Are Millennials Too Much Reliant on Technology?

We live in a digital age, the age classified as postmodern. The postmodern era is beyond modern. Before modern, pre-modern and other generations before preceded. It means that the human race has undergone evolution. History suggests that human periods initially began during the pre-history, proto-history, post-classical history and then modern history. According to Giddens, (2013), the postmodern age is a period characterized by modern technological inventions and innovations. Technology has reduced the postmodern era to the extent that it is equivalent to a global village. Information technology is an immediate agent of postmodernism.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Over the past centuries and decades, the human race has made technological improvements and advancements. Information technology has created a society characterized by virtually, continuous transformation and a societal perspective that is information oriented. The advent of social networking platforms through the use of the internet has enabled communication across continents, just by the click of a button. Technology as became an essential aspect of the young people in the contemporary society. Millennials are too much reliant on technology. This paper attempts to establish the truth of this statement by agreeing. However, the article will try to analyze both sides of the assertion.

The MillennialsAccording to Twenge and Campbell, (2012), the millennials are a group of young youths reaching adulthood in the 21st century. The millennials are born between the period of 1980's and 2000's. These categories of people were born at the edge of the millennium. The group possesses unique characteristics that distinguish them from other people that were born before. They are under the influence of modern technology, and as a result, they have managed to develop attitudes towards life that technological progress shape. As a result, Millennials have their fears, insecurities, problems, and difficulties.

The people are practically born with phones and are very familiar and proficient with technology. Among the millennials, communication is via the use of text messages, emails, and social media posts among others (Twenge & Campbell, 2012). It, therefore, means that there is limited one-on-one interaction among the millennials. Behind every social media post, email or the text message sent, it is believed that there is a person manipulating a device or sitting before a screen. Interaction through such forums, therefore does not involve robots. Modern technology has managed to limit physical human interaction. People are unable to sustain long conversations. As a result, when millennials hang out, everyone is always sitting across each other, scrolling their phones. Usually, they are busy checking their social networking timelines, reacting on posts. As a result of this, the millennials greatly rely on the social media to get feedback. These social media sites releases dopamine and allow us to develop a euphoric feeling. It is because of this reason that people find the social media very addictive to an extent that they owe their lives to their social media profiles.

Millennials and Technology

There is a close interaction between the millennials and technology. In comparison with the other generations before, their interaction with technology is above the notch. The generation's digital tendencies suggest that modern marketers and brands need to set strategies that aim to keep up and engage to this generation (Serres, 2014). The millennials also referred to as Generation Y, is the first generation of development of cable television, the internet, and mobile phones. It means that technology is an essential part of the millennials DNA.

The millennials are more fluent and comfortable with technology. They have a more positive way of viewing technology. Technology dramatically affects their lives more than any other generation. The millennials believe that technology makes their lives easier. It also helps them to be closer to their families and friends.

This age has increased access to technological devices. Access to technology has fuelled the ability of the millennials to stay social 24/7. On the other hand, the younger millennials are in a position to access social media sites by using their smartphones, laptops, and tablets. The older millennials also use more mobile applications to access social media sites.

A survey conducted by Cohen, Fowler, Medenica, and Rogowski (2018) came up with the following findings; that roughly 90% of the millennials across racial-ethnic groups own smart phones-African American (69%), Latinx (69), who are less likely to use laptops and desktop computers in comparison with White (89%) and Asian American (83%) millennials.

The report also noted that the millennials access news online by using the social media sites. In this way, the generation Y does not depend on the mainstream media to obtain news. The survey notes that in the current generation, there is a high possibility of technology decreasing job opportunities because machines replace human labor. The report also notes that the majority of the millennials believe that schools should put much emphasis on the computer programming and the coding than they do currently Cohen, Fowler, Medenica & Rogowski, 2018). The report also notes that majority of the millennials think that the government has an obligation of taking care of those individuals whose jobs modern technology displace, even if it means raising taxes.

The Social Media

Social media has hardwired people with their smartphones and other devices through the use of the internet (Boyd, 2014). Millennials are in a good position to connect with the virtual and the real world. With relation to how the millennials are over-reliant on technology, social media has made the millennials to bury themselves on their phone screens. As a result, they have lost a connection with the real world. The social networking platforms that are dominated by the millennials include Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter among many more social media platforms.

