Introduction
Technology has significantly affected the way people read, learn, communicate, play and entertain themselves. The generation Y got more impacted with the technology as compared to older people due to frequent use of technology in different aspects of life. Experts have diverse opinion about the effect of technology on generation Y. Opponents claim that excessive use of technology decreases learning ability of people, adversely affect their health, make them isolated, and cause behavioral challenges such as violent and aggressive behavior. Youngsters who play violent video games often become aggressive and they show violent behavior in their schools and home. However, proponents of the use of technology, claim that use of technology makes youngsters smart, multitasking, facilitate quick learning and allows users to communicate easily and frequently. This paper analyzes various positive as well as the negative effect of technology on generation Y.
Discussion
Positive Effects of Technology on Generation Y
Effect on Learning:
Huang, Huang, and Syu (2010) describe generation Y as people born during 1977 to 1994. This generation is also known as ‘Echo Boomers’, people who are optimistic, confident and ready to accept changes. Generation Y has easy access to technology and they use technology for various purposes, including reading and learning (Huang, Huang & Syu). Technology changed the way people used to search, and read the information. Today generation Y is not required to go to the library to find a specific book. They are also not required to go through lengthy articles, newspapers or books in order to find any specific information. People can easily search desired information in few clicks on the internet.
Technology significantly impacts the learning related behavior of generation Y due to use of computers, internet and other technology not only in the home but also in the classrooms. Professors utilize technology for development and distribution of study material. Students utilize technology to complete their tasks, reports and presentations. Cantoni and Danowski (2015) say that technology improved communication between professors and learners. Generation Y students have high expectations, and they are enthusiastic. Advance technology satisfies their learning needs. Technology allows them to directly communicate with their professors as and when required in order to solve their queries (Cantoni and Danowski 308).
Cantoni and Danowski mentioned that the technology significantly improved learning of people because it allows them to explore their subject of interest. Technology helps students in complete their tasks more efficiently, accurately and in a timely manner. Technology also provides students opportunity to collaborate their learning with peers and in understanding others’ opinion. The authors also say that the use of technology does not eliminate old ways of learning completely. Students still attend classroom lectures and they also use printed study material. However, eLearning provided them an upper edge (Cantoni and Danowski 314).
Effect on Communication and Multitasking:
Generation Y utilizes various technical mediums to communicate with friends and family members. Use of mobile phones, internet, computer, e-mails, iPod, and other communicate devices made communication quick and easier. Bolton et al. (2013) in their study, analyze the use of social media by the Generation Y and its effect. According to the authors, use of social media by generation Y people impacts society, organizations and overall society. The authors talk about significant difference in the way baby boomers communicate and Generation Y people communicate. Communication and especially use of social media by generation Y people is influenced by various environmental factors such as economic, culture, political and technical factors.
Use of social media by generation Y positively impacts their lifestyle. Social media helps them in staying connected with their friends and taking their update regularly. In hectic schedule, social media allows generation Y to maintain healthy relations to their friends and family. Social media strengthens their bonding with family members. According to the authors, the use of social media may bring certain changes in generation Y behavior, but those changes are not necessarily negative. Social media and other forms of communication allow generation Y to save their time and money. People are not required to travel from one place to another in order to get updates from friends and family (Bolton, Ruth N., et al.).
Different forms of communication and internet allow generation Y to be multitasking. At the same time they can perform multiple tasks such as communicating with people, listening music, and reading their favorite book or even playing their favorite games. Use of technology also allows generation Y to shop online and save their time that they can spend with their family members. Technology has positively impacted generation Y as a student, as a parent, as an employee, and as an employer. Technology provides parents new ways to ensure safety of their children when they are not at home. Parents can also track and communicate with their children with the help of technology. Various schools allow parents to watch over their children when they are in the classroom. Technology also allows employees and employers to perform organizational tasks more accurately and efficiently.
Negative Effect of Technology on Generation Y
Technology makes us Stupid:
Opponents of the technology claim that technology is making generation Y stupid. There is no doubt that technology allows people to access information in quicker and easier ways, but tech-savvy generation Y has now become addicted to it. Due to technology, people now do not want to go into depth on any subject or topic. They just quickly search the information on the internet and read the highlight texts only. People now do not want to read lengthy articles or books in order to obtain accurate information People search on the internet and read only a small piece of information, which keep them away from gaining complete knowledge on the subject. Now generation you have so much at one click that they use their brain less. Generation Y does not emphasize on remembering things that make their brain robust because everything is available so easily (Carr).
Carr (2008) in his article describes how Google is making us Stupid. Unlike the common belief that google is making us smarter, the reality is that Google is making people stupid. It is only increasing dependence on technology and making life of Generation Y difficult. Generation Y now have become addicted to the technology and their brain started functioning differently. Technology is actually damaging thinking capacity of people and decreasing their concentration. According to Carr, people now have become addicted to get everything so quickly that they do not want to invest their time, even if it will provide them knowledge and additional learning. The author very efficiently describes the effect of Google by saying “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski” (Carr 90). The human brain now accepts the information the way technology distributing it to them.
According to Carr, technology certainly provides a hassle free access to books, but are we really reading books or going only through book reviews. Earlier people used to spend long hours in libraries, but now Generation Y does not spend even a few hours on internet for reading books. Their mind gets diverted to other activities such as checking mails, texting, watching movies or playing games. Technology made things so accessible that people are unable to focus on one thing at one time; people are also unable to concentrate on their studies or learning because of the distraction created by different forms of technology.
