An Electronic Generation

Its a technologic world and were all living in it. Lets face it: whether youre walking
down the sidewalk or sitting in a lecture hall, just do a little scanning and more than half the
crowd is consumed by their media device. Before going into this assignment, I thought of myself
as a casual media consumer. Someone who found random times throughout the day, maybe times
when I was bored or had nothing else to do, to check in on social media or see whats going on in
the world. I thought that I spent a decent amount of time on social media, but was not nearly as
caught up in the trend as many people around me. I didnt want to think of myself as someone
who valued electronics more than life passing by around me.
Digital Narrative
Growing up, my parents never really had rules forbidding me from social media. I got my
phone long after most of my friends did, my first phone wasnt a smart phone, so my parents
gradually eased me into participating in the media frenzy. Im the oldest of my siblings and Ive
noticed that their introduction into the electronic world happened far earlier than mine. My
brother got his first phone at a younger age than me, my sister, who is currently eight years old,
has an iPad and spends many hours a day playing games and I can see a phone in her near future.
When I first got my phone, my parents kept a close eye on what I was using it for, they made
sure I wasnt getting into trouble with it.
I was in 2nd grade when I received the first media gadget that played an impact on my
life: The Nintendo DS. As sad as it is to admit, being a part of this trend may have actually
strengthened my relationship with my friends at the time. All my peers had one and we all had
the same games to play so it gave us something to connect over. Looking back on it, there were
many times when I was so absorbed by the games when I shouldve been focused on other
things, such as more quality family time or something of that sort. I never saw the gadgets
affecting my behavior in any way. Out of all my friends, I was the last to get a phone, I was in 6th
grade. At the time I was a little frustrated with seeing everyone around me texting and calling
when I had nothing, but now Im thankful that my parents made me wait. I knew what it was like
to go without electronics longer than most of those around me, I wasnt sucked in the craze as
early as some were. Looking at todays generation, there are so many young children who are
addicted to their gadgets and dont know what its like to be without them. Im so grateful that
my parents made me grow up with the ability to find things to do outside without technology, to
be able to appreciate the littler thing. Getting my first phone made me feel more in the loop. I
felt more connected to those around me. Media used to mean so much to me and, although I do
still think its an important source of entertainment and information, growing older has shown
me that theres much less significance in being so absorbed by the gadgets around us.
Looking back, I cant think of one device in particular that impacted me the most. I think
all of them over the course of my life have played a role in some way, shape or form. Now that
Im in college, I still find myself being glued to my phone or my computer probably more than I
should be, but Im definitely finding that its easier to put the device down than it once was.
Being so focused on electronics takes away from so many things that could be experienced in

real life and that has become so much more clear to me now. So the question is: how much time
do I spend daily on social media? With the following gathered information, I will find answers to
the posed inquiry.
Methodology

Class Device Usage

smartphone

laptop

TV

iPad

Individual Device Usage

smartphone

laptop

TV

The data I used was collected on Monday, September 9. 2015. This wasnt entirely a
normal weekday; it was Labor Day so there were no classes to attend. I chose to perform this
experiment on this day because I thought I would have more time to actually pay attention to my
technology use. Instead of focusing on classes and homework, I would be more focused in on
what devices I was using and for how long. I collected the data by manually keeping track with a
pen and paper. I admit that there were many times in which I found myself struggling.
Forgetting to keep track of my media usage time was a common occurrence for me. Using
electronics, and a lot of them at that, so subconsciously and so often made it difficult for me to
keep track at times because I would forget that the device I was using was considered an
electronic. While this information does differ from a typical day, I dont think its by much. On a
normal school day, I would be distracted by class time and have things to do and fill my time.
Without class, however, I have to fill that empty space with distractions such as my phone.
The Hunt for Satisfaction

Individual Time Spent on Social Media

texting

Twitter

Facebook

Snapchat

Instagram

The morning of the experiment was finally

here and throughout the course of the day I was awake for a total of 840 minutes. We all have a
thirst for technology and we must quench it. Waking up on an average Monday morning, the first
thing I do is reach for my phone. Its an interesting concept, the urge some feel to check in on the
media world before doing something as simple as brushing their teeth. My phone is the center of
my technologic world. If Im not texting, Im using it to surf the web or check my Twitter feed.
If we look at the graph representing the percentage of my individual device usage in a waking
day, we can see that my smartphone dominates, taking up well over half of my media
consumption. On a daily basis, I find a way to incorporate my phone into everything that I need
to get done. I always feel its necessary to have my phone by my side and I feel much better
about it if I can make excuses as to why I have it. This behavior is a result of growing up in the
digital age. Everywhere I go, I constantly see people using their phones and I reciprocate their
actions to fit in. Usually I dont want to spend my time distracted by the device but Ill do just

