Lifestyle

Generation-Y: Creators, Innovators And… Creepers?

by Kendall Wood
Stocksy

The world of social media is constantly evolving and re-defining the world as we know it. The prevalence of social media and technology makes us wonder what the world used to be like. These days, so much of our lives revolve around being able to record our experiences through media or text posts on our social media profiles for the rest of the world to see. Why do we put forth so much effort to share our experiences with the rest of the world, rather than intimately engaging in them ourselves? Likewise, why do we indulge in social media to find out what's going on in the lives of others, rather than enjoying our own lives?

Social media sites are diseases to our culture. The destructive effects that they have had on the social norms of our society are omnipresent. We are subjecting ourselves to the downfall of our own society. Social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter enable us to inform the public of everything we have going on in our lives -- literally, everything.

As Generation-Y, we are becoming true experts at using social media to its fullest potential: unlimited creeping. We find ourselves clicking into the profile of a friend, to the profile of a mutual friend, to the profiles of five more people that we actually have no connection with. Generation-Y is made up of creators, innovators and… creepers?

We dive into the social media site of our choice in an attempt to lessen the boredom, and many times, we end up utterly disappointed. Not just by the lack of new content from the last time we checked the site five minutes go, but from the content that we find surprising and disenchanting. Researchers have actually found that people who spend excessive amounts of time on Facebook are less satisfied with their lives and more socially isolated than those who do not.

How many times have you been innocently browsing through a social media site and come across something that completely changed your mood? One common occurrence is among couples who catch each other lying by skimming through pictures, or finding coincidental comments on a friend's profile.

The capabilities of social media outlets are advancing every day. Just today I downloaded the Snapchat update for my phone, and while the aesthetics of the app have drastically improved, the developers made it easier for all of us to peep at the top three friends of all those on our own contact list. Scrolling through your friends list, just by tapping any name, you can instantly discover exactly who that person is snapchatting on the regular. Is it just me, or is this completely unnecessary? This update is just another peephole into everyone's private lives.

I guess it's our own choice to get involved in whatever social media we please, but it seems like the way our generation thinks, if it's available to us, we're on top of it. We really should stop worrying about the lives of others and worry about our own. Comparing what we're doing on the weekend to the next person is senseless.

Who cares? Advancing technology is a benefit to our society in a lot of ways, but it's defining our culture in a negative manner. We're losing sight of the beauty in the world and the value of genuine relationships. Let's change this Gen-Y.