by Alicia Massey, staff reporter
“Eyebrows on fleek” “You’re savage” “Like my pic on the gram” “Subs” “Add me on snapchat” “Netflix is life” and “You’re so tumblr” are some of the daily things said by this current generation.
Comparing this current generation to the previous generations in the past shows how much of a change there is. Priorities have been completely flipped and it’s like a new era.
Teens today don’t think like the teens from the 70’s or 60’s. Different times, different people.
Social Media
Social media today impacts the lives of many teens. Teens are constantly checking their phones to see what people have posted or tweeted or snapped them. Instagram is a very popular app that millions of teens use today. Many are obsessed with the amount of followers they get and who likes the pictures they post.
Today, the number of likes a person gets on a photo defines who they are. People post pictures asking for likes and promising things such as shout outs if they like the latest pic. On Instagram you can share videos and pictures. Not everyone uses Instagram for good. On numerous occasions, people post videos of fights; this brings humiliation to the person getting beaten up.
Before social media, people didn’t see videos of fights going viral and know who was who and what was happening. Social media has gotten even more dangerous. By looking through someone’s profile, a person can stalk and even find someone’s location. In a different time, people weren’t able to do that. People had to look through a phone book and hope that the person who they were trying to reach was listed in the phone book. They didn’t communicate through texts but actually called the person or went over to that person’s house.
“I think social media has absolutely become a part of teens’ lives may be too much. Although it has its benefits such as the spread of news and important events. Teens have also started to lose the ability to be social in real life as oppose to being social on the internet,” junior Lara Cwass said.
The Mindset of Many Teens
Many teens today have a completely different outlook on life. Many believe in “YOLO,” meaning you only live once and a person should live life to its fullest. In a different time, people believed that one should graduate high school then go to college and get a job. Now college is more of an option. Many people choose to defer and travel.
“I would honestly love to travel after high school. I have traveled before and I would love to go see more: Thailand, Asia, Africa, etc,” eighth grader Julia DiMarcello.
In the U.K. and other European countries, it’s common for students to take a gap year — a year between high school and college for gaining useful life experiences. Traveling, learning a language, performing humanitarian or religious service and completing career internships are among many options for gap years. Higher education isn’t the main priority for many anymore, creating memories has taken that space.
“I would like to travel to Ireland and take some time off after high school. Then get a bachelors degree in business,” sophomore David Legunas said.
Behaviors and Manners
Respect is a foreign concept to many teens. Common courtesy has been forgotten. Let’s say a young teen is sitting on the bus and has taken the last available seat. The bus comes to a random stop and an older woman gets on. The polite thing for the young teen to do, is offer his or her seat to the older woman. This doesn’t always happen anymore.
Some teens don’t care that an older woman came on, they are not budging. Teens think they can talk to others however they want. They have no regard for authority.People rarely say thank you anymore or excuse me. These were mandatory at a time and considered an insult if not said. Now it’s a surprise if someone says thank you after given something.
Today’s generation also thinks that they are entitled to everything. They think just because they do one thing they should be showered with praise and affection. Millions of people in different countries do that same thing that they believe to be ‘so special’ and aren’t praised for it. Teens also value what their friends say over their own opinion. They will trust their friends’ judgement about something that is going on to them.
“Little things such as pushing a chair in after you use it has been forgotten,” junior Brendon Muñiz said.
The generation gap is evident today and shows itself in more ways than one.
