By Zoë Ryder
Every generation has grown up in a different world than their parents, encountering new challenges and difficulties. However, Gen Z faces a change never seen before. With the introduction of technology, we have lost a sense of commitment and responsibility. So the most pressing question is, what lasting effects will technology have on Gen Z and future generations?
There is no doubt Gen Z is growing up in a drastically different world than previous generations, as we were raised with technology being an intrinsic part of our lives - Almost an extension of our very being. Whether teenagers use it for school, relationships, or simply leisure, this overbearing reliance on technology has changed the mindset of our generation, engendering attention deficiency issues and other mental health issues in teens.
Social media apps such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat offer instant gratification, giving the brain short, continuous hits of dopamine. While not visibly threatening, this constant overstimulation translates into an addiction similar to that of drugs.
Studies have found that most teenagers experience difficulty concentrating on activities that exclude their phones, such as reading. In her blog, author Claire Madden states, “Boredom also seems to set in incredibly easily and quickly. So addicted are Gen Z to the constant overstimulation of push notifications, Instagram likes, text messages and Snapchats, ‘boredom’ seems to onset simply when there is a short period in their day without such instant stimulation.”
This instant ‘boredom’ from under-stimulation not only discourages healthy habits like athleticism and even social interaction, it also makes it difficult for teenagers to focus, and thus comprehend, harder or more extended texts, either for pleasure or school. In an article discussing the detriments of technology on Gen Z, the author, Maryanne Wolf, states, “I am less concerned with students' cognitive impatience than with their potential inability to read with the sophistication necessary to grasp the complexity of thought and argument found in denser, longer, more demanding texts, whether in literature and science classes or, later, in wills, contracts, and public referenda.”
According to Parlindungan Pardede, a researcher at Universitas Kristen Indonesia, due to the increasing amount of time spent in reading electronic documents, screen-based reading behavior has emerged. It is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, and reading more selectively. This reading behavior diminishes sustained attention and dissipates the benefits of standard reading. This is a problem. As a result, much of Gen Z is unable to withstand more lengthy and thought-provoking content.
Maryanne Wolf continues on, stating, “As our youth read ever more on digital devices … their circuits adapt accordingly, often acquiring new, cognitively innovative and visually sophisticated processes… we must understand whether our youths' adaptation to digital affordances is diminishing their use of time-demanding deep reading processes.”
This concept resonates with many teens as most of us have had to persevere through seemingly impossible assignments with fleeting attention spans and drained mental ability. In most cases, technology is the root cause of our struggles, and we regress and procrastinate in efforts to escape our problems. Mindlessly scrolling on our phones provides a sense of calm in the present, but the long-lasting effects of this habit are detrimental. By reading tangible text for just a couple of minutes a day, we take the first steps to recovery.
Works Cited
Wolf, Maryanne. “There's a Crisis of Reading among Generation Z.” Pacific Standard, Pacific Standard, 29 Apr. 2019, https://psmag.com/ideas/theres-a-crisis-of-reading-among-generation-z.
Pardede, Parlindungan. Gen Zers' Are Suffering from the Reading Crisis, 19 May 2020, https://www.weedutap.com/2019/06/gen-zers-are-suffering-from-reading.html.
Madden, Claire. “10 Reasons Why Generation Z Use Social Media.” 10 Reasons Why Generation Z Use Social Media, 13 Dec. 2020, https://clairemadden.com/category/blog/10-reasons-generation-z-use-social-media-part-2.