Human beings have survived and thrived as a species for a variety of well-researched reasons. One trait that has emerged as crucial to this success is the ability to effectively communicate with one another.
In fact, there is a wealth of research evidence which indicates that this ability to communicate and work together with others has not only allowed us to excel, but has become a vital need for individuals to feel good about themselves and to meet their esteem needs (as presented by Social Scientist Abraham Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs).
According to Maslow’s theory, basic safety and survival needs have to be met before psychological needs can be met, and the first level of psychological needs is what he called “Belongingness and Love Needs.
I would argue that this level of need that has been met by the majority of humans for as long as humans have lived together, is now being challenged with digital communication based on social media and other technological. What does this mean? It means that children growing up today and those of us who are immersed in screen time activities for much of our day, have substituted electronic activities to obtain or share information for real time human to human contact.
This is not ground breaking news. The most recent estimate is that there are 225 million Americans who rely on cell phones. (Statista, 2017) This is approximately 68% of the U.S. population and continuing to grow. Children born today (and really since the mid 1990s) know of no other reality.
American psychologist, Dr. Jean Twenge, phrased the term the “I Gen” about this generation in her book,
iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What That Means for the Rest of Us
Here is a glimpse of her theory printed in the Atlantic Magazine in 2017:
My intention is not to demonize technology, nor to convince people to use less technology, but to present a clear case for the importance of working to understand the psychological and social impacts of this phenomenon.
We easily become accustomed to newly created conveniences, perhaps too easily. Is it still possible today to be a critical consumer of modern media? To properly evaluate the unintended impacts of these tremendous technological advances?
We need to help kids understand that they are missing an invaluable component of growing up by substituting social media and screen time for actual human to human contact. Period.
Cases of anxiety, depression, and a host of other psychological illnesses continue to explode at alarming rates. We need to work together to help children and young adults navigate this uncharted territory. Maybe social media is the only way to really be listened to…