The End Is Near

[drewlane]

Personally, I have never read an article that have stirred such mixed emotions. I completely agree with Mr. W (who's name is very long, so we'll just call him Mr. W or Drew), but I feel he took the "solitude" aspect too deep into literary periods and religious values and ideas. The essay could have just been "the Web generation can't be alone." Everyone would have agreed. I have a horrible fear of loneliness, myself, and try to remedy it whenever possible. Mr. W made it seem like that fear was the end to a part of our person, but I don't necessarily think solitude is a better option over never being alone.

However, I don't think we have a fear of being alone, we just have a fear of having absolutely nothing to do. Anyone would rather watch paint dry over sit down, close your eyes, and be "alone". When the TV generation gets bored, they click on the TV to have something to do, to occupy their time. When the web generation has nothing to do, the switch on a PC, laptop, iPod, iPad, or phone and get on Facebook and Twitter. It is simply a mechanism of occupying our minds. Mr. W is on the right track, but I just don't think he even really interviewed a teenager or asked them what Facebook or Twitter is to them. It is not our God, as some would believe. It is just a way to, yes, stay connected, but more importantly, it is a way to give us something to do. The same goes for the TV generation. It is not their God, as the generation before them would likely say, it is a way to give them something to do.

Therefore, every generation has something that the previous did not and does not approve of. For the teenagers in the twenties, it was cars and music. The generation ahead of them thought it was awful and was ruling their lives. For the teenagers of the 70's and 80's the television came around and the adults thought it was going to ruin their lives. For the current generation, the internet has come about. The TV generation thinks it is going to rule our lives. I'm sure the web generation will find something they don't like about the future generations, too. I've just found that we keep writing articles about technology being a certain generations "God" when in reality, all generations have had something the previous did not, and article like Mr. W's are just more "generation discrimination".

I must say, however, that I did enjoy the points Mr. W made, and the article was very interesting. Although personally I don't know what to make of it, I did enjoy his in-depth analysis of the dissapearance of solitude. I look forward to seeing if his analyses are correct!

[kristincritchfield]

I totally agree with what you said about Mr. W’s “generation discrimination.” Every year it’s something new and technological that the youth has their hands on. To the older generations, we are being corrupted by iPhones, and MP3 players, and Facebook. I’m not even allowed to use Twitter because it’s too dangerous for people to know what I’m thinking and doing 24/7. That’s what my parents say anyways.
Seriously, though, you made a valid point. The older generations don’t talk to us enough to know what we even think about Twitter and Facebook, etc. They just make observations and then exaggerate their opinions to extremes. My parents think that Sarah and I are being brainwashed by modern media. They just don’t realize that we use Facebook and other applications on our iPhones to keep in touch and to know what everyone’s doing and when. It is what’s hip and cool these days, just like a Walkman and parachute pants were in theirs. Maybe they liked to be alone back then, and maybe they can concentrate better than us, but the times are a changing. Things aren’t the same as they used to be. The youngsters are influenced by a different environment than older generations.

[meriahrose]

I think everyone has a little fear of loneliness, and that is why we have programs like twitter and Facebook- to stay connected. We can now make the decision to be alone, if we want. But whether or not we are alone is, simply, up to us. We can text, chat, or call anyone we want, anywhere, and at any time. Thanks to modern technologies we have those freedoms. The older generations will always frown upon the youngsters of the time period, simply because of the change. People will never be comfortable with something they are not familiar with, and because our parents were raised in a different generation, they are not familiar with the things we use and do today. Our mom’s and dad’s never experienced Facebook or the IPhone simply because such items did not exist. And because our parents care for us and want what is best, they assume all foreign objects to dangerous. While I can appreciate their concern I do wish they would trust us not to post our social security numbers on Facebook, or to text until our fingers bleed. They’re the ones that raised us, and taught us right from wrong. How can we be expected to make life changing decisions as adults, when we aren’t even allowed to decide which movie to watch or which music is appropriate?

[katieblock]

Drew, I understand your fear of loneliness although I feel it in a different way. I’m not afraid of being bored exactly, I’m just afraid I’ll live a life alone. I don’t mean without a husband, I mean like everyone else in the world I knew or loved has left me. I like being by myself at times doing whatever I want. Someone times its doing my homework in peace, reading a book, or just laying in bed before I drift to dreams. Even though I like the little times of peace, I would never want to be alone forever. I know the chances of everyone I know suddenly forgetting I exist is very, very slim, but for some reason the thought really terrifies me. I don’t want to never have friends or family to lean on and I don’t want to have to do everything in complete silence. I’d probably end up going crazy and talking to myself. For the people that know the true me, yes I’m aware that me going crazy wouldn’t be a shock to any of you; I’m pretty close to crazy as it is now. And Drew as I read your essay you fired up my fear in my heart and really made me think about how I never, ever want to be completely alone.