Adversely Affects Health:
The negative effect of technology is not limited to human behavior or learning; technology has also adversely impacted our health, our brain and functioning of our body. Roosli et al. (2010) in their study analyzed the negative effect of electromagnetic and radio waves created by mobile towers, and Wi-Fi internet. Use of Wi-Fi is now very common in our daily lives. Generation Y uses Wi-Fi at their home, offices and school campuses. According to the research studies, Wi-Fi creates a net of electronegative waves that travels through our body and brain. People generally keep Wi-Fi on which significantly increase their exposure, thus increase the risk of adverse health effect.
Roosli et al. say that continuous exposure to electromagnetic waves damage our brains and other body organs. Some common illnesses caused due to electromagnetic field created by telephone towers and Wi-Fi networks are: anxiety, depression, cancer, Alzheimer, brain cancer, asthma, chest and heart problems, insomnia, chronic fatigue, migraine, blood pressure, brain tumors, nausea, stress, and digestive disorders. Generation Y continuously uses technology for reading, playing, entertainment, and communication. It is difficult to separate them from the electromagnetic field created by mobile networks and Wi-Fi. The adverse health effect of electromagnetic fields on generation Y’s health are long-term (Roosli, Martin, et al).
Technology is also restricting physical movements of generation Y. Generation Y prefers to spend their time sitting in front of their computers or doing various activities on their mobile phones or chatting with friends. Generation Y has become so addicted to the technology that they restrict their physical movement. People spend less time in gym, walking, playing physical games or doing physical activities at homes. Use of car, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, food processors, and other technologies are making us overweight or obese.
Communication Challenges:
Transition of Generation Y from childhood to adulthood is generally associated with developing their identity on the internet. Online identity showcases their freedom and independence. During a transition period they manage existing relationships and develop new relationships using online identity. However, during transition generation Y access to technology become unrestricted and they become dependent on technology for communication. All their communication with friends and family members occur using technical mediums such as mobiles, social networking websites and emails. Physical interaction with friends and family members decreased substantially.
Huang et al. (2010) mention that isolation is one the major issue faced by Generation Y despite of the fact that majority of them have online identity and account on social networking websites. According to a survey, more than 45 percent generation Y people used social networking for communication. And out of those, 82 percent created online account and utilizing to communicate with their friends and family. Huang et al. say that online communication has replaced conventional physical communication, which promotes social integration. According to the authors, relationships developed over the internet are weaker because of missing physical interaction. Online relationships and interactions lack emotional attachment and personal feelings, which make generation Y isolated (Huang et al.).
Behavioral Challenges Created due to Technology:
Generation Y that is more addicted to technology spends significant time on using technology. Generation Y prefers playing video games and watching movies, which impacts their overall behavior. According to research studies, watching violent movies and playing violent video games develop behavioral disorders and make generation Y aggressive and violent. Weber, Ritterfeld and Mathiak (2006) in their article, describe the scientific process of how violent media is impacting human brain and causing violence in real life. Generation Y, that gets indulged in virtual violence, may display the same in their practical life knowingly or unconsciously (Weber, Ritterfeld, and Mathiak).
According to research studies, pre-frontal cortex of human that governs human emotions and also called as empathy regions get impacted by the communication and content we watch or listen. Hence, if generation Y is interacting more with aggressive and violent content and not with humans, they make their brain less adaptable. Generation Y does not learn from human emotions and face-to-face interaction, instead their brain learns from violent media. Exposure to large video screen and violent media influence real-life stimulation and decreases empathetic response in practical life.
Another behavioral problem, observed in Generation Y, is their preference towards e-mail communication over face-to-face interaction. In organizational settings, generation Y considers technical communication easy and quicker. Generation Y does not deploy their hard work in maintaining accountability. It is difficult to reduce the communication gap between generation Y people, employers, and colleagues because Generation Y does not believe in conversation. They prefer texting or e-mail and do not want to go deep into the conversation. They give answers quickly and facilitate a quick process of communication (Na'Desh).
Conclusion
After going through the issue and analyzing the same, it can be concluded that technology affects generation Y in different ways. Generation Y is considerably affected by technology. There are differing opinions on the positive and negative effect of technology on generation Y. Some say that technology has positively affected youngsters, however, other believe find out that it has several negative aspects on youngsters. Like everything else, there are two aspects of technology and its effects on generation Y. Technology has helped youngsters in learning, communicating and sharing information, but at the same time, it has confined youngsters in their homes. Technology has made everything available at a click. Youngsters can avail any information or they can connect with anyone in fraction of seconds in order to learn, share or receive information. On the other hand, youngsters have excessively started relying on technology. They have stopped playing games for playing video games. They have added friends on social media but have stopped connecting people in their real life. Relying excessively on technology has affected the behavior of generation Y.
Works Cited
Bolton, Ruth N., et al. "Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda." Journal of Service Management 24.3 (2013): 245-267. Print.
Cantoni, Lorenzo, and James A. Danowski. Communication and Technology. USA: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2015. Print.
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google making us stupid?" Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education 107.2 (2008): 89-94. Print.
Huang, J. J., Huang, M. Y., & Syu, F. K. . "Liberated anomie in generation next: hyperindividualism, extreme consumerism, and social isolationism." Fooyin Journal of Health Science 2.2 (2010): 41-47. Print.
Huang, J. J., Huang, M. Y., & Syu, F. K. "Liberated anomie in generation next: hyperindividualism, extreme consumerism, and social isolationism." Fooyin Journal of Health Science 2.2 (2010): 41-47. Print.
Na'Desh, Fonda D. Grown Up Digital: Gen-Y Implications for Organizations. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2008. Print.
Roosli, Martin, et al. "Systematic review on the health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phone base stations." Bulletin of the World Health Organization 88.12 (2010): 887-896. Print.
Weber, Rene, Ute Ritterfeld, and Klaus Mathiak. "Does playing violent video games induce aggression? Empirical evidence of a functional magnetic resonance imaging study." Media psychology 8.1 (2006): 39-60. Print.
