I have trouble keeping up with the general characteristics of Gen-X and Millennials and don’t really like labels anyway since people are different. However, my son Matthew, born in 1977, explained that he is neither Gen-X nor Millennial. He’s in-between, and they don’t have a good name for them. According to this article by Anna Garvey, written back in 2015, the “Oregon Trail Generation,” as she calls them, “…came of age just as the very essence of communication was experiencing a seismic shift, and it’s given us a unique perspective that’s half analog old school and half digital new school.”
Here’s what I found interesting: she decries the evils of today’s social media, which are just asides in this article. Here’s her first observation:
Those born in the late 70s and early 80s were the last group to have a childhood devoid of all the technology that makes childhood and adolescence today pretty much the worst thing imaginable. We were the last gasp of a time before sexting, Facebook shaming, and constant communication. (Emphasis mine)
Later on, she writes:
The importance of going through some of life’s toughest years without the toxic intrusion of social media really can’t be overstated. Myspace was born in 2003 and Facebook became available to all college students in 2004. So if you were born in 1981-1982, for example, you were literally the last graduating class to finish college without social media being part of the experience. When we get together with our fellow Oregon Trail Generation friends, we frequently discuss how insanely glad we are that we escaped the middle school, high school and college years before social media took over and made an already challenging life stage exponentially more hellish. (Emphasis mine)
I’ve written before about the need for what author Cal Newport calls “digital minimalism.” But Anna Garvey’s remarks go beyond not needlessly cluttering up our lives: social media can be harmful, especially to our kids and grandkids.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5.18, ESV)
Just came back from six weeks in the Middle East and Egypt. I’m so glad that modern technology allowed your blog to accompany me as my constant companion and lifeline to God’s lessons. I’ll join you in decrying that it can be overdone and dangerous, but I sure appreciate your daily thoughts.
Thank you for the affirmation, Henry! I’m glad the daily blogs were helpful on what appeared (from Facebook!) to be a fabulous trip. So, yes, we use technology both for this blog and for keeping up with you while you were sailing down the Nile.
Wow! So informative! We were at our all-church picnic yesterday, and granted it was almost quitting time. But a toddler, probably 2, maybe three, was lying underneath his stroller on the bottom tray. He had some sort of electronic device in his hand and he was just tapping away on it. There were bounce houses, a bounce slide and a few other activities for the really little ones, but where was he? Under his stroller playing with some sort of handheld device! I found it very sad. Maybe he was exhausted and needed a diversion so he would calm down and rest. Admittedly, I do not know the whole situation. And I know it takes much personal discipline for adults to put their phones away! But we all need to exercise that discipline and be a better example for the younger generation!
Yes!
I must admit that I have struggled with social media too because there is a clear down side to it. I like being able to stay in touch with friends and promote my business, yet there are days when I question that and consider closing my accounts.
The one thing I enforce with myself is a time limit so I do get caught up in it and waste a bunch of time. As with most things in life, I find moderation is a necessity.
Exactly, Kathleen. Moderation. Also, and to the main point of the post, kids are subjected to more than mere time-wasting. Many are being bullied; others build their whole self-esteem on how many “likes,” etc.