We live in a society where social interactions occur through a screen and the conversations progress at 140 characters. Naysayers and critics view this shift in communication as a negative evolutionary step. However, the millennials have embraced it and created their own universe that isn’t
welcoming to the baby boomers that have been locked out of it.
As millennials tweet, tumble and Instagram, parents grow further from understanding their children and the generation their growing up in. What’s important to understand is that interactions between two people is just as important today as it was 50 years ago. The arena may be different, but the rules of society are the same. In some ways, kids and teens of today communicate more than the previous generations. With heightened and speedier communication vehicles, new problems and threats arise.
These are not the ones that most naysayers spout. It’s not that millennials are constantly on their phones, it’s who and how they’re talking to people on the other side of the screen.
The new era of the internet and communication has brought on a new streamlined era of bullying
Cyber bullies are dangerous, vile and anonymous . They use their screen time to use the worst of the derogatory lexicon and spend hours tormenting and harassing users. Unfortunately, the internet protects hides and abets through anonymity – the internet police has not been created yet.
That’s the true downside of this new universe – it’s the lack of sensitivity and understanding one would gain through face to face interactions. At a young age, a child insults his peer and there are instant ramifications. A teacher gets angry while the peer may start crying. On the internet the instant punishment doesn’t exist. The anonymous bully types his words and doesn’t experience the other person’s reactions. The bully can then continue with his day, while a person has been emotionally hurt.
How do we ensure that isn’t occurring to our own precocious millennials? It’s important that they understand social interactions, the power of words, and the plight of others. Arming them with consciousness and awareness of others is the biggest gift we can give them.
