Technology And Technology

“In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find differing opinions… The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which ‘experts’ seem the most credible” (Espejo 11). The perceptions of one age group in society of another age group are built upon assumptions that are made through what is visible. However, rarely is anyone willing to understand the reason behind someone’s actions. Sibling rivalry, the death of a loved one, moving to a new school, competition among peers, and the reputation adolescents have today often end up giving a misperception of society to teens and of teens to society, thus damaging the relationships between society, as illustrated by J.D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye.

Teenagers are often seen in society as careless and dangerous in the U.S. society. With many articles on adolescence, this thought stays true. Although, in a basic psychology book the author contradicts this thought. The author of a basic psychology book merely states that peers often coincide with parents on encouraging teens to do well. So, what’s the truth? The best way to answer this is to analyze articles that have strong support for their opinion on adolescence. An article by the name of “Why Teen-Agers Are the Worst” by Elizabeth Kolbert explores the possibilities on why teenagers may be dangerous. Kolbert’s thesis is “At moments of extreme exasperation, parents may think that there’s something wrong with their teen-agers’ brains. Which, according to recent books on adolescence,

A common phrase that adults can testify to hearing from any given teenager is, “You don’t understand!” This proves a struggle between the youth and the adults that quite possibly is never-ending. Adults make assumptions about kids, based on the way they dress, which pushes kids further and further away. In the essay, “Goths in Tomorrowland” by Thomas Hine (2001), he emphasizes the beliefs that adults began the idea of youth alienation from older societies and the teenagers keep it that way. Donna Gaine’s (2001) essay, “Teenage Wasteland,” discusses four teenagers who were mocked and misunderstood by adults and reporters alike. Jon Katz (2001) lets the kids explain themselves about their seclusion from society and the misconceptions about them in his column, “More from the Hellmouth: Kids Tell About Rage.” The fear that elders show towards young people is merely a fear of the unknown. Adults are worried about the younger generations because of their misunderstandings of the youth culture, their failure to accept youth into the adult society, and the instigation provoked from young people.

Irresponsible, reckless and dangerous are only some of the general traits used to describe teenagers. The negative connotation given to an entire group of individuals is appalling and has caused them to suffer many unfortunate consequences. The stereotypes used to categorize adolescents of today are lead by the portrayal of youth in the media and misrepresentation in our legal system. My essay will prove that the stereotypes reinforced by these sources are untrue and in fact, negatively impact teens as they struggle to defeat these social generalizations. Teenage years are said to be the most important and defining years of your life.

The teenagers I interviewed were all relatively affluent, by all appearances and their own admission, and this in and of itself created some differences between their perspectives and my own. In general, however, I think that the passage of time and the different values and perspectives of parents and of teenagers in the current era are more responsible for the changes in responses that I observed in the interview as opposed to what I myself might have said as a teenager in answer to the questions posed in the interview. What they liked about being a teenager was relative freedom while still being able to depend on their parents, and they disliked the rules and the amount of activities they had; they went on to mention "best things" that included things ranging from romantic partners to video games, and "worst things" that focused primarily on various aspects of school specific teachers, subjects, etc. I, on the other hand, would have said that my independence was what I liked the most about being a teenager, as this was the time in my life when my parents made it clear that I both would and should depend on them less for transportation, keeping myself organized, etc. I disliked the amount of responsibility I had to some degree, but all of my responsibilities were things of my own choosing and would have also represented the best thing in my life (the extracurricular activities that I chose to participate in).

The decade of the 1950's sparked the rise of youth power. It was the beginning of actual “teenagers”. Post World War ll brought a baby boom that led to a mass amount of young people in the fifties. The youth culture was a significant social change that was taking place in America. The fifties youth culture had a considerable influence over pop culture. Their behavior, interests, and ideas were distinct from their parents. “Their attempts to forge an identity worried adults, who couldn't understand the shift (Shmoop Editorial Team).” The fifties were essential to youth culture because it marked the historical roots of teenagers. In essence, prior to the 1950’s, the youth lacked freedom to

Being a teenager is a memorable experience, for anyone. Some things about it haven’t changed, and probably never will. Awkward love triangles, embarrassing school photos, these things seem to stay with us throughout the decades. However, the fads of dieting, use of language, and human interactions certainly have changed between when my mother was a teenage in the 1970s, and now, in the 2010s

Like previous generations today's youth are greatly influenced by what they see and hear. Outside of parents or legal guardians, the big screen, television, music, and peers have the greatest influence over young people today. What is being communicated to our youth falls short on doses of old-fashioned morals and values.

Teenagers in 2017 have a preferable life than teenagers in 1963 did, due to this nation evolving in numerous ways; however, individual’s perspective back in 1963 was tougher than individual’s perspective now in 2017; ultimately, the choices individuals have now, in 2017, are more openly than they were in 1963.

(‘the fashionable women wears the clothes. The clothes do not wear her ‘Mary Quant) (P.Reed pg.32 2012) Therefore, it could be argued that teenagers had an impact. The views on young people in modern America was progressively changing. American teenagers looked beyond the family for "fulfilment” and took a step back from the activities they used to take part in with their families.

As the decades change so do the teens. Teenagers from the 1960’s won’t exactly have the same ways of thinking or ways of speaking. The way of life back then was completely different and that has an impact on teens today. Old ways are thrown out and newer ones are brought in, attitudes change. Advance technology changes the way we interact with others compared to the 1960’s. The health concerns may or may not be the same as the health concerns in the year 2014. With teens changing constantly, how will the next generation of teens be like?

A shrill one note song blared through the halls as teens rushed to reach class on time. A girl winces at the noise, and slides into her desk. She catches the sight of the teacher's computer, and is overcome with the desire it was a typewriter. 'Man, I was born in the wrong generation.' She thought to herself. It seems many of this generation’s teens have this thought. But are they really living in the ‘wrong’ generation? Is there any difference present between the two? There were two articles about teenagers. One described teens from the rock ‘n’ roll fifties, a time after the Great Depression, littered with opportunities and jobs at every corner. The other depicted the modern teenager, a teen living in the twenty-first century with smartphones and Snapchat. Talking about

The “Coming of Age” has changed since 1967 even though the same challenges remain there are many more new challenges that teens face today. The lifestyle that typical teens grow up in is nothing like Ben’s, however, we still go through emotional mental and physical struggles. There’s are new challenges in college majors, relationships that make things harder to work out today then they were before.

In society’s movies, teens are usually portrayed as being carefree and reckless; however, new studies have shown otherwise. Teens today are waiting longer than ever to drink, drive, get a paying job, and start dating. Now most teens worry about their future like their parents do. Chiara Power, 15, said, “I’m already panicking and having nightmares about the student loans that I’ll never escape, and I’m worried that I’m going to end up homeless.” This is a pristine example of how fear and anxiety have shaped the youth of today. Since the human lifespan has increased drastically since the 1800s it makes sense that teens would change their mindsets. Now teens are focused on academics, while people from the 1800s were focused on starting a family

Social adolescent development has changed dramatically compared to growing up as a teenager in the 1950s. Technology, conventions, and a continuous developing society have influenced how kids grow up today, specifically girls. While there are some biological transitions through adolescence that differ, there’s a larger variance of social progression between peers, cohorts, and families through generations. The shift in marriage trends, family values, and social interaction have modified, and continue to transform the nature of adolescence. To draw on specific examples, comparisons were made based off interviews given to a typical teenage girl today and a female adult the same age in the 1950s, which from now on will be referred to as Generation Z and Happy Days Generation.