By Chloe Saunders
The G.I. Generation, the WWII Generation and the Greatest Generation are terms that were coined about the young adults in the United States during WWll.
This was the generation that came together to fight in the war and survived the Great Depression.
The current college aged youth are comprised of the Millennial Generation and Generation Z.
These generations may not have left a legacy just yet but without a doubt they should be called Generation Numb.
These generations have been called spoiled and narcissistic but this is actually a misidentification of many factors that combine to become a numbing agent on young adults.
The end of the Millennial Generation and all of Generation Z grew up learning a second language: technology.
Some parents plopped their kids in front of a television to quiet them down or gave them a cell phone at 10 years old because everyone at school had one.
They were taught that technology was a necessity and that it could provide filler for unwanted emotional experiences.
According to The Nielsen Company, during the second quarter in 2016, people 18 to 34 spent six hours and 40 minutes per week using television connected devices.
It is easy to just turn on the television and zone out for a couple hours on mindless nonsense that has no effect on everyday life.
Instead of blurring reality with monotonous information some people receive knowledge that is anything but mindless.
It almost seems like there is always a new terrorist attack or a potential nuclear missile aimed at our west coast.
Every horrible moment is recorded and sent out to those who regularly consume technology.
Since there is predominantly negative media to consume with little if any positivity expressed, it almost seems as if the world is falling to pieces.
Whether it is on their explore page on Instagram or on the television, young adults have gotten used to seeing death, fear and sadness almost every time they turn on their devices.
The easiest thing to do is to just accept the harsh realities of life and turn off your reactions. Beyond the literal desensitizing from zoning out on the mundane or being exposed to the dark realities of the world, there is another problem numbing the young adults of today.
The sheer volume of information that people take in everyday is massive and damaging to the human psyche.
This epidemic, called “data smog” by some researchers, has overwhelmed people making them ill by interfering with their sleep, wrecking their concentration and eroding the immune systems.
A British psychologist named David Lewis Ph.D. calls this ailment “information fatigue syndrome” and believes that it leads to “analysis paralysis.”
This “analysis paralysis” leads to people freezing up after feeling overwhelmed.
All the technology that modern youth consumes allows a wave of panic to hold them tightly until they no longer notice that they can’t feel.
The young adults of today freeze up and no longer feel a need for a reaction.
There really is no perfect solution to sensitize young adults.
The only way the Generation Numb can create a legacy that is remembered in a positive light is to be actively attentive every time they turn on their television or open up an app.
Sungah Choi / The Poly Post
Graphic depicting “analysis paralysis”
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