The generation Y is too much obsessed with the social media. Previous generations derive feelings of achievement and self-worth through progress in their careers. The older generations spent much power in a way that the millennials are unable to. Due to the rising number of career recessions as a result of modern technology and an ever-rising number of unemployed youths, millennials opt to fill this void by finding solace on social media.

With many followers and virtual friends, one gets the affirmative approval and a feeling of being famous online (Boyd, 2014).

In reality, the millennials usually have nothing to show for this. In this regard, social media is not just a way for people to feel good about themselves. Karl Max saw religion as the opium of the masses. Karl Marx reasoned by seeing faith as an avenue that gave hope of salvation for the poor and downtrodden. For the millennials, social media serves the same purpose. Social media serves the purpose of distracting the millennials from the social, economic and economic reality that breeds hopelessness. Social media offers a route out of these miseries and has made the generation y to be escapists. It explains why the millennials are glued to their phone screens and cannot peel themselves away from it.

The Social Impact of Technology

Some people find it hard to accept new technologies. In the current post-modern society, ignorance of modern or updated technology may affect the well-being of individuals. The reason behind this is that those skilled in new technologies could be competing with those people who are not. The advancements in technology impact the society by creating positive and negative imprints on the wellbeing of individuals. In connection with the social media, Facebook positively creates an impact by enhancing communication among people. People can instantly connect with family and friends remotely (Bijker, Hughes, Pinch, & Douglas, 2012). On the negative aspect, it provides a platform where its adherents are possible victims of cyberbullying. The social media also creates a disconnection of people from the real-life interactions.

In this regard, the evolution of technology has managed to change the society to change the culture both positively and negatively. Modern societies entirely depend on technology. Technology has led to simplify access to many essential tools that the human community needs in education, medicine, communication, transportation among others. However, before the onset of these technological devices and the invention of the internet, people could sit together as families, enjoy meals together and play games as well. The invention of devices such as smartphones, laptops, and televisions broke family bonds. Modern families cannot have a friendly attitude towards each other as they used to in the past. In the contemporary society, instead of people playing games together as a family as was in the past, home entertainment has changed to people enclosing themselves into their rooms and play video games, text, listen to music or watch television.

Also, technology has caused a decrease in the number of critical thinkers within the society. People entirely depend on technology for everyday survival. In this regard, people are unable to think for themselves and depend on internet search engine tools such a Bing, Yahoo, Google and Ask. Also, through mobile phone technology, people have managed to develop applications that make life easier. These include Google maps, TV remotes, and breathalyzers among others.

Technology has also contributed to the society lacking social skills that are vital for survival. The majority of the millennials are usually anti-social because they lack social interaction skills. Social skills are essential for human survival. Lack of social skills has contributed significantly to lack of emotional maturation among individuals. The millennials prefer to text instead of talking because they believe that talking involves too much information and too much awkwardness. Millennials hold the opinion that sending text messages is also much quicker and very easy to stop before rejection.

What the Future Holds

The millennial generation grew at a time when technology through the computer and internet revolution was taking hold. They came of age during a period of internet explosion. Technology is used to classify the different eras of society, and it is for this reason that we had the Stone Age period, the scientific and industrial revolution period and now the postmodern age that the computer technology characterizes.

The millennials will be the future entrepreneurs, prospective employers, parents, and also customers. Most of these people cannot contemplate how the society was before the internet and the social media. The forces of globalization have shaped the lives of the millennials. In this regard, millennials operate in an environment that not only integrate multiple generations but also horizontally integrate people from different national and cross cultural boundaries. As a result, the millennials will be in a position to accelerate the contemporary demands of the postmodern society because they have the global mindset when raised, contrary to the older generation.

On a positive note, the millennials are in a position to navigate complex economic situations through their social networks across the globe, mostly through the social media. The millennials, therefore, use the social media, not just for communication but also to share ideas and establish trends and connections across the globe with a broad range of stakeholders.

With the new enterprise mo...