If you have a smart phone, undoubtedly you’ll live with the constant niggling feeling that you are missing out on something. Somehow our devices know exactly how to beg for attention, drawing us away from conversations with family, friends and colleagues.
The morning commute to work is a sea of a lagging heads, face glued to the phone, knuckles gripped, eyes despondent. And we are no different here at Carousel; we are all drawn to the tiny shiny computers in our hands – our perfect source of news, entertainment and contact all in one.
Recent studies have shown that social media has drastically effected “Generation Z”’s social skills, mental health and emotional well being. But why?
Growing up, plenty of us had access to 90s tapes, playing out and singing along to girl bands whilst waiting for the dial-up to show signs of life. Free time wasn’t structured around notifications, likes and scrolls. Perhaps our brains had more breathing space for creativity and learning – not from a screen. We never experienced the social demands of keeping up a digital life like many teenagers are today. A lot of us had the luxury of figuring out our personalities and aspirations; our best friend’s cool big sister was the influencer of our generation.
We are in no way stating that social media is the demon sucking the life out of teenager’s souls, but the concept of growing up can often feel like a minefield of emotional explosives, without the unseen hazard of the pressures of social media.
If there were one piece of advice we could give, it would be to sit back, enjoy your surroundings and take a break from social media. It’s going to be here for the long haul, other parts of your life aren’t.
