Perhaps I'm lucky that I come from a generation that grew into using technology, rather than grew up with technology:

Researchers asked 1,000 students at a dozen universities in ten countries on five continents to abstain from any kind of media consumption—no TV, no smartphone games, no Twitter or Facebook, and no instant messaging—for 24 hours, and then write about how they felt. A majority confessed that they actually couldn't complete the challenge.

I certainly feel the pull to be connected, but no where near the level that's described in this article from GOOD by Liz Dwyer. Giving up Twitter for lent hasn't been that hard, to be honest. I don't really miss it and am glad for the increased attention I'm able to give my kids, wife and real life without quickly flicking through Twitter to see what's happening.

These college students were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They didn't grow up with ubiquitous one-to-one school laptop programs, downloadable education apps for mobile phones and e-books instead of traditional textbooks—and they're uber addicted. What's going to happen to this current generation of media saturated kids when they get to college?

This kind of media addiction isn't nearly as looked down upon as TV was because there's the "social" component tacked onto it. If someone's texting, updating Twitter or FaceBook or watching a video their friend liked on YouTube - it's social and good because they're interacting. Whereas if they were sitting in front of a TV screen for that same amount of time, they'd be lazy and anti-social.

I would hope that there will come a backlash against the face down into your cell phone type, who can't hold a regular conversation. But I don't really see it coming yet from this generation. Maybe in the next generation?

Article via shawnblanc.net