When I look at the kids of today, my mind is usually blown away. On one hand I’ve watched a 4 year old handle an iPad better than my father would. They’ve grown up with Technology and adapted to it so quickly.. kids today have access to any information just at their fingertips.
At the same time they’re bombarded with the world, that is social media, and it’s easy to see the effect that it’s, selfies and attention span seems to be the norm now are days. Today kids are super intelligent and connected and they’re growing up less rebellious and more tolerant, but also less happy because they don’t play as much as the other generations used to. Most of our new generation aren’t prepared for adulthood. They have all the latest tech, they see the world through the screens in their hands.They don’t realize what a proud key is.
They live in a cordless world were you know who’s calling you before you even answer the phone.Most of them don’t understand the frustration of wanting to talk in private.Back then before cellphones,there were landline phones.The landline was always in the kitchen,or the other in the sitting room and also in our parents bedroom. So you could only go as far as the cord could stretch.Talking to your crush or friend was never easy because you might find out your little sibling was listening on the conversation from another phone the whole time.hahahaha!
Growing up in the dusty streets of Dzivaresekwa Harare in Zimbabwe, I am proud of my humble beginnings.A time when everyone treated each other like family or auntie. Every female that came to your house was your aunty, even if they were no relation.We went outside to play on the streets, build dens and climb trees and made tree swings. We didn’t eat fast food .We ate a fat slice of bread smothered with sun jam, for dessert home made food and chips cooked in a lard chip pan we got ice cream from the ice-cream man and we had our milk delivered by the milk man.
We played rounders and marbles, Hide and Seek, Kiss, cuddle and torture and knock door run.There was no bottled water,we drank water from the tap if we had a drink we would share the same bottle of pop.After giving it a wipe with our mucky sleeves.We had no kids tv channels rode our bikes for hours .There was no such thing as a mobile phone or any other electronic device.We weren’t AFRAID OF ANYTHING. If someone had a fight,that’s what it was,a fist fight,kids didn’t have guns or knives.The street lights were your curfew or until your mum shouted out the window. School was mandatory, but you would still wag a couple of lessons every now and then.
Our young generation of today has both good qualities and some deficiencies in them.This generation has a series of understanding and emotions that the previous generation did not possess and therefore,we must always give them the benefit of the doubt.
Every generation of the teens is shaped by the social,political and economic events of the day.Today’s teenage are no different,and they are saturated by mobile technology and social media.-”Does this mean that the today’s youth is the worst generation ever?”No” I don’t think so.
Today we are the Millennial generation,anyone born within the 1980s and the early 2000s. Before us was generation X, and even before that were the baby boomers. Each generation has different attributes that provide explanation to their behaviors and what is going on in the world around them. We the millennial generation, are seen as a generation that is technologically advanced, highly educated, and are said to be the future of change in our society.
I believe that each new group of adolescents is seen as the worst generation ever. There is something about the way the youth is perceived that causes us to never lose the naïve, rebellious, or innocent associations. Society is continually progressing and developing at such a quick rate and each generation offers different qualities, changes, and ideas to the world around them. As something new is brought to the table within these groups, it causes older generations to feel uncomfortable because it is different and not something they are used to. \
Today’s youth have grown and matured in a different manner, in terms of their exposure to technology, social media, and ability to multitask.This technological influence has caused us to see the world differently and has influenced our educational environment as well. While many individual’s consumption of social media can seem over the top or hindering them from many aspects of the world, others are making technological advances that are creating a variety of opportunities for future generations.
This is causing the working world to slowly change and our personal plans for future careers and paths to be extremely unique compared to any other time period. Additionally, the Millennial generation is making a mark in history with its developments in gender identity. Never before have individuals been able to honestly express their sexuality and gender identity in the way that they can today and will, even more, in the future.
I am not saying all of this because I am trying to defend that our generation is perfect. I don’t believe that at all. I do not believe any generation is perfect. I am saying this because I believe each generation comes with multiple narratives. Yet certain ones are highlighted more than others.
Even though there are millennials on the news for derogatory reasons or others who fall under the negative associations of our generation does not mean that there aren’t others who are positively moving forward and pushing change. We all have a fixed expectation of what will happen when you walk into a room filled with teenagers, but it does not mean that everything you believe can be applied to every individual in that room—like every other stereotype known to man.
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