scale electrical outage in the coming years.

[BlackJAC]

Partial agreement here: while my time at Verizon Wireless has shown how insane a cellphone can make a person, an iPod is little more than a really expensive Walkman.

[loril]

It is interesting to hear these comments from someone so young. It breaks the stereotype. I am one middle aged woman who is heartened to hear your concerns.

I am living proof, on the other end of the generational arc, that almost anyone is susceptable to technology addiction. Although I prefer books, am shockingly ignorant with computer skills, and am intimidated by the constant onslaught of new technologies, I cannot imagine my life now without the internet and e-mail. E-mail "conversations" kept me balanced and sane when I was cooped up for long days alone with my new baby, for instance. It also saves me long distance bills and is more convenient because I can do it when it fits into my schedule. My friends almost never call me anymore. But I e-mail daily.

I am grateful to remember a full life before all of this. Seeing friends face to face, getting excited when they finally played one of my favorite songs on the radio, waiting in anticipation for a phone call or lettter from a boyfriend, staying home to watch tsome popular movie they finally televised. It was all good. I also wonder about lost memories.

Do people save and store e-mail or texts? I still have letters, post cards and other memorabilia from friends that go back at least 30 years. These are wonderful reminders of days gone by. Today everything seems disposable and when it is gone...it is truly gone.

[Kodachi]

Absolutely people save favorite e-mails and text messages. Sometimes, I even print them out to save in hard-copy form.