Posted by: junkynfunky July 20, 2011
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Are we the lazy generation???
Are social media creating the laziest generation??
We are the reality-show generation. Instead of doing, we watch: We watch people sing, dance with B-level stars, fist pump, pawn stuff, pick a husband/wife, get extreme makeovers to their homes and faces, be "real" housewives, keep up, lose weight, go to rehab, get fired, survive.
And the voyeuristic nature has spilled into everyday life. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and a host of other social media platforms, all the world's now truly a stage, and we are all players in the reality show of life -- either as the "stars" or as the self-appointed pundits.
Observing events and then commenting about them on social media has become our national religion. We anxiously wait for the next celebrity to screw up, another politician to be caught in a sex scandal, the verdict in an even higher profile murder trial or simply a friend to do something stupid so that we can quickly begin worshipping at the altar of the social media platform of our choice to offer our (or read others') opinions, jokes, jibes and the occasional insightful thought.
In the past, people would recount where they were when an historic event occurred such as the Kennedy assassination, the space shuttle exploding or the 9/11 attacks. In the future, we will instead recall what we tweeted, posted or read on social media platforms about such events.
Yes, it's fun, and I'm guilty of doing the same thing. But here is my growing concern: Are we becoming the laziest generation?
Is social media becoming our opiate of the masses seducing us into being slacktivists, believing that simply because we make a cyber-comment, we are somehow actually affecting our world? Will our generation leave a lasting legacy or just millions of snarky tweets?
Look at the preceeding generations: In the 1940s and '50s, there was the "Greatest Generation," a generation of doers, not watchers, who through their dedication, work ethic and sacrifice, built our nation into an economic superpower.
They were followed in the '60s and early '70s by a generation that took to the streets to oppose the Vietnam War and press for civil rights, causing American policy to change on both the foreign policy and domestic fronts.
In contrast to their activism, many of us are only engaged in slacktivism: clicking "Like" on Facebook, digitally signing an online petition or retweeting someone else's thoughts on Twitter.
Source :CNN