Being a Gen Z kid myself, I might be a little biased, but sometimes, bias is good. People -millenials mostly- say that our generation is addicted to our phones, that we can’t be taken away from them. Some go as far as to say that they are our lifelines. I’m not here to argue with that. I’m just here to provide some sort of justification.
It is said that we don’t accept reality, that we alter it and see it through a lense with Snapchat, Instagram, or other social media platforms. We are believed to be naive and ignorant of the world around us, but they couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is, we are painfully aware of the world that we reside in. Whether it’s the anti-pollution campaigns that keep popping up on our instagram feeds, or the devastating shark depopulation facts that keep appearing on our Facebook pages, we simply can’t get away from it. Being on our phones isn’t about trying to escape the real world, it’s about making an effort to fix it. While there’s not much we can do directly about the civil war in Yemen, or the mass genocide in Myanmar, we hav the ability raise awareness to those who can make a difference. Through online movements, we can push for equality in Quebec, safer (and cleaner) oil extraction methods in the Alberta Tar Sands, and military aid in countries who need it, such as Venezuela.
The quote that urged me to write this essay, was, “it’s not an addiction, it’s an extension of themselves.” At first, I thought of my friends at school who are, in fact, on their phones all of the time. For a moment, I was disheartened, thinking that they were right, but then I remembered something. On almost every Instagram story I’ve seen, there’s been at least one shared post per week, spreading the word about something. This is how I came across the story of Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a girl who was harrassed by her teacher and then burned on the roof of her school in Bangladesh. This is how I found out about the civil war that’s been raging in Libya for years. Social media is how we discover all the awful things happening around the world. It is said that we isolate ourselves, but this is what connects us. It is true, I’m not denying it. We are addicted to our phones. It is an extension of ourselves. It is the sword that we wield to battle the demons which those before us are too afraid to face.
This is where I urge us, Generation Z, to wield your swords, it is a part of you - be proud.
It is said that we don’t accept reality, that we alter it and see it through a lense with Snapchat, Instagram, or other social media platforms. We are believed to be naive and ignorant of the world around us, but they couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is, we are painfully aware of the world that we reside in. Whether it’s the anti-pollution campaigns that keep popping up on our instagram feeds, or the devastating shark depopulation facts that keep appearing on our Facebook pages, we simply can’t get away from it. Being on our phones isn’t about trying to escape the real world, it’s about making an effort to fix it. While there’s not much we can do directly about the civil war in Yemen, or the mass genocide in Myanmar, we hav the ability raise awareness to those who can make a difference. Through online movements, we can push for equality in Quebec, safer (and cleaner) oil extraction methods in the Alberta Tar Sands, and military aid in countries who need it, such as Venezuela.
The quote that urged me to write this essay, was, “it’s not an addiction, it’s an extension of themselves.” At first, I thought of my friends at school who are, in fact, on their phones all of the time. For a moment, I was disheartened, thinking that they were right, but then I remembered something. On almost every Instagram story I’ve seen, there’s been at least one shared post per week, spreading the word about something. This is how I came across the story of Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a girl who was harrassed by her teacher and then burned on the roof of her school in Bangladesh. This is how I found out about the civil war that’s been raging in Libya for years. Social media is how we discover all the awful things happening around the world. It is said that we isolate ourselves, but this is what connects us. It is true, I’m not denying it. We are addicted to our phones. It is an extension of ourselves. It is the sword that we wield to battle the demons which those before us are too afraid to face.
This is where I urge us, Generation Z, to wield your swords, it is a part of you - be proud.
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