that in order to waste time or avoid awkward conversation. According to an article written by
Lee Rainie and Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center, when in public places cellphone
owners say they most frequently use their phones for basic social or information-oriented tasks.
65% say they frequently or occasionally look up information about where they are going or how
to get there, 70% frequently or occasionally coordinate get-togethers with others, 67% frequently
or occasionally catch up with family and friends. Looking at the chart to the right we see that
throughout my entire day, I spent a total of 603 minutes using my phone: 375 minutes texting,
155 minutes on Twitter, 38 minutes on Instagram, 15 minutes on Facebook and 20 minutes on
Snapchat. This wasnt an average day, however. I performed this experiment on Labor Day so I
wasnt required to attend classes. I woke up later than normal and took multiple naps and
actually spent much of the day asleep compared to being awake. I know that, had it been a
normal week day, I wouldve spent much more time consumed by my phone. If I was in class, I
would constantly be checking it during periods of boredom. I would be texting on the way to
classes in order to blend in with the tech-savvy crowd I was unconsciously a part of. Statistically
speaking, my device usage matches with the class. Looking at the numbers collected by all the
student in our section of English, the time spent on smartphones was above and beyond that of
any other popular technology medium.
Multitasking is a common occurrence in our culture. We feel as though our brains arent
satisfied enough by one thing for long periods of time. I would be the first to admit that
multitasking is a problem that I find myself running into many times every day. When
performing this experiment, I would almost always have to reread homework assignments
several times because I was distracted by texting or the TV. Many times in class I will miss some
of what a professor is lecturing about because I think Im able to listen and text at the same time,
but ultimately fail. Even now, as Im typing this paper, Im talking to my roommate and listening
to music at the same time. Multitasking is something that everyone thinks theyre good at but
when it really comes down to it, our attention should only be devoted to one task at a time. Has
multitasking and the obsession with digital devices allowed for the development of short
attention spans? In the PBS documentary, Digital Nation Life on the Virtual Frontier, we are
challenged to consider if we have become the dumbest generation. Prof. Mark Bauerlein proves
this fact by saying, You will find a lot of English professors saying, I cant assign a novel more
than 200 pages. Students indulge in their love for Spark Notes and reveal that many of them
havent read an entire novel because it just takes up too much time. One thing that stuck out to
me on the day of this experiment is how quickly I lose focus when doing my homework. It
doesnt take much for me to lose interest and I will often reward myself for doing part of my
assignment with Twitter or checking my texts. Multitasking is something that most of the time I
dont even notice myself doing, its something for me thats done so casually. Being forced to
pay attention to my electronic habits, however, allowed me to see how much I really do it and
dont even notice.
In this day-in-age, our generation is criticized on the basis that we are too addicted to
technology. Its all around us and we cant seem to put it down. We live in generation like.
That is to say, were intrigued with having an online identity and being noticed. One teen seen in

the documentary titled Generation Like explains it by saying, I think that social media has really
empowered me. Its a way of letting people know youre there. Specialist Douglas Rushkoff
points out that empowering is a word that is very common among teens when they describe
using social media. For many young people, it
gives them a voice. Its a way for them to be
noticed and display their talents and abilities. Not
only is is a primary source of entertainment, but
its also become a necessity to doing well in
school. Most teachers post assignments online,
students stay in contact with instructors through
email, even typing/internet navigating classes have
become common in most schools so we as young
media consumers can stay updated on digital skills.
On the contrary, the older generations are criticized
for not knowing enough about the digital world.
Living in todays society, its vital that you know at
least some things about the internet and how to use
it. Older social media users, while not accustomed
to the ins and outs of how its used, must adapt to
it. While conducting further research, I found that
the Pew Research Center had stated that, In April
2012, the Pew Research Center found for the first time that more than half of older adults
(defined as those ages 65 or older) were internet users. Today, 59% of seniors report they go
online a six-percentage point increase in the course of a yearIn addition, 77% of older adults
have a cell phone, up from 69% in April 2012. They then go on to say, But despite these gains,
seniors continue to lag behind younger Americans when it comes to tech adoption. And many
seniors remain largely unattached from online and mobile life 41% do not use the internet at
all, 53% do not have broadband access at home, and 23% do not use cell phones. While this
generation has recognized the need to set foot in this so called digital nation, they havent yet
caught up to us.
Powering Down
Growing up in the prime time of a digital age really shaped who I am as a media
consumer. As a young child, I was always a step behind others when it came to the latest
technologic trends but at this point in my life, I would say Im keeping up just fine. Technology
can strengthen friendships and it can also slowly tear them apart. It also brings a whole new
definition to the meaning of friendship. Weve come to a point in the digital age where having
friends on social media might mean more to some than having actual friends and maintaining a
physical friendship.
This generation thirsts for technology. Its everywhere we look and sometimes impossible
to put down. On a personal level, my phone consumes much of my time and that trend is true for

most people in my age group. Whether its a source of entertainment or a way to stay with the
times, phones are necessary accessories for many people. For me, phones are mainly used for
texting and communicating with others however its also a prime tool for searching the web and
checking my Twitter feed. The study conducted by Lee Rainie and Kathryn Zickuhr proves that
cellphones serve many purposes.
Multitasking is a problem that affects many of us. Sometimes its something that we dont
even recognize ourselves doing. Our minds have become numb to the idea of staying focused on
one thing for too long. Its very common for me to have music playing in the background of
nearly everything I do. We get bored too easily and rely on electronics to fix it. Everyone thinks
theyre good at multitasking, but in reality no one is.
We as a society are being criticized for being too consumed with media and also being
criticized for not being involved enough. Older adults are slowly working their way into the
media world, its become a time when the only way to stay connected is to do so. Despite the
older generations efforts to maintain a presence in social media, they will never catch up to be
equal to generation like. While I dont think its entirely healthy to revolve your whole world
around technology, I think its good to be in a position where you know how to use it when
necessary.
Work Cited
1 Rainie, Lee, and Kathryn Zickuhr. "Americans' Views on Mobile Etiquette." Pewinternet.org.
N.p., 26 Aug. 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2015. (information)
2

Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier. Dir. Douglas Rushkoff. PBS, 2010.

Generation Like. Dir. Douglas Rushkoff. PBS, 2014.

Smith, Aaron. "Older Adults and Technology Use." Pewinternet.org. N.p., 3 Apr. 2014. Web. 27
Sept. 2015.
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