Tumblr. Facebook. Pinterest. Twitter. Google Plus. Oh, and may I add YouTube?
Surely, your niche is up there (Instagram isn't included because the web version of the app is just not the same. And it's certainly not the same!) While it is true that every person is different, but we can all mostly agree on the fact that the Internet is one place we cannot fathom being without; it's almost like an addition to our daily routine of eating, drinking, and socializing (except the Internet has taken socializing to a whole level.) Thanks to social media, though, "teenagers spend 27 hours a week online" (Anderson, The Telegraph). That statement shouldn't be anything surprising, considering the rise of Instagram and Snapchat being added into the pool of social media apps. In addition, social media has also been sort of a "cure" to our everyday feelings.
If you have anything on your mind, you want to look for something hilarious, or you want to reach out in help, your Internet friends have your back. We may not know them in real life, but they are the people who appear willing to cheer us up in our worst times with bad puns or corny jokes. You want a tutorial on a specific hairstyle or makeup look? Michelle Phan is just around the corner to teach you! Want to see something funny? NigaHiga has got plenty of videos to turn your frown upside down. Netflix, who can forget that? The program with movies for days! The Internet is the reason why many of us are cooped up inside the house, so why is the previous generation complaining so much? (In their defense, though, social media wasn't even a word during their time, so we can give them a break on that.)
However, the Internet is an unlimited resource for so many things, it's no wonder people learn more on websites than sitting in an hour lecture of Math. On the Net, it's possible to post multiple different ways to achieve the one same thing, such as finding the solution of 'x.' In a classroom, it could be possible, but more confusing to other students who might have already found one method to be suitable to their preference. The fact that a student can be the physical version of an encyclopedia shouldn't be such a new surprise either, thanks to Wikipedia and their vast array of subjects to choose and learn from. Students are even able to pull up essays from other students around the world with simple search keywords, and can use it to their benefit, provided that he or she doesn't copy the entire document.
The internet is one of those amazing wonders in life because there's an element to it that makes people immediately attached (that is, unless you're another Ray Bradbury; he hates the Internet). The element is not exactly a word, or a string of words, that can be expressed verbally, but it's definitely in the Net. Once you become accustomed to typing in relevant key searches and how to arrange the words so that Google pulls up the correct results, you're in the portal. Getting out is going to be a bit hard, especially now that high-speed Internet is available at affordable prices. Now that we're in the 21st century, abandoning the Internet would be completely redundant as almost everything from schoolwork to shopping to taxes can be done on the computer. Although it is recommended by doctors to unplug a couple of days a week, it shouldn't escalate to tossing the Internet aside like a dust bunny. We need this valuable resource to survive these days, no matter how much you claim it is harmful to humans' health.
So, stop being so mean to our generation for becoming more digital. We have the resources to change our ways, might as well use them. Why else do students in America use calculators to speed up in math, but yet, kids in Bangladesh have to use paper, pencil, and fingers on standardized tests? It makes no sense to condemn a generation that is advancing in technology when there are people and resources available almost every day. It's like being mad for carbon dioxide, even though humans need that to function. You cannot avoid carbon dioxide when you are also breathing it in and out.
Our generation will be weirdest grandparents thanks to memes, GIFs, Vines, and Snapchat. Scaring our grandchildren will be fun.
