The Millennials and those belonging from Generation Z have experienced a lifetime on this planet where digital technology was made available to them at an early age.
With personal computers and internet already booming across the planet in the 1970s, social media and smartphone technology saw us increasingly becoming drawn towards what technology had to offer. Today we find ourselves addicted to smart computing devices and completely hooked to the screens of our handheld gadgets more than ever.
According to a recent study by Orleans Marketing, over 40% of the world (or 3.8 billion people) use the internet, with over 8 billion connected devices and 80% of all internet traffic accredited to video content.
Furthermore, Google observes more than 3.5 billion searches per day, 500 million tweets sent every day and Facebook has more than 2 billion active users with an average of 155 friends. Moreover, 250 million hours of TV shows are watched daily on Netflix and 56 million hours of music streamed daily.
The Dark Side of Technology
With technology intervening in our personal and professional lives on a daily basis, there is no doubt that our dependency on it has allowed dictating unhealthy lifestyle patterns in the youth. Here are some of the ways through which it is rupturing the minds of the younger generation:
- Lack of Political Awareness
The young and the old are all engrossed with watching their TV shows. The youth is surfing on the internet for hours, playing video games both online and offline, and becoming increasingly decentralized about political concerns and events happening around them.
This lack of awareness is stemmed from the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle which has them indulged in live streaming on social media and consuming popular content found online. This life of memes and hypocrisy is ruining their ability to think what matters in life and much of their concerns are rooted in their personal gains and likeability rather than social, economic, or political causes.
- Social Isolation
Community work is important and helps build strong personality traits like compassion and empathy for fellow persons, the environment, and nature.
However being tied to their own rooms, playing and streaming games, watching movies, anime, and TV shows have got them preoccupied to the point where they simply cannot be bothered to think about real-life problems and societal changes.
In a way, they are losing touch of important factors in their life that can help in shaping their future which as a parent or a teacher can be a serious concern because this world always has and always will belong to the future generations.
Ways to Utilize Technology Properly
It is important to note here that technology itself isn’t bad; only its improper usage can bring about troubling concerns for the youth.
Hence when practiced in moderation and utilized in a directed manner, technology can pave the way to educate and inform the younger generations. Here are some ways through which technology can benefit the youth and make them more socially and politically aware in the current era.
- Informative Chat Shows & Programs
Infotainment is a popular format that can be used to entertain and inform younger audiences at the same time.
Though this does rely on watching video content, if the media is appropriately curated then, that same media can be used to educate the audiences and make them more aware of their surroundings and event happening around them.
There are various shows that can gratify this purpose though for a mature audience I would personally recommend watching The Patriot Act with Hassan Minhaj, sadly the show has been disbanded lately. For younger audiences, the following are a good choice:
- Bill Nye the Science Guy (PBS)
- Discovery Atlas (Discovery Channel)
- Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (National Geographic)
- Frontline (PBS)
- How It’s Made? (Discovery Channel)
- Myth Busters (Science Channel)
- NOVA (PBS)
Alas, I cannot help but mention that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver are also some of the finest creations when it comes to political satire. These shows are for a person with a mature mind that can inform and make you laugh at the same time without profanity or any use of bad language.
Both John and Mr Colbert are master-class in their own right, and with Hassan Minhaj in the mix, the youth can pretty much learn about various topics including politics, economy, and social concerns in recent times.
- Online Competitions
Another way we can educate the youth through technology is by helping them participate in various competitions that can enlighten them and sharpen their cognitive abilities.
Students looking for dissertation assistance would also find the following competitions worth taking a look:
- American Model United Nations International – Model UN allows students to practice diplomacy.
- LifeSmarts – Organized by the National Consumers League and teaches students about issues faced by consumers today.
- National Economics Challenge – EconChallenge is an online competition available in all states and aimed at high school students.
- University Interscholastic League – UIL offers academic competitions in areas of debate, film, journalism, speech, and theatre.
Public Events
Lastly, we can also use technology to promulgate educational events that can be held publicly and can be made more attractive.
Students often look to buy dissertations or get online help; you can support them in this regards.
Some popular examples include:
- BETT – a global series of education shows organized by the Hyve Group
- FETC 2021 – Future of Education Technology Conference (free, virtual, and multi-day conference)
- Learn Launch Across Boundaries – over 1,200 participants from 33 states
- TCEA – Texas Computer Education Association – spanning over five days with 1000+ sessions & workshops
Conclusion
This is neither a complete nor an exhaustive list of ways through which technology can be used to educate the youth. No doubt that many of our younger members of society are quickly adopting a sedentary lifestyle.
However, there are various programs and educational conferences centered around technology that are equally providing awareness and learning opportunities for the youth.
As parents and teachers, we ourselves need to stay informed of such opportunities so that we can direct our younger audiences to more quality time via technology rather than simply nagging at them.
About the Author
Samantha Kaylee currently works as an Assistant Editor at Crowd Writer. This is where higher education students can acquire the best essay writing service UK from experts specializing in their field of study. During her leisure time, she likes to indulge herself in doodling or making wall